MANCHESTER FOCUS U.S./WORLD WEATHER GOP panel hears Vanity plates make Carter says Reagan Clearing up tonight; sunny, mild Tuesday from Tom Ferguson Igreat road reading ignored his warning ... see page 2 ... page 3 ... page 16 I ... page 5 ilanrhrfitrr Mrralh Manchester, Conn — A City of Village Charm Monday, March 18, 1985 — Single copy: 25<t Court dumps BBRi _ ■■■ ps>: law limiting PAC dollars By Elizabeth Olson political process. United Press International "A n effort to link either corrup­ tion or the appearance of corrup­ WASHINGTON - The Supreme tion to independent expenditures Court today ruled a federal elec­ by PACS, whether large or small, tion law limiting how much politi­ simply does not pass" the high cal action committees may spend court’s test for the level of to help presidential candidates governmental interference, Rehn­ violates the First Amendment's quist concluded. guarantees of speech and political ’’An exchange of political favors association. for uncoordinated expenditures The 7-2 ruling came in a case remains a hypothetical possibility brought by the Democratic Party, and nothing m ore," he said. which tried to get the court to Rehnquist led the majority in decide the issue last year to head rejecting the Democrats challenge off the expenditure of millions of to the law, saying the party did not dollars by political action commit­ have the legal right to bring such a tees — PACS — for President challenge. Reagan. Justice Thurgood Marshall, PACS are independent political Byron White and William Brennan organizations dedicated to specific — who joined the majority in political goals and campaign inde­ striking down the law — dissented pendently on behalf of candidates from that part of the ruling. who agree with their goals. "The First Amendment protects Writing for the majority. Justice the right to speak, not the right to William Rehnquist said "there can spend, and limitations on the Herald photo by Tarqumto be no doubt that the expenditures amount of money that can be spent at issue in this case produce speech are not the same as restriction^ on Clowning around at the core of the First speaking,” White wrote. Amendment.” “ If the elected members of the Such discussion of public issues legislature, who are surely in the Joe Cirillo, right, clowns around writing a traffic ticket Manchester police and several other Manchester groups and debate on the qualifications of best position to know, conclude against Manchester Police Officer Jonas Searle before turned out in f^l force to march in the 14th annual candidates are key to the operation that large-scale expenditure are a Saturday's St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Hartford. Cirillo is parade. Story and more pictures on page 4. of the American system of govern­ significant threat to the integrity a Sphinx Temple funster and a Meriden policernan. ment, Rehnquist said. and fairness of the electoral "The PACS in this case, of process, we should not second course, are not lone pamphleteers gqess that judgment.” or street corner orators in the Tom The controversy over PAC Snow forces some school closings Paine mold; they must spend spending began because of thee substantial amounts of money in nearly $14 million conservative order to communicate their politi­ political groups spent on Reagan’s cal ideas through sophisticated 1980 campaign. The National Con­ media advertisements,” Rehn­ servative Political Action Commit­ Winter won’t let us forget it quist said. tee, known as NCPAC, and the “ For purposes of presenting Fund for a Conservative Majority political views in connection with a spent more than $4 million for An unexpected downpour that temperatures and became Tuesday. found it difficult to turn on the nationwide presidential election, Reagan’s election. began before dawn and froze on the slippery in traffic. Apparently caught unaware of curves without slipping. allowing the presentation of views The federal election law at issue roads before turning to snow by State police reported dozens of the sudden snowfall, state highwy A 15-vehicle pileup was reported while forbiding the expenditure of forbids any PAC from spending daybreak made for treacherous collisions caused by breaking crews began deployment after the on Interstate 91 north of Exit 19 in • more than $1,000 to present them is more than $1,000 on behalf of a rush-hour driving this morning, vehicles in the snow that fell over snow began covered the highways. the Meriden area. State police much like allowing a speaker in a presidential candidate it supports. resulting in more than a dozen area two-thirds of the state in an east to Salting and sanding trucks had closed Route 9 in Haddam until public hall to express his views Two lower courts struck down automobile accidents and forcing northeast movement. to deal with backed up traffic in could alleviate severe icing while denying him the use of an the 1971 law, labeling it an many schools to close. The National Weather Sen-ice getting to hard-hit areas, state conditions. amplifying system” unconstitutional infringement on said the late winter storm, two Morning rush-hour traffic on the police sid. Bradley International Airport in The majority rejected argu­ political rights. The case came major highways was slowed to a days before the start of spring, Traffic moved at a snail’s pace Windsor reported about one inch of ments that the expenditure of such before the Supreme Court more would end by noon and forecast crawl. on icy Interstate exits in New snow but officials sad it did not large sums of money on presiden­ than two years ago, but the justices Manchester police reported 11 tempertures as high as 50 for Haven and Hartford as drivers interfere with operations. tial elections would corrupt the failed then to decide the question. minor accidents between 6 and 9 a.m., one with minor injuries. Police spokesman Gary Wood said all appeared to have been weather- related. MX missile nears State police reported several fender-benders on Interstate 84 and Interstate 384 in Manchester. crucial vote again Details were unavilable. All Manchester public and pa­ rochial schools wore closed today. Bv Eliot Brenner Hart. D-Colo., urging a ” no” vole School Superintendent James P. United Press International and calling the argument that Kennedy said he called off classes defeat of the missile would hurt the when the town highway depart­ WASHINGTON - The MX mis­ negotiations "fo lly .” ment and the school bus company sile, the 10-warhead weapon Presi­ The nation’s Roman Catholic said road conditions would require dent Reagan says is crucial to the bishops also urged defeat of the outcome of renewed arms talks, a delay of at least two hours. MX in letters to members of Students at Andover Elemen­ comes up for two votes this week in Congress Saturday. tary School and RHAM Junior and the Senate that could determine A letter signed by Bishop James Senior high schools also got the day the fate of the program. Malone of Youngstown, Ohio, president of the U.S. Catholic off. The opening of schools in The Senate is expected to hold Coventry and Bolton was delayed the first of two votes, probably Conference, cited "the potentially one hour. destabilizing impact of this wea­ Tuesday or Wednesday, to decide Neil Brouder, acting highway pons system on the nuclear arms if about $1.5 billion will be released ; superintendent in Manchester, race, and its cost, viewed in light of to build 21 missiles. said town roads were ’ ’ not at all too pressing human needs here and To survive, the missile must bad” by 9; 30 a.m.. as the morn­ elsewhere in the world’’ as key clear those votes and two in the ing’s small accumulation of ice reasons for the bishop’s opposition. House the following week. and snow began to melt and road As of Friday, a survey by United Reagan will go to Capitol Hill 8 crews finished sanding the remain­ Press International showed 42 Tuesday to lobby Republicans for ing slippery spots. senators supporting the MX, one the missile, and given his ability to A worker in the Bolton Highway- leaning against it — Sen. Paula Department said roads in Bolton Herald pnoio Dy T arquinio sway votes, his visit could have an Hawkins, R-Fla.— 40 ready to vote impact on the outcome, expected were also clearing rapidly. against it and 17 who have not, Northeast Utilities officials re­ to be very close. Getting the big picture made up their minds or have not ported no power outages in the Defense Secretary Caspar Wein­ publicly declared their positions. area. berger, reiterating the administra­ The White House last week Ursula Wenz of Mineoia, N.Y., sights the Manchester. Wenz was keeping sharp tion’s arguments for the missile, Snow measured only about one to began putting additional pressure target (during the $10,000 New England eye on how a friend was doing during wrote in a letter published in The two inches today acro.ss most on fence-sitting senators, in effect Open Archery Championships Satur­ Washington Post Sunday. "The sections of Connecticut, but that the competition. More pictures and telling Republicans up for re- critical decision before Congress was enough to cause a slippery day at Hall's Arrow Indoor Range in championship results on page 14. election they will not get Reagan’s is, indeed, whether to shut down highway slowdown for commuters help in 1986 unless they vole with MX production just as the Geneva and the shutdown of some schools. him on key issues, including the arms talks begin. The light, fluffy snow, caused by MX "Without such a credible U.S.