April 5, 1968 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD- SENATE 9135 to the community, where 550 of them have in with each of these centers: By special ar Spiritual leader of the moderates is ascetic managed to remain for three years or more. rangement among city, state and federal gov Cesar Chavez, a Gandhiesque figure who last But, with a hospital population of nearly ernments, the centers will pay Byberry for week ended a 25-day fast in support of the 5,000, an average of 100 discharges a year is handling patients from their "catchment two-and-a-half-year-old strike by Mexican not much to shout about. Byberry's routine areas" who need intensive care, and the cen American farmworkers against California therapy is now doing about as well. ters in turn will provide aftercare for the grapegrowers.-As cheering, chanting strikers By working his staff people almost beyond patients Byberry treats and sends out. gathered around him at his home base of their endurance, Dr. Blain in the past 18 Dr. Blain does not foresee that under such Delano, Calif., Chavez (with no less a strike months has reduced Byberry's bed popula an arrangement Byberry will revert to its old sympathizer than Robert F. Kennedy at his tion from 6,100 to 4,850. He expects to move custodial role. It will in time become a 2,000- side) told them the real reason for the fast out another 1,000 to 1,500 in 1968 if feder bed hospital, he said-1,000 for patients in was to renew their faith in nonviolence. "The ally supported social workers in Philadelphia intensive care, 1,000 for patients taking part justice of our cau~e is our weapon," he find places for them in nursing homes, foster in an elaborate program of rehabilitation pleaded. homes and geriatrics centers. By concentrat and strong possibility that, for all its un "KING TIGER" ing on new patients, the hospital has been happy history, P:Qiladelphia will, through its Chavez had good reason to be d'oncerned. able to send them out in three months, on mental-health centers, become once again a Increasingly, frustrated Mexican Americans the average, a creditable record. model for the nation in its treatment of the have been rallying to the banner of fiery "We have begun to function as a treat mentally ill. spellbinder Reies LOpez Tijerina, 41, brown ment center, not a warehouse," Dr. Blain power's middle-aged equivalent of Stokely said. "But I very much doubt that we can Carmichael. The hawk-faced Tijerina holds keep up this pace much longer without an an electric appeal forr young, vocal elements increase in staff. The people we have are Brown Power who have jammed into the urban-poverty working twenty percent beyond their ca pockets of the Southwest (where 87 per cent pacity. of the nation's 5 million Mexican Americans "Also, the patients we have sent out were HON. JOHN R. RARICK live). Last June, Tijerina-he prefers to be the easiest ones. We are getting down to OF LOUISIANA called Rey Tigre, for "King Tiger"-achieved the permafrost now, where it's like chipping legendary hero status as the accused leader ice with a spoon. Every tiny advance, from IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES of a "liberation" raid that freed eleven of his here on, will come only with tremendous de Thursday, April 4, 1968 followers in a shoot-out at a New Mexico tailed effort." courthouse (NEWSWEEK, June 19, 1967). Shortchanging its mental hospitals is the Mr. RARICK. Mr. Speaker, now out of While he awaits trial on assault charges, poorest sort of false economy a state can the Southwest our citizens are subjected Tijerina has been haranguing fledgling practice, Dr. Blain feels. to a new growth of the Communist brown-power groups and white college stu "If we had been able to spend thirty-three divide-and-conquer cancer. This time it dents on the "crimes" of the U.S. Govern m1llion dollars to remodel this place, and if calls itself "brown power." ment, matching Carmichael and H. Rap we had twenty-five m1llion dollars a year to But the dress, the modus operandi, Brown word for word in firebreathing anti operate on for two years in a row, we could white rhetoric. "If the Anglo is frightened it reduce Byberry's bed population to three and the slogans all come from the same is because his historical crimes are catching thousand patients or less. When we reached party line and robot brain te·aching. up with him," Tijerina shouts from the plat this figure, the budget would begin to de The revolting announcement is that form, behind a screen of "Brown Beret" body crease. In fact, I would guarantee that I the Senator from North Vietnam is guards, largely a group of Mexican American could reduce the budget ten percent a year mixed up with this bunch of revolution college students who affect a Che Guevara for five years." aries also. Just a millionaire in the style of dress. A custodial hospital obviously can be run rough. The most dramatic demonstration of the more cheaply on a day-to-day basis than a new brown power came in a recent series of treatment hospital, but in the long term it Wonder who's using whom. Or, per walkouts by thousands of Mexican Ameri is vastly more expensive. "It's as simple as haps, both think they are using the other. can public-school students in East Los An this," Dr. Blain says. "Spend twelve to four Can you imagine turning money over geles. Wearing buttons labeled "Chicano teen dollars a day and get 'em out. Or spend to a group like this and justifying it as Power-Viva la Raza" (Mexican Power-Hail five dollars a day and keep them forever." for politics? the Race), the students presented officials Since Dr. Blain's arrival, Byberry's per diem I include the article from Newsweek with a 40-point list of grievances against has risen from $5.15 to $8.2D-st111 far from for March 25, as follows: school conditions. The demonstrations began adequate. peacefully but after some rock and bottle Unless the legislature comes through in BROWN POWER throwing a dozen youths were arrested. Re the next few years with a strong transfusion The slogans and rhetoric are reminis cently, uneasy police padlocked the Piranya, of new money, Dr. Blain thinks, it is hardly cent, the grievances-menial jobs, abusive a favorite Brown Beret hangout, and began likely that Byberry can improve much fur cops, inferior schools-all too familiar. And an intensive patrol of the district, four cops ther. There is, however, one bright hope for like a troubled dream ominously replaying to each car. The angry reaction of one Brown the future. Philadelphia, working mainly itself, the Brown Power Movement among Beret leader stirred warnings of yet another with federal funds, has done what he consid the Southwest's Mexican Americans is mov racial crisis for America: ers the best job in the country of setting up ing down the track in the footsteps of black "The students today ht..ve the guts our community mental-health centers. Ten are power-with little more than a shade of parents didn't ... The Mexic·an American planned, with six in operation now, and they difference. Brown power has even developed has just discovered how the democratic proc inevitably wm take some of the pressure off the inevitable rift between moderates and ess works, after years of watching on the Byberry. Plans are under way to tie Byberry hardline militants. sidelines."
SE.NATE-Friday, April 5, 1968 The Senate met at 12 o'clock meridian, of weakness, triumph out of failure, song THE JOURNAL and was called to order by the President through sacrifice, gain through loss, and pro tempore. Mr. MANSFIELD. Mr. President, I ask life through death. unanimous consent that the reading of The Chaplain, Rev. Frederick Brown Father of all men- the Journal of the proceedings of Thurs Harris, D.D., offered the following prayer: "We stand atremble and afraid day, April 4, 1968, be dispensed with. Our Father God, in the holy pilgrim On the small world that we have made. The PRESIDENT pro tempore. With age of these sacred weeks we would join Afraid lest all our poor control out objection, it is so ordered. devout multitudes treading the way of Shall turn and rend us to the soul. sorrow, as we lift our eyes to a green Afraid lest we should be denied MESSAGE FROM THE HOUSE hill outside a city wall and to a lone The price we hold our ragged pride, cross against the sky, a cross so old and But in the end we pass all by A message from the House of Repre yet so new. For a lone cross against the sky." sentatives by Mr. Hackney, one of its As crusaders in the holy cause of hu reading clerks, announced that the House man freedom may we conquer by that In the shadow of that cross, give us had passed the bill this campaign as a way to transmute the in w111ing to do anything .about it, and this are also infected with democratic ideals-that choate rage of the ghetto into a construc is what we're trying to face this spring. As ts the hope. While doing wrong, they have the tive and creative channel. It becomes an out committed as I am to non-violence, I have potential to do right. But they do not have let for anger. to face this fact: if we do not get a positive a millennium to make changes. Nor have they Even if I didn't deal with the moral dimen response in Washington, many more Negroes a choice of continuing in the old way. The sions and question of violence versus non will begin to think and act in violent terms. future they are asked to inaugurate is not so violence, from a practical point of view, I I hope, instead, that what comes out of unpalatable that it justifies the evils that don't see riots working. But I am convinced these non-violent demonstrations will be beset the nation. To end poverty, to extirpate that if rioting continues, it wm strengthen an Economic B111 of Rights for the Disad prejudice, to free a tormented conscience, to the right wing of the country, and we'll vantaged, requiring about ten or twelve bil make a tomorrow of justice, fair play and end up with a kind of right-wing take-over lion dollars. I hope that a specific number of creativity-all are worthy of the American in the cities and a Fascist development, jobs is set forth, that a program will emerge ideal. which wm be terribly injurious to the whole to abolish unemployment, and that there We have, through massive non-violent nation. I don't think America can stand an wm be another program to supplement the action, an opportunity to avoid a national other summer of Detroit-like riots without a income of those whose earnings are below disaster and create a new spirit of class and development that could destroy the soul of the poverty level. These would be measures of racial harmony. We can write another lumi the nation, and even the democratic possi success in our campaign. nous moral chapter in American history. All bilities of the nation. It may well be that all we'll get out of of us are on trial in this troubled hour, but I'm committed to non-violence absolutely. Washington is to keep Congress from getting time still permits us to meet the future with I'm just not going to k111 anybody, whether worse. The problem is to stop it from moving a clear conscience. it's in Vietnam or here. I'm not going to backward. We started out with a poverty b111 burn down any building. If non-violent pro at 2.4 billion dollars, and now it's back to Mr. MANSFIELD. Mr. President, on test fails this summer, I wm continue to 1.8 billion. We have a welfare program that's behalf of the distinguished minority preach it and teach it, and we at the South dehumanizing, and then Congress adds a So leader, the Senator from Dlinois [Mr. ern Christian Leadership Conference w111 cial Security amendment that will bar lit DIRKSEN], and myself, I send to the desk st111 do this. I plan to stand by non-violence erally thousands of children from any wel a resolution and ask unanimous consent because I have found it to be a philosophy fare. Model cities started out; it's been cut for its immediate consideration. back. Rent subsidy, an excellent program of life that regulates not only my dealings The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. HAR in the struggle for racial justice but also my for the poor, cut down to nothing. It may dealings with people, with my own self. I be that because of these demonstrations, we RIS in the chair). Is there objection? will st111 be faithful to non-violence. will at least be able to hold on to some of the There being no objection, the resolu But I'm frank enough to admit that if our things we have. tion