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\ PG. 10 - PLAINDEALER - WED; MARCH 5, 1*969 The American System You say you believe in our American system of government? When was the last time you did something for it? Or about it? Maybe you voted in the November election. Almost 40 percent of this country's eligible voters didn't. It's worse in nonpresidential elections; less than half go to the polls. In Sweden, citizens who don't vote must pay a fine. In the United States our people don't seem to realize --or don't seem to care -- that in government either you work for what you want... or take what you get. Few people would deny that politics affects every aspect of their lives -- from taxes to education, from social welfare to law and order. On the other hand, most people refuse to believe that there* is anything they in turn can do to influence politics. Yet, hovy few of us can honestly say we ever tried. "Politics", said former President Dwight Eisenhower, "ought to be the part-time profession of every citizen". If it isn't the alternative is grim: Either you run your government or your government will run you. Faced with this choice, the answer is obvious., You have accepted all the advantages of our democratic system. It's time to shoulder some of the responsibilities. But how do you go about getting involved in government? There are five things you can do: (1) Keep informed. Understand how government and political parties work, and at what points in the decision-making process you have a voice - and an obligation - to be heard. Your main contact with politics is in your own community, preferably before the election of representatives when you should learn as much as possible about candidates seeking to represent you. Know your government representatives and urge competent men to seek office. (2) Support and work for candidates of your choice for primary and general elections at all levels: National, state and local. Not everyone, of course, can be a top level strategist, but there's still plenty of work to be done in any election: Envelopes to be typed and stuffed, literature to be distributed, voters to be canvassed. This takes active volunteers. A political party is no better than the people in it. (3) Contribute. Like everything else, getting elected to office takes money. And the more campaign contributions which come from the average citizen the less candidates will have to rely on the "fat cats" who inevitably exert their influence later. Even the change in your pockets can help, if there are enough citizens reaching for their pockets. (4) Vdte. This is the big one. Presidential elections have been swung by margins as thin as one-half vote per precinct. The records also show many local elections which have been won by only one vote. (5) Write to your elected representatives. How can they represent you after the election, if they don't know what you want? Let them know how you feel about the issues -- pro and con. Legislative battles are as often won in the mails as on the floor of Congress. As Henry David Thoreau wrote more than a century ago, "Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that would be one step toward obtaining it." For those of you now willing to get your feet wet in governmental waters, the first opportunity is coming up quickly. Illinois is going to have a Constitutional Convention, because last November voters of our state by a strong majority battered down the barricade which for decades has stood as a bar against constitutional reform. Con Con is a reality, and you, as a citizen, have a role to play in it. First, you can vote -- vote twice, in fact. You can vote initially to select responsible, intelligent delegates to the convention and eventually you can vote on the convention's final recommendations. In between votings, you have the right to voice your opinions at the "various public hearings. But these steps are several months ahead. There is something you can start thinking about and doing right now -- a way to get involved before the delegate election. You can seek out, encourage and help elect Illinois citizens of ability, integrity and honesty from our districts to run as candidates for convention delegates. Let them know you care. The next hundred years of Illinois may depend upon it. A Unifying Medium Some 15,000 "house organs" or industrial publications are printed in the United States according to latest estimates. The industrial publication serves the business organization as the hometown newspaper serves the community. House organs may vary from finely printed magazines to crude mimeographed sheets. Ordinarily, they are supported entirely from company funds and receive no income from advertising and circulation. An industrial community may be scattered over several states or over the entire nation. Yet people working for the same company have common and unique problems, interests and goals. The industrial publication is financed by the private company -- or a government bureau -- as a necessary medium for bringing to focus the common interests of employees, customers, and dealers. The aim of the publication is to create a community which is not bounded geographically. When the role of the community newspaper is analyzed in the same light, it may be regarded as a necessary social and economic institution. A group of residents does not become a community until it has a unifying communication medium. The need for a community "house organ" is most apparent in new suburban areas. Here local merchants have often created or financed local newspapers because they realize that a trading center cannot be developed without regular and reliable advertising medium. gnrrrrrm cap » n » b g e a »ti'» »"b'b a a a a a a g a fix Are toil New Town? : Do You K now Someone New In Town? We would like to extend a welcome to every newcomer to our community. Ann Zeller CALL ROYAL WELCOME 385-0559 Fran Olsen • 385-5740 • Joan Stull 385- t o O O O O P O O O O O P P O O Q P Q P Q S - O P O O Q O O Q O q 9 | m p M ' » March McCLORY REPORTS From yv Washington A minor skirmish developed recently in the U.S. House of Representatives when a resolution was adopted renaming and reconstructing the House Committee on Un-American Activities. This committee (now renamed the Internal Security committee) has long been a fetish of the anti-Communists and of Right-wing extremists, and the bane of leftists and fellow - travelers. Most Americans and an overwhelming majority of members of Congress -- including this member -- do not fit either category, and consequently are not violently opposed or inexorably wedded to this minor Committee and its activities. The current measure (H. Res 89) which is one of the first legislative enactments of the 91st Congress, is responsive to legitimate criticism which has adversely affected the prestige and effectiveness of the committee. A primary concern of the NATURAL COLOR wkini Now... Family Groups In Your Home, I* Color Formal St Informal 12 Potet... 13-4x5 Color Prinf EXTRA PRINTS 5 « 7 J 4 J 0 8. 10 $7 JO It . U $ 12 JO YOUR HOME 385-0170 OATLOflD . . . "Th« Recommended Photographer' IT PAYS TO SHOP IN McHENRY DRIVING FOR TRAFFIC SAFETY by Paul Powell Secretary of State Again this week I am departing from the usual topic of this column. I want to remind every driver in Illinois that beginning this year both the social security number and the zip code numbers will be required by law to be shown on all drivers license applications. Failure to include this information will make it necessary to return the application, lC«wn ZIP CODE new chairman of the committee, Congressman Richard Ichord, has been to adopt comprehensive rules of procedure designed to protect witnesses from harassment and invasion of their privacy. The new rules outline in detail the committee's authority for compelling appearances of witnesses and the production of documents, as well as for holding witnesses in contempt of court. ITiey are patterned after a code recommended by the American Bar association. Also, the recently -adopted rules authorize the participation of counsel for witnesses summoned to appear before the committee. In the opinion of Congressman Ichord, these rules are "the most comprehensive and fairest rules ever adopted by a committee of the Congress". The new name of the committee e.e. "The House Committee on Internal Security" is intended to more accurately describe the purposes and objectives of the committee. It would be a distortion to suggest that the committee will jeopardize freedom of thought or political belief. Also, it is erroneous to suggest that the committee's work will impinge upon the FBI's concern with espionage and subversion. The new congressional mandate to the Committee on Internal Security is to investigate the extent, character, objectives and activities within the United States of organizations or groups, their members, agents and affiliates which seek to establish a totalitarian dictatorship within the United States or to overthrow by force, violence, treachery, etc. the Government of the United States. It would seem irrational to neglect the useful functions that the Committee on Internal Security can perform. Certainly, in this period of unrest and frequent disorder, it seems incumbent, to investigate those elements which are inciting and promoting the disruptive activities which threaten our American institutions. By a vote of almost 4-1 (305-79) the House of Representatives has established the newly-named Committee on Internal Security and has authorized it to conduct investigations. In arriving at an individual judgment, it would be well to have in mind the committee's newly-proclaimed aims and objectives. The committee has an opportunity to prove that its critics are wrong. During the next twenty-two months, the House Committee on Internal Security will be making its record. The American public will judge whether its record is good -- or bad. resulting in inconvenience and delay for the applicant and increased cost to the state in both time, material and postage. I must be particularly forceful in pointing out that this requirement" affects teenagers applying > for instruction permits as well as adults applying for their first Illinois drivers license. If you do not have a social security number you may obtain one from the nearest Social Security office. Htlp speed up your drivers license! Fill in your social security and zip code numbers before you return your drivers license application. For a copy of the Illinois driving manual, "Rules of the Road", write to Paul Powell, Secretary of State, Springfield, Illinois 62706. Tips from a Pro Wray Mundy NATIONAL TRUCK DRIVER OF THE YEAR For That Old Fashioned Flavor - Come To cyioenetnatin Sausage Company • 35 Varieties of Sausage • True German Style Flavors • .Lean Hickory Smoked Bacon • Country Made Sausage • Delicious Hickory Smoked Hams Phone 385-6260 Route 120 Just East of Rt. 12 Volo, Illinois From The Farm OATS WRAP-UP T» University of Illinois agronomists suggest these steps if you're shooting for top oat yields: Select a top variety for your area. Sow only high - quality seed. Certified seed is a good guarantee that you will get what you pay for. --Plant treated seed. In addition to controlling smut, treated seed will usually yield at least three bushels per acre more than non-treated seed. --Prepare a good seedbed. Once over with a disk won't bury heavy cornstalks. Plowing is best, but if it's not practical to plow, shred the stalks and disk well. Weed control and soil seed contact are the basic purposes of a prepared seedbed. --Plant early -- as soon as you can get the land ready. --Use a drill. Drilled oats produce 7 to 10 bushels per acre more than broadcast seeding s. Most fields in Illinois can use 40 to 60 pounds of nitrogen. And the lightcolored soils that have not regularly had either legume crops or manure applications will respond to 80 pounds per acre. If you make a legume seeding with the oats, apply slightly less nitrogen than is normally recommended for oats alone. Agronomists advice that if you plan your phosphorus and potassium fertility program to meet the needs of forages in the seeding, you'll also provide adequate amounts of P and K for the oats. Choosing the right variety can boost yields 10 to 20 bushels per acre say the agronomists. The most promising northern Illinois varieties are Portal, Orbit and Holden. Garland, Tyler and Shield are varieties close on the heels of the leaders. Other varieties are: Brave, Clintford and Clintland 64. In northern Illinois, the later maturing varieties are usually able to make excellent yields, of good test-weight oats. fess* ona^ rO*Y OPTOMETRIST Dr. John F. Kelly At 1224 N. Green Street, McHenry (Closed Wednesday) Eyes Examined Glasses Fitted Contact Lenses Hrs. Dally 9: SO a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday Evenings 8:30 pm. Evenings by Appointment PHONE 385-0452 Dr. Leonard L. Bottari Eyes Examlned'Glasses fitted Contact Lenses 1303 N. Richmond Road Hours: Mon., Tues., Thnrs., Fri. 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tues., Thurm., & Fri. Eve 7 p m. to 9 pan. Sat. 0:30 to 3:00 p.m No Hours on Wednesday PHONE 385*4151 If No Answer Phone 885-2262 OFFICE EQUIPMENT McHenry County Office Machines Sales • Service & Rentals Typewriters, Adders, Calculators Mon- - Sat. 0:00 - 5:30 Friday till 0:00 p.m. Phone 450-1226 03 Grant St., Crystal Lake, HI. METAL WORK Schroeder Metalcraft for Home and Garden Wrought Iron Railings Fireplace Screens Antiques 1705 S. Rt. 31 PHONE 385-0950 INSURANCE IT PAYS TO SHOP IN McHENRY EarlR. Wahh Fire, Auto, Farm A Life Representing RELIABLE COMPANIES When You Need Insurance of Any Kind PHONE 385-3300 or 385-0953 3429 W Elm St., McHenry, 111. George L. Thompson General Insurance • LIFE . • AUTO • HEALTH • FIRE • CASUALTY • BOAT Phone 815-385-1066 3812 W. Elm St., McHenry In McHenry Plolndealer Blgd. Dennis Conway Auto, Life, Fire State Farm Ins. Cos. 3315- W. Elm St. McHenry, Illinois 385-5285 or 385-7111 LETTER SERVICE Mimeographing • Typing Addressing • Mailing Lists McHenry County Letter Service 1212-A N. Green St PHONE 385-5064 M o n . t h r u F r i . 8 - 5 Closed Saturdays ACCOUNTANTS Paul A. Schwegel 4410 West Route 120 McHenry, Illinois 385-4410 VACUUM CLEANERS Authorized and Bonded Electrolux Representative JAMES VAN FLEET 2501 Martin Rd. McHenry, Illinois 385-6027