Panel to study impeachment demands
WASHINGTON (UPI) — The House Judiciary Committee established a panel Tuesday to study demands for impeachment of Justice William O. Douglas, snatching the initiative from the jurist's outspoken enemies in the House.
Judiciary Chairman Emanuel Celler, D-N.Y., who will head the investigation, promised a fair and complete inquiry that would be neither "a whitewash nor a witchhunt."
But after a look at the predominantly liberal make-up of the five-man investigating panel, House Republican leader Gerald R. Ford said, "I still think that a select committee would be the preferable course of action."
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Ford has given his blessing to a move by some 110 House members to put the impeachment issue to a select committee appointed by House leaders.
It was learned Tuesday that in view of the Judiciary Committee investigation, the House Rules Committee will shelve for the time being any action on the move to create a select committee.
Mindful that the Judiciary Committee in 1953 buried a resolution to impeach Douglas, his opponents in the House had viewed the select committee approach as more favorable to securing impeachment on the new misconduct charges raised by Ford last week.
Biggest alligator caught in the United States was a 279-pounder taken from the Rio Grande in 1951.
These included allegations that Douglas exceeded the bounds of acceptable judicial behavior by accepting expense money from a foundation with ties to Las
Vegas gambling, providing an article for a magazine whose publisher was under federal prosecution on obscenity charges, sympathizing with extremism in his book "Points of Rebellion," and publication of an excerpt of the book in a magazine containing photographs of sex activity.
Besides Celler, the members chosen for the Judiciary investigating panel were Reps. William M. McCulloch, R-Ohio; Jack B. Brooks, D-Tex.; Byron G. Rogers, D-Colo., and Edward Hutchinson, R-Mich. Except for Hutchinson, they are regarded as liberal-oriented. All are lawyers.
Postmaster bemoans postal deficit
WASHINGTON (UPI) — Postmaster General Winton M. Blount said Tuesday his department faces a $2.5 billion deficit that must be offset with higher postal rates, but he drew criticism for proposing a two-cent increase in the six-cent letter stamp to erase most of the anticipated debt.
tion's proposal to raise rates by $1.6 billion was caused by lack of reform of his department and by pay increases already enacted and those planned in the wake of postal worker strikes.
Blount told a House Post Office Subcommittee the administra-
In addition to the two-cent boost in first class rates, second class would go up 48 per cent or about 1.3 cents per item covering newspapers and magazines, and
third class, sometimes referred to as "junk mail" because it covers unsolicited advertising, would increase 33 per cent, or an average of two cents an item.
In addition, the Post Office is considering a proposed priority mail category, which would cost 10 cents to get assured delivery on time.