The North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 62, No. 65, Ed. 1 Tuesday, February 6, 1979 Page: 1 of 8
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: North Texas Daily / The Campus Chat and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries Special Collections.
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The North Texas Daily
62NO YEAR NO. 65
NORTH TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY. DENTON, TEXAS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1979
Farmers clash with Capitol police
WASHINGTON (AP)—Texas
farmers discovered burrs in their tractor
seats Monday after the diesel-powered
assault on Capitol Hill erupted in violent
encounters with club-swinging, mace-
spraying police.
One Texan was among 14 men ar-
rested.
Clifton C. Walser, 20, of Scagraves
was held briefly on disorderly conduct
charges as were 13 others.
A.D. Hughes, a 34-ycar-old Ropesvil-
le cotton farmer, was one of several
American Agriculture Movement
members sprayed in the face with mace
from mounted policemen during the
day’s most volatile confrontation.
“To me, the policemen overreacted,”
said Hughes, who had been one of the
first farmers into Washington Monday
morning as five lines of roaring diesel
monsters converged on the Capitol. “We
had planned a peaceful march toward
Capitol Hill singing Christian hymns
and waving the American flag...it looked
like the police planned their attack.”
The farmers became infuriated after a
police officer began driving a Missouri
man’s tractor up Constitution Avenue.
Just minutes before, police had
reportedly physically removed the Mis-
sourian from his tractor.
The officer began using the tractor as
a battering ram against another tractor
blocking Constitution Avenue. Angry
farmers smashed the glass on one side of
the cab and pelted the officer with eggs.
Two school buses loaded with dub-
wielding, helmeted policemen converged
on the crowd forcing farmers away from
the tractor.
Minutes later, I0 mounted officers ar-
rived and used mace to drive the crowd
out of the street.
“It looked to me like the police plan-
ned the whole thing,” said Wesley Cox,
another Ropesville cotton farmer at the
scene. “They would drive a squad car in
front of a tractor knowing the tractor
couldn’t stop before it hit the car. These
tractors can turn on a dime but it takes a
few feet to stop.
"After the tractor hit the squad car,
the police would drag the farmer off his
tractor and take him away.”
District of Columbia police officer
Gary H. Hawkins said the entire force,
4,100 officers, had been called to duty.
Six large cranes had also been rented
to handle the removal of traffic-blocking
tractors.
Plainview farmer Marvin Meek, the
wagonmaster for the Abilene tractor-
cade, said, “There were some isolated in-
cidents where some of these farmers
asked for it. But some of these boys who
got maced were standing on the
sidewalk.
“I knew there’d be some of this but
I’m glad to see it didn’t get out of hand.”
Hereford farmer Gerald McCathcrn
told a cheering crowd on the Capitol
steps that the farmers may have lost a
battle but certainly not the war.
McCathern told the group to begin
rolling their tractors on the streets of
Washington again late Monday after-
noon. But police vehicles effectively
blocked the tractors from leaving an
area between the Capitol and the
Washington Monument.
He urged them to stay inside the
District of Columbia and "drive down
the streets we haven’t seen yet."
More than 5,000 American
Agriculture Movement enthusiasts
braved cold, gusting winds to attend the
short afternoon rally.
Freshman Rep. Kent Hance, D-
Texas, was also cheered when he told the
farmers to continue their lobbying ef-
forts.
Before Hance’s speech, another West
Texas Democrat freshman Charles
Stenholm, was jeered when he told the
farmers to stay within the bounds of the
law during their stay.
After Shallowater cotton farmer Clif-
ford Hamilton led the first line of trac-
tors into Washington, the situation
steadily built toward the afternoon con-
frontations.
As the tractors—accompanied by
more than 1,500 support vehicles—began
rolling into the city around 6 a m , the
police helplessly watched as farmers sur-
rounded the Agriculture Department
and headed toward the White House
and Capitol Hill.
By noon, the major thoroughfares
were still crowded with farm vehicles
and police began trying to clear key
streets before the afternoon rush hour.
“I reminded them that the Capitol
police are just doing their job...they
aren’t singling out the farmer,” said
Stenholm, who was opposed by the
movement during his Democratic
primary and run-off last year. "I asked
them to assist the police and see that the
minority of the group doesn’t jeopardize
the meaningful results in trying to solve
the problem.”
Stenholm, who had attended several
meetings between police and the
American Agriculture Movement before
the tractorcades arrived, added, "No
one wants a confrontation that would
detract from solving the problems...
we’ve got to recognize the wheels of
government turn slowly."
Hance told the group that the “small
American farmer was the best friend the
American consumer has and we need to
tell that story in a positive manner ’’
Asked afterwards if Monday’s con-
frontations hampered the American
Agriculture Movement’s efforts, Hance
replied, "It’s hard to say. The problem
with violence is, no matter whose fault it
is, it gets you away from the real
problems ;uu fa^c. Any violence or a!
leged illegal acts start getting everything
off on a different step.”
Stenholm said one positive move on
tap for Tuesday was a meeting with
House Speaker Thomas P "Tip”
O’Neill during which the American
Agriculture Movement leaders will have
a chance to explain their views.
Kerr food storage units
pass health inspection
By PAM LOVE
Daily Reporter
State health inspectors returned to
Kerr Hall cafeteria this weekend and
reported the cold storage
temperatures to be at safe levels.
The investigation, which began
Thursday, was a result of a
widespread food poisoning case in
Kerr Hall. The dish responsible was
determined to be a chicken casserole.
Dennis Baker of the State Food
and Drug Administration and Ricky
Bell of the city health office made a
preliminary inspection of the
cafeteria Thursday and found that
food storage levels for some foods
were from II to 16 degrees above
minimum temperature standards.
Temperatures of food in the hot line
were 35 degrees too cool.
The preliminary estimate of those
affected by the contaminated food
was 20 or 30 persons. It was based on
the number of calls received at the
Food Service Office. However, a sur-
vey of Kerr Hall residents taken by
resident assistants in the dorm raised
the count to 182.
"We haven’t really decided which
bacteria caused the contamination,”
Baker said The health department
was running profiles of some of the
patients Monday afternoon.
Rachel Mays, director of food ser-
vice. said that a reason for the
temperature discrepancy is that the
campus health inspector’s methods of
checking temperatures is different
from the state inspector’s method.
“We assumed it was the way the
food was handled, not food storage
problems,” she said. "Apparently we
prepared it too soon and held it too
iong.
Kerr Hall residents reacted to the
food poisoning case by posting signs
• y* * . i 'xL‘
-4.
MAGIC
FOOD
\RRA-KADABRA
\H£ FAT AT KERfc
HOCUS-POCUS, OUT CUTS TAKE A i-ALL
PRfSTO'CHAN601 PRISON TURNS INTO
CHICKEN (ASAKOLE
? sting is FUN ... .
Gign
shows Kerr residents' dissatisfaction
reading “Magic: A Terrifying Food
Story,” based on the movie “Magic.”
A group from Kerr Hall visited
Mrs. Mays and talked iO her about
the problem. Richard Rector, one
member of the group, said, “I’m not
down on Kerr food, but we’d like to
make people aware of wnat s going
on.
“Wc arc taking it a step further just
in the interest of our intestinal
health,” he said.
County Commissioners
Sheriff requests jailers
Denton County Sheriff Ken George
told Denton County Commissioners
Monday that the jail needs four more
jailers to comply with state regulations.
To fulfill slate requirements, two
jailers must be on duty if the average
daily jail population exceeds 45. George
said the census has averaged more than
45 for five months. He added that 57
people were in jail Sunday morning.
The speedy trial act, which went into
effect Sept. I,has not yet helped reduce
the number of prisoners, he said,
because the courts are granting lawyers’
requests for continuances. The law re-
quires that persons accused of felonies
be brought to trial within 120 days.
A proposed bill that would allow
county law enforcement officials to
transfer persons convicted of felonies to
the state prison in Huntsville would
improve the situation, he said. The com-
missioners approved a resolution last
week asking State Rep. W. “Tip Hall
Jr to introduce the bill
George said he will contact the state
jail commission this week to obtain a
ruling on the matter within the next 30
days.
The commissioners approved the
sheriffs recommendations for personnel
to replace three employees who quit in
January.
"We’re losing a lot of good people
because salaries aren’t high enough,”
George said, citing a 20 percent employ-
ment turnover last year. “No business
can stay in business with over a 10 per-
cent turnover in personnel."
George asked the commissioners to
survey salaries at other local law en-
forcement agencies and make a com-
parison.
A resolution endorsing proposed
legislation obligating the 'tatc to pay
court-appointed attorneys' fees of more
than S3,000 was approved unanimously.
All fees up to $3,000 would be paid for
by the county.
The commissioners accepted a bid
from Mount-Miller Architects to con-
struct a barrier-free passage for the han-
dicapped to the elevator in the County
Courthouse at a cost of SI.000
County Auditor OH. Bailey was
given authorization to place the four
county barns under the county’s liability
insurance policy in order to receive a
13.2 percent rate discount.
NT police examine theft
of computer memory unit
NT police are continuing investiga-
tion of the recent theft of a computer
memory unit, valued at $500, reportedly
stolen from the computer science depart-
ment’s terminal room in the General
Academic Building.
Don Retzlaff of the computer science
faculty said he believes the equipment
was stolen from the terminal room
sometime between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Jan. 19 while the room was open.
Retzlaff recalled that the main door to
the terminal room was locked when he
arrived eariy Friday morning, but he
could not remember whether the door to
an adjoining room leading to a hallway
was unlocked then.
The supervisor of the computer
science lab said the thief removed a S100
controller board from the computer with
the power switch activated, thus destroy-
ing various integrated circuits within the
computer,
Retzlaff estimated the total cost of
replacing the missing components and
repairing the computer’s integrated cir-
cuits at $800. He said if the department
could obtain funds to repair the com-
puter, it would not be ready to use tor
about three months.
r-% i rr i .1. .l r. ‘it l' :* .
ivci/.idt! NxtJU LIIC men v*iu iiiiiii me
department s capabilities in helping stu-
dents by decreasing the number of com-
puters available for almost 1.000 stu-
dents that use the facilities..
Security measures in the terminal
room, which contains about $60,000
in equipment, have been increased to
prevent future thefts, Retzlaff said. Lab
personnel have rearranged the com-
puters equipment to maximize security.
Retzlaff said he has alerted area com-
puter dealers ot the thett and urged them
to beware of anyone offering a bargain
on memory units.
Shoplifting causes price increase
Unwary consumers pay for losses due to bookstore thefts
By CHERYL TAYLOR
Daily Reporter
Whether they view it as a game, a lark
or a way to get back at the school, stu-
dents who shoplift are costing everyone
money. Bob Sweatmon, director of
bookstore services, said Monday.
“Shoplifting has become a major
problem all across the country in retail
stores,” Sweatmon said. “Although it is
hard to pinpoint exactly what is
shoplifting and what is shortage, we
know a great deal of the merchandise
shrinkage we have is because of shoplif-
ting."
Merchandise theft can occur in two
ways: shoplifting by persons who come
from outside the store and theft by those
employed in the store.
“In II years, we’ve only had three
employees apprehended for stealing,"
Sweatmon said. "And one of those was
taking cash, not merchandise."
LOSSES FROM theft of all sorts at
the University Store last year totaled
about S20.000, Sweatmon said. That
figure was about 1.5 percent of the
store’s gross sales for the year.
"In department stores such as
Sangers or Sears, shoplifting costs
about 3 percent of their gross sales,"
Sweatmon said. “Ours would be a
greater percentage if we had big-ticket
items."
Big-ticket items or not, shoplifting
costs arc passed on to the consumer.
"The customer is going to pay for it,"
Sweatmon said. "We have to raise our
overall prices to make up for what is
stolen.
“If someone steals a $10 book, for ex-
ample, we have to sell five of the same
book just to break even," he said. "And
that’s not even taking operating costs
into consideration.
“WE HAVE RUN into shoplifting
rings," Sweatmon said. “There are
gangs that will steal testbooks from our
store and sell the books back to
Vocrtman’s at the end of the semester "
Students steal by dropping merchan-
dise in their purses or in a pocket and
continuing to shop. Most shoplifters will
buy something as well as steal items,
Sweatmon said.
"We have yet to catch someone steal-
ing something who had a real need for
what he stole," he said. "They always
have more than enough money with
them to pay for it.
"Wc do have a perennial shoplifter
who appears to have a real problem,
though," Sweatmon said. "He steals Ex
Lax. If he would just come forward, we
would be glad to give him a pack."
In previous years, shoplifters were
sent to the dean of students for punish-
ment. Now the University Store has per-
mission to take offenders to jail,
Sweatmon said.
“Whether it’s a 5-cent or a $30 item
makes no difference; what mattes is
that the law was broken.
"We normally charge people with
theft under $5 if the amount taken is un-
der that sum," Sweatmon said. “This is
a misdemeanor. We could go ahead and
charge them with shoplifting, but the
third time they are picked up for
shoplifting it’s a felony.”
If the amount of merchandise taken is
worth more than $5, shoplifting charges
are filed.
ONCE CHARGES are filed against a
student, word is sent to the dean of stu-
dents. He then conducts an investigation
to see if the school will take any action
against the student. The arrest does not
go into the student’s academic record.
“Not very many shoplifters are
caught, and those we do see take
something are given every opportunity
to replace the goods they take or pay for
them before they leave the store,"
Sweatmon said. "We filed only about
three cases last year, but it would have
been a dozen or so if wc had filed on
everyone instead of just leaning on
them."
Leaning on a shoplifter is simply let-
ting the person know he is under suspi-
cion. This is done by following the
person around and keeping an eye on
him, Sweatmon said. The person, in
other words, has a chance to pay for or
put back the goods before he leaves the
store.
"This store is extremely hard to
watch," Sweatmon said. “The best
deterrent against theft is for employees
to speak to customers in their area and
watch them. I believe that if a sales clerk
ignores a person it prompts or ag-
gravates the theft situation."
Closed-circuit TV monitors are a
shoplifting deterrent that is being tried
at Texas A&M and UT-Arlington with a
great deal of success, Sweatmon said.
One-way glass observation windows are
being used at other bookstores across
Texas.
Regular glass windows are used at the
University Store, and one of them may
be made into a one-way glass observa-
tion point. Sweatmon also said that the
store is looking into purchasing closed-
circuit TV monitors.
In the meantime, students continue to
shoplift. "What they don’t realize,
though, is that they are just raising their
own prices," Sweatmon said
FIVE-FINGER DI8COUNT—The Increasing numbers of shoplifting In-
cidents Is one reason for high prices for merchandise at the University
Store, Bob Sweatmon, director of book services said. Losses from such
thefts last year was estimated to cost about $20,000.
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Morrison, Sue. The North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 62, No. 65, Ed. 1 Tuesday, February 6, 1979, newspaper, February 6, 1979; Denton, TX. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1002656/m1/1/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.