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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 1980)
n friday, October 17, 9B0 lincoln, nebraska vol. 105 no. 40 ri (oJ(o n LGIjIji Bereuter addresses topic of political corruption By Mary Kempkes It's been a depressing term for U.S. Representatives on the whole. In the last few weeks, the House expelled its first member since the Civil War, and censured two of three representatives so disciplined this century. Two members resigned and one is serving a prison term. Nebraska Rep. Doug Bereuter spoke Thursday night to Young Republicans and was not reluctant to say that five of the six Mouse members involved in the Abscam trials are Democrats. Bereuter is a Republican. Abscam, the scandal in which U.S. legislators alleged ly accepted bribes from an FBI agent masquerading as an oil shiek, has posed interesting problems for the House, Bereuter said. It is likely that some of the representatives will be re-elected even after their expulsions. "How do you get justice in a state where people don't expect integrity from their officials?" he asked . Bereuter related a story from a Louisiana colleague, Rep. Bob Livingston who once served as a district attorn ey in New Orleans. Demands corruption As Livingston walked up the court house steps to pros ecute two officials for graft, an FBI agent said, "Remem ber Mr. Livingston. This state does not tolerate corruption in its public, officials. It demands it. " The two were ac quitted. "But I don't think Congress corrupts people," Bereut er said. "There might be temptations that could corrupt people. I know there are " If expelled representatives are re-elected, the House has the choice of expelling them again or using other disci- ' - J - -vM r i i ".v Photo by Mark Billingsley Doug Bereuter plinary measures, Bereuter said. He predicted that five of the six House members indicted will be convicted of accepting bribes. Bereuter used the Abscam issue as an example of what he described as inept Democratic leadership in Congress. He said he found it interesting that while the Demo crats have ruled Congress, inflation has skyrocketed, corruption has increased, the U.S. military strength has been questioned, and President Jimmy Carter still asks to be re-elected. Party spiels While Bereuter did not mention his own campaign for re-election in the 1st district, much of his talk centered on party spiels. By resorting to racist and pro-war charges against Reagan, Carter has demeaned the role as president, Bereuter said, an office that "belongs to the American people." Centering his talk on the presidential election, Bereuter said Carter has had one of the poorest Congressional re lations of any president since the Civil War, and that Gov. Reagan, despite his party standing in a Democratic Cong ress, would keep in touch with the feel on Capitol Hill. Carter's problem was that he brought in cabinet members and advisors that are unfamiliar with Washington, he said. The grain embargo against Russia "Was a disaster and ineffective," he said. Russia did not suffer from the em bargo. Only plains farmers did, he said. During the grain embargo and other times, Bereuter said he has stressed agriculture education with other rep resentatives. One out of every four Hpuse representatives are from a predominately agricutural district, he said and getting support from farm bills is a matter of "you-scratch-my-back, I'll-scratch-yours," he said. So he tries to support seacoast representatives on bills for fishermen and urban legislators on housing matters. J ohn Denver brings home issue of world hunger By Steve Miller The fact that world humger is not an issue in the presi dential campaign is evidence that people don't know what malnutrition is or the number of people that are suffering from it, according to singer, song writer John Denver. Denver, who has served on President Carter's commis sion on world hunger for the last two years said that he had conducted 11U press conierences during his tour to educate the public about the commission's findings. f t 7 Tenure of the commission ended last June, Denver said, but he wants to do more to help solve the problem. Denver spoke at a press conference at the Bob Devaney Sports Complex prior to his Thursday concert. "We really do have the wherewithal to do away with hunger," Denver said. "It's not like death and taxes. No one has to go to bed hungry." Denver also said he was aware of the plight of small farmers and said it was an issue he finds important. "They haven't got the support they need from the government," Denver said, "and the small farmer needs all the support he can get." Denver said he thought the amount of money spent on the campaign and used to support the bureaucracy was ludicrous when small fanners are losing the opportunity to make a livelihood. "People out here aren't being taken care of," he said and added that he didn't think the candidates knew the problems that existed. "We don't have anybody starving to death but people are malnourished," Denver said. "Do you hear anyone talking about it?" Hunger can be wiped out, Denver said, and the country may have to redefine its national security in terms of aid to other countries. He said he thought that by building them up to self-sufficiency we would build better rela tions. Aid to other countries needs to be monitored by the government to make sure it gets to the people, he said. "And I don't mean delegate that to an agency or company who'll get it over there and then sell it on the black-market," Denver said. "I've been waiting for a politician or world leader to say what I'm thinking," Denver said. "But it's not being said. "I've found out though that it starts here, with me." Denver said that people feel they don't make a differ ence but he thinks that they can. "We can change things, we do make a difference," he said. People need to find out about the hunger situation, he said, and they need to ask their congressmen to take action. Photo by Mark Billingsley John Denver Money Crunch Continues: Some NU colleges are ex periencing budget deficits. . . Page 2 Moving On: Columnist Jeff Goodwin says the Huskers will take another step toward an Orange Bowl bid this week Page 10 Who Was That Masked Man?: Local antique clothing and costume shop Fringe and Tassel gears up for frenetic Halloween season Page 12 Money from Krugerrands to buy Engineering College equipment By Jim Faddis The UNL College of Engineering and Technology has received a $100,000 gift from the NU Foundation to purchase research and instruction equipment. The donation is part of an agreement the founda tion has with James and Jessie Coe of Phoenix, Ariz., who donated 1 ,300 South African Krugerrands to the foundation, Ed Hirsch foundation vice president, said. The money received from the sale of the coins is to be used to buy equipment for the college. Under this agreement, the money given to the college by the foundation is to be matched the next year by the sale of some of the coins given by the Coes, Hirsch sad. So next year, $100,000 from the sale of more of the Krugerrands will be given to the college. Hirsch said the money given to the Engineering College this year, comes from unrestricted gifts the foundation has received. In addition, the foundation has raised $650,000 of its 1980 $1 million goal it is attempting to raise for the Engineering College, Hirsch said. The Coes' donation has been protested by some who believe the coins are a symbol of racism in South Africa. The Coes are considering legal action against the Daily Nebraskan because of a letter Coe said was a per sonal letter to a former Daily Nebraskan editor, was given to Sen. Ernest Chambers of Omaha, who released it to the media. None of this has affected the relationship between the Coes and the foundation, Hirsch said. "It has been a very pleasant and cordial relation ship," he said. TTie equipment the college will buy is badly needed, College of Engineering and Technology Interim Dean Lyle Young said. Young said the college has a $2 million list of equip ment that is needed. Many engineering labs don't have up-to-date equipment, Young said, and the college has interests in new research areas that new equipment is needed for. "Equipment is essential to engineering,M Young said. "It is essential in labs that you have up-to-date equipment so students can have epxerience Using it. This money we are receiving will enable us to do some things we haven't been able to do before."