Editorial Letters To he Editor
The Farmingdale Public Library Board meetings
sure aren't dull anymore. Not only are the meetings
attracting the attendance of taxpayers, but many
are learning for the first time, what a public
library really means to a community.
Some feel that the very existence of the library
is at stake.
The recent election : » f John Birch Society member
Carl Gorton to the library board has shaken
more than one member of the community. They,
of course, are alarmed. But the minority of one,
will not dictate the policy of a library as long as
the board majority disagree and vote accordingly.
Gorton has been asking some stinging questions
and has had several of h! s motions go down the
drain, with no one to second several of his proposals.
Of coarse, we don't agree with many of Gorton's
ideas, or with the tenets of the John Birch Society.
At Tuesday's meeting a film distributor, with
whom the library does business was accused of
former Communist affiliations by Gorton. The
Library Board didn't panic. Their reasoning was
based on the premise that a film or book, for
that matter, should be judged on it's content
and general all around merit. With this we agree.
Under the existing conditions all we can ask
is for decisions that will best serve the interests
of a library conscious community.
* * *
Last weekend a group of 13 and 14 year olds
brought recognition to Farmingdale by winning the
New York State baseball championship. The community
should be proud of the Pony All Stars in
achieving this high honor.
The victory motorcade on Tuesday evening was
a spontaneous tribute to the youngsters who performed
so nobly.
-^ Efee All Stars will now vie for an even bigger
title this weekend when they take on even tougher
competition in Regional competition in New Jersey.
We wish them well.
Capitol Report
By RepJames Grover jpSju!
The American people, the white
and the Negro, have been let down -
by the man whom they elected so
overwhelmingly back in 1964 to
lead this nation. That victory was
the vidtory of a consummate poli-cian
and the President's conduct
of this nation's affairs has been
based on where the political advantage
lay.
But all of us had a right to
expect that statesmanship would
come to the fore during this summer
of racial violence and of
virtual anarchy, demonstrations
which swept the nation and occurred
even in this Congressional
district.
This was nottime for assessing
the blame, a matter which the
voters are very capable of handling.
But we were subjected to the
spectacle of Presidential lieutenants
pointing the finger at various
officials and the President himself
criticizing Congress. Last
year, the President lauded Congress
for what he termed were-historic
achievements. Civil
rights and politics make poor
bedfellows.
Lyndon Johnson himself, during
the 1964 Presidential year, said:
". . . . it is understandable that
those who are aggrieved will take
to the streets whether rightly
or wrongly. Their judgements
might be wrong as to how justice
could be obtained but they would
be less or more than human if
they did not seek justice."
And that silver- tongued liberal
of liberals, Vice President
Humphrey, told a New Orleans
crowd on July 18, 1966: " If I
Page 4
Dear editor:
Now that another opportunity
is being given to us to vote on
the Library budget, I think it is
imperative that it be passed.
I believe that our Library is
one of the finest in the County
and the funds requested are
needed to maintain this position.
Therefore, it is my intention
to vote' for the budget and to
urge others to do likewise.
Shirley Eysmann
President
Farmingdale Kiwanettes
had to live in a slum, you'd have
had more trouble than you've had
already — because I've got enough
spark left in me to lead a mighty
good revolt." Other administration
spokesmen have sounded
similar notes.
What we needed instead, what
we still need, is an affirmation
that law and order will prevail,
a warning that those resisting
legitimate police activities will
be jailed and tried and convicted.
What we need is leadership from
the White House which would
warn violent demonstrators and
looters, no matter what flag they
fly, that they will be arrested, or,
if they resist and attack police,
that whatever force is necessary
will be used.
The President reacted characteristically
in the face of this national
emergency — he named a
committee to investigate the
riots. The committee was asked
to make an interim report in two
months and a final report next
year. The unspoken hope was,
undoubtedly, that the report would
come after the 1968 Presidential
elections.
No nation in history has ever
been without inequality. No nation
has ever been able to eliminate
all injustice. We have endeavored
and will continue to endeavor to
meet the problems of minority
groups. But the administration
should keep in mind that the first
priority during this emergency
situation is not to attempt to assess
blame but to restore law and
order.
Dear Editor:
On behalf of myself and my
family I desire to publicly express
our wholehearted support
of the Farmingdale Public Library
and of the forthcoming
proposed budget.
The Library under your professional
guidance and the dedicated
services of its Board of
Trustees has expanded over the
years, so that today it constitutes
an integral part of our community's
cultural and educational
growth.
I sincerely trust mat the recent
public clamor relating to
one individual and to one minor
periodical will not deter the majority
of the Farmingdale citizens
from likewise expressing their
support by voting " Yes" on the
Library budget.
John E. Gillies
Dear Editor:
As you know I have stated previously
in public my support
for the Library Budget. It is my
prayer that the citizens of the
Farmingdale School district will
awaken to the need and not permit
its defeat. A curtailment of
our Library Services would be
a distinct loss to the community.
Bernhardt Bohrer ( Ben) Pastor
St. Luke's Lutheran Church
Dear Editor:
I strongly urge your support
of the Library Budget.
The passage of the budget would
strongly indicate not only your
awareness of the value of library
services to the educational
growth of the total community
but also your concern for the
educational welfare and future
of our children.
A vote for the Library Budget
is a vote for the children.
Rosalie B. Samuels, Principal
Northside School
To the Editor:
My feeling of exacerbation has
rapidly evolved into a mood of
old fashioned anger, as the movement
to destroy the Farming-dale
Public Library by defeating
the proposed budget gains
momentum. Equipped with a banal
conception of morality and democracy
that bears little resemblance
to the way those two
virtues were conceived by our
Founding Fathers, a small well-organized
clique has contumaciously
worked against the
public good in order to gain
some sort of ideological victory
in Farmingdale.
Writing in his treatise, Areo-pagitica
( 1644), John Milton declared
" Who kills a man kills a
reasonable creature, God's
image; but he who destroys a
good book, kills reason itself,
kills the image of God, as it
were, in the eye...............( for)
a book is the precious life- blood
of a master spirit, embalmed
and treasured up on purpose to
a life beyond lifc. We should be
wary, therefore, what persecution
we raise against the
living labors of public men, how
we spill that seasoned life of man
preserved and stored up in
books." And yet, in 1967, the very
evil that Milton so eloquently
railed against in the seventeenth
century, has manifested itself
in Farmingdale as the main weapon
in the battle to defeat the
library budget. Freedom must
take a stand in Farmingdale ;
the censors must not be given
another victory; the library budget
must be passed.
Peter P. Witonski
173 North Syracuse Ave.
North Massapequa
Dear Editor:
American economic, social,
and political society is increasingly
demanding better educated
people.
One of the major foundations
upon which a better educated
society is and will be built is the
community public library.
In view of these constantly
increasing demands and the accompanying
" knowledge explosion"
it is understandable that
the costs of meeting these chal-langes
with increase.
We all benefit from a good
community library system. Even
those who use it only infrequently
or not at all. Communities that
maintain a good library system
are those that are in a good
position to attract and hold residential
and business property
owners. Thus, real estate values
are enhanced, from which we all
benefit.
Therefore, I strongly support
the passage of the library budget
in order to help insure the continued
social, educational, and
economic growth of Farmingdale.
Thomas J. Lavan
Farmingdale School
Board Trustee
cause it had to provide for the expenses
of the third voting.
5. Until nownone of the trustees
was asked before his election,
whether he belonged to any or to
what party. Mr. Gorton's membership
in the John Birch Society
is of no relevance to anyone, as
long as he makes decisions on
his own for the good of the library.
6. We will leave it to the professionals
to explain the services
the people of Farmingdale receive
for the money they spend on their
library. The board is composed
of old Farmingdalers who know
that their neighbors are hard
pressed by high taxes. They consider
conscientiously every item,
before they accept its expense,
but they want a library mat serves
a community well, and that could
be a pride to every community.
Albert Meyerstein
Iona Musa
Robert Callahan
Paul Tilford
Dear Editor:
Any problem can be considered
from at least two sides. Where
sentiments are involved, neither
side may be able to understand
far from being able to convince
the other part. But either side
should respect the other one's,
opinion as the result of honest
conviction. Bitter words dont
make for sober discussion and
rational decisions.
1. The members of the library
board were legally elected by the
community. Mrs. Khan Musa is
the last one of a group of meritorious
people whose foresight
gave Farmingdale a public library.
She has- always been reelected
to office. Dr. Albert
Meyerstein was elected in 1965,
Mr. Robert Callahan was reelected
in 1966, and Mr. Carl
Gorton in 1967. Mr. Paul Tilford
was legally elected by the other
members of the board to fill the
unexpired term of Mrs. Emyr
Griffith, when she retired in 1966.
Mr. Tilford was favored by the
board members, because he had
served the community in different
ways, and the library as former
president of the " Friends of the
Library."
2. The library budget was defeated
at the second try by the
small margin of 57 votes. A large
group of Farmingdalers persuaded
the majority of the board
members to submit the budget for
a third time. One citizen's opinion
in a democratic state is as
important than that of another.
Only a few weeks ago both the
Huntington and the Plainedge
school budgets were approved at
the third voting. There are in fact
a large number of school and library
districts on Long Island
this year which submitted budgets
for third tries.
3. The date of the third library
budget vote was set due to the
fact that the budget had to be
voted on before August 31. First
the school board would have to
give permission to submit the
budget the third time. The date
of the only regular school board
meeting at the time of the library
board's decision was July 5. No
time could be lost. Tuesday
August 29 was proposed as the
date of the voting.
4. The board submitted the
originally proposed budget, be-
Dear Editor:
On August 29, the citizens
of the Farmingdale Library District
will be subjected to another
library budget vote and must once
more decide whether or not the
tail will wag the dog. Nothing has
been done to make the budget
more palatable by a reduction
in its amount nor has mere been
a change in library policies, m
fact, the $ 5000. deducted from the
second submission has been reinstated.
When the Board was questioned
at its public meeting of July 11,
as to what changes had been made
to justify this resubmission, the
Library Board President Mr.
Callahan, replied that the voters
may now want to reconsider their
choice in the light of reduced
operating services. He may just
as well have said that we will see
how the results go after a little
armtwi sting.
If there is doubt about this,
then how does a 27% cut in hours
of library operation compare with
a budget that is less than 9% below
what is being asked for? The
Board may attempt to defend its
actions by blaming increased
costs for books, salaries, etc.
but it will not show how that is
already mostly compensated for
by the elimination of other services.
Neither would it care to publicize
the fact that it proceeded
to hire a summertime reading
specialist for $ 1000 immediately
after the first defeat of the budget
The severity of the cut can
only be attributed to an attempt
on the part of the Board to coerce
the voters.
As a result, the issue concerning
the kind of books your tax
money is spent on, and the way
funds are used to run a seemingly
unmending series of budget
voters, is no longer of primary
importance. The attitude of the
Board toward you and your vote
becomes the primary issue. If
the next vote results in a passed
budget, we can be sure that the
Library Board will have demonstrated
to itself and the community
that its budget demands
must not go unheeded nor shall
its policies be questioned. A note
on future library budgets will become
nothing more man an exercise
of one or more steps that
will inevitably end with the Board
getting and doing what it pleases,
regardless of the wishes of the
community. In effect, the tail will
wag the dog.
Walter J. Kooker
32 West Drive,
N. Massapeaua.
%^ g^ 5^ Published every Thursday by
THE OBSERVER, INC.
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Frank J. Klesh - Caroline B. Klesh
Editors and Publishers
Vol. 4 No. 51
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Farmingdale OBSERVER Thursday, August 10, 1967
