Daily hansan
Lawrence, Kansas
61st Year, No. 102
Thursday, March 12, 1964
Hoffa Sentenced By Court; Faces Eight Year Jail Term
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — (UPI)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — (UPI)
—Teamster President James R. Hofia today was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for trying to bribe a jury that heard conspiracy charges against him.
"I stand here today and state I am innocent," the 51-year-old president of the nation's largest labor union solemnly told Federal District Judge Frank Wilson, who sternly rebuked Hoffa in handing down the sentence.
Hoffa drew four years on each of two counts of jury tampering and was fined $10,000.
HIS ATTORNEYS ALREADY have announced plans to appeal the conviction by a 12-member federal jury last week, all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.
Three of Hoffa's co-defendants in the case, heard during a marathon seven-week trial here, were sentenced to three years by Wilson. They were not fined.
They are former Nashville Teamsters Local President Ewing King; Detroit Teamsters Official Larry Campbell; and Nashville Negro handyman Thomas Ewing Parks. Each had been convicted on one count of jury tampering and could have been sentenced to five years and fined $5,000.
After court adjourned, Hoffa spoke to reporters on the steps of the courthouse.
"I HAVE NEVER witnessed anything such as I have witnessed in Chattanooga, Tenn., during the past eight weeks," he said.
He said he told members of his union, "The zeal of attorney General Robert Kennedy will be to destroy you unless you give in."
"I urge you not to give in," Hofa said.
There was a scattering of applause from spectators gathered around the union leader who then walked away to his hotel. He said he would fly to Florida immediately to visit his wife.
"I HAVE BEEN SENTENCED I will appeal, I am not guilty." Hoffa told reporters.
Wilson also cited Jacques Schiffer of New York, attorney for one of Hoffa's co-defendants for contempt of court. Wilson said Schiffer attempted to prevent and obstruct justice and "degrade and debase" respect for the court during the trial.
Wilson referred specifically to Schiffer's use of such language as "drumhead court martial," and "Stalinism . . . Hitler,ism . . . and all
kinds of isms' during his arguments in behalf of Parks.
Schiffer was fined $1,000 and sentenced to 60 days in jail.
Schiffer said he would appeal.
HOFFA. STANDING about 12 feet in front of Wilson, showed no visible sign of emotion when the sentence was pronounced.
He looked the judge in the eye as Wilson sharply rebuked him in the small oak paneled courtroom where the long trial took place.
"You stand here convicted... of tampering with the very soul of its nation, and its very foundation. Its basis of civilization of itself." Wilson said.
Hoffa was convicted of two counts of a federal indictment of attempting to bribe a federal jury at Nashville in 1962 which was hearing a conspiracy case against him. He faced a maximum of 10 years in prison and $10,000 fine.
HOFFA HAD SAID "that when the evidence is sifted calmly and cooly" it will show that he is innocent.
Wilson sentenced Hoffa to four years on each count—the sentences to run consecutively—and fined him $5,000 on each count.
Hoffa, typically chipper when he walked into the courtroom, was the first man off the elevator near Wilson's courtroom. He was dressed in a dark gray suit.
FLANKED BY HIS attorneys, he told newsmen, "I feel fine."
He stood in the hall outside the courtroom and talked to his attorneys for several minutes before entering.
Wilson asked Hoffa if his attorneys had anything to say. James Haggerty, Hoffa's chief attorney, said they did not but Hoffa did.
"I have lived my life serving my fellow man." Hoffa said.
"No one can say I betrayed my trust. . .my record stands for it-self.
"I HAVE NOT BETRAYED their (referring to his Teamsters Union members) trust and I am not guilty."
Wilson asked, "is there anything
Skies will be partly cloudy and temperatures will remain mild tonight and tomorrow. A few brief showers are possible late tomorrow.
Weather
The low tonight will be in the upper 30's.
The high tomorrow will be in the 60's.
further you care to say?"
Then Wilson began his preliminary remarks saying, "the verdict is substantiated by the evidence.
"No sir," Hoffa replied.
"It's difficult for the court to imagine a more wilful violation of the law."
"EVERYTHING WE CALL civilization depends on the proper administration of justice." Wilson said.
Undermining justice "would destroy this country" quicker than any combination of foreign enemies the Judge said.
Wilson then sentenced Hoffa to four years on each of the counts.
Two others were acquitted in the trial last week. They are Allen Dorfman, a Chicago insurance broker, and Nicholas Tweel, a Huntington, W. Va. businessman.
Wilson cited a series of incidents from the court transcript on which to base the contempt citation against Schiffer.
"I WOULD HAVE been guilty of improper conduct if I had not told the court what the government was doing to my client," Schiffer said.
Wilson indicated this was the first time in his judicial career he had cited an attorney for contempt.
"This court since it has taken the bench, hoped and prayed it would never have reason to cite an attorney for contempt." Wilson said. "There is nothing in my life that has caused me greater sadness than to prepare and file this certificate."
Schiffer asked Wilson to allow all arguments on the contempt citation and that they be heard by another judge.
Wilson overruled the request.
DEFENSE ATTORNEY James Haggerty later filed a motion containing what he termed additional grounds for a new trial. The motion said Hoffa did not receive a fair reason because of "marshalls and other government officials giving gifts to all the members of the jury."
The supplementary motion included an affidavit signed by Mrs. Dorothy Vaughn of Chattanooga. She said in the affidavit that U.S. Marshal known to her only by the name "Bob" rented a room in the home of her neighbor, Mrs. Margaret Daves.
The woman said in the affidavit that she was at Mrs. Daves' home the night of Feb. 21 and saw a stack of gift wrapped articles on a kitchen table. She heard "Bob" tell another marshal known to her as either "Jack Erwin" or "Evins" that the gifts were "for my jurors."
KU Seniors Win Nearly Half Of Wilson Fellowships In Big 8
Nineteen KU seniors have been selected to receive Woodrow Wilson Fellowships for 1964-65.
the selection, announced today through the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, awards each Fellow full financial support for one academic year at a graduate school in the United States or Canada.
KU WINNERS, all seniors, are Harold Baker, Osborne; Dale Brownawell, Kansas City, Mo.; Betty Dwyer, Wichita; Hilda Gibson, Lawrence; Gary Gossen, Wichita; Bruce Hall, Coffeyville; Larry Hutchinson, Hutchinson; Barry Isaac, Mankato; Steve Janke, Winfield; Lovell 'Tu' Jarvis, Winfield; Richard Johnson, Overland Park; Rebecca King, Emporia; John Magill, Shawne-Mission; Breon Mitchell, Salina; Merle Pattentig, McPherson; John Platt, Topeka; Richard Taylor, Shawne-Mission; Frank Thompson, Jr., Iola, and George Wilson, Medford, Ore.
Fellows are selected from about 10,000 candidates nominated by college faculty members throughout
OTHER SCHOOLS in Kansas which have Fellowship winners are St. Mary's—2, Wichita University—2, Washburn University—1, and Mount St. Scholastica—1.
the United States and Canada.
Forty-four Woodrow Wilson Fellowships were awarded to students in Big Eight Conference schools. KU had the most with 19. Following KU were Colorado-10, Missouri-5, Nebraska-5, Oklahoma-3, and Iowa State-2.
The Foundation annually awards fellowships to 1,000 prospective first-year graduate students in the United States and Canada. Another 1,500 students receive honorable mention.
The basic purpose of the fellowship is to attract qualified men and women to the field of college teaching. Therefore, if a student outside the humanities and social science
FUNDS FOR THE Woodrow Wilson Foundation are made available through grants from the Ford Foundation.
Awards are made primarily to students in the humanities and social science fields, according to a publication from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation.
A student's name must be submitted by a faculty member of a college or university in the United States or Canada for him to be eligible to receive a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. Men and women of outstanding intellectual promise, and an interest in college teaching as a career are considered by the Foundation as eligible for nomination.
fields has a clear interest in college teaching as a career he may be nominated for the award.
Last year KU had 17 Woodrow Wilson Fellows; and three years ago 20 Fellows were selected from KU
COMPETENCE IN foreign languages; facility in disciplined fields, such as mathematics; ability in essay writing; and reports of independent study programs are some criteria by which a candidate is finally selected by the Foundation.
SOCIAL CRITIC—Vance Packard, author of several recent best-sellers on the social and moral decay in the United States, reflects for a moment during his speech in Hoch Auditorium last night. (Photo by Charles Corcoran)
Social Critic Knocks Society
By Roy Miller (Assistant Managing Editor)
Vance Packard spoke out against commercialization here last night, saying it had modified the American character to one of "hedonism—living for the moment, living it up."
The author of best-selling books and social critic suggested in his speech before about 1,000 persons in Hoch Auditorium that the individual was losing his self-identity. Packard called for more interest "in the values of mind and spirit."
Packard said the revolutions of science and technology and the growth of national productive capacity had profoundly altered the American character.
"TODAY WE ARE GETTING into a situation where we are being urged to consume goods simply to meet the needs of the productive process," he said. "These pressures and trends are forcing us to become happiness seekers for building a fun culture."
"It is time, I think, to see how these forces are changing the long-term spirit of the human character." Packard said.
"I THINK MORE THOUGHT should be given to leading our own lives. It is difficult, I think, for many persons to clearly be defined as individuals."
Packard, a member of the journalism faculty at New York University, said Americans are "seeing a disturbing and gross commercialization of our landscape" as a result of "forced abundance."
Packard is the author of "The Waste Makers," "Pyramid Climbers" and "The Hidden Persuaders." Another book, "The Naked Society," which concerns invasion of privacy, is to be published this month.
"We ARE A PEOPLE becoming more accepting of people unlike ourselves in economic and social background," Packard said in his speech. "We're also becoming much more interested in fine artistic creations.
"I think, as a people, we are becoming much less parochial."
He said the American character had been changed by the great growth of the general rise and well being of people, population, demand for education, mobility, giant organizations, leisure time and the national productive capacity."
"WE STILL HAVE OUR islands of poverty." Packard said. "But they primarily are people belonging to special groups. These problems can be solved for the most part by special programs."
He spoke of unemployment problems and attributed their cause to automation and the growth of population ("a factor symbolized by many people in this room").
"To maintain employment with these two factors, we need to create 50,000 jobs every week in the next decade," he said. Packard characterized the national economy as "forced abundance" and asserted that the "magic word of the economy is growth, more growth, faster growth."
PACKARD QUOTED FROM advertisements and meetings of advertisers and the advertising industry. Commenting on television commercials, he said:
"Each day and night we see noses dripping and intestines gurgling in our living rooms. We are expected to see a man and a girl kissing each other and then discussing their false teeth."
He spoke of buying on credit as "all this cohesion and pressure to keep us in debt" and cited a Chicago billboard which states:
"NOW YOU CAN BORROW enough to Get Completely Out of Debt."