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editorial Center In On MV Agency Dominic Raffa has made no bones about it. He switched political parlies in order to keep his political patronage lob ns the state s motor vehicle agent in Cape May County. Frankly, if the Republican administration of Goy, Thomas Kean sees,fit to malrttaln the county s only motor vehicle office in Mr. Raffa shgnds, we hope with the position goes the behest to move the office to a more centrally located spot in the county and to provide more convenient hours of operation When it comes to running the motor vehicle agency, the polities of the agent is immaterial to the public Ah in any job which Involves dealing with the public, one of the major factors which should matter, however, is convenience It is downright inconvenient for a majority of the motorists on the Jersey Cape to have to bike all the way to Sea Isle City for their In-parson motor veniclc needs ‘ TJIK LOCATION OF Till', AGENCY in other than a central location is inconsiderate. As it has been for the past several years, most motorists have to drive out of their way. often having to take off from work too, Rased upon the latest Census (lain, while the motor vehicle agency in Sen Isle City is convenient to 51 per cent of the county population, It is inconvenient to 71 per cent. Of (he Jersey Cape a B2,000 residents, 42,000 live closer to Sen Isle City, lint 511,600 arc closer to Cape May Court House. (Seems the founding fathers know what they were doing when they located the county seat near the geographic center of the county,) The fact that Mr. Raffa, the longtime mayor of Sea Isle City and 311 year member of and worker for the Democratic Party, saw fit to switch his allegiance to the Repiiblicans is of concern primarily to Mr. Raffa and others influential in political circles. IN A etlVNTY AS HEAVILY dependent mam partisan’ politics for jobs as Cape May 'County, there are undoubtedly more motor vehicle owncri, who arc apolitical than political Even if that weren’t the ease, the political accomplishments of an individual shouldn’t be subsidized by the time and money for extra traveling by most others. If Mr Raffa retains the agency, or if the franchise goes to some other partisan, the governor's longterm concern should be to the many hundreds of motorists who will have need Of the service, not the individual who Is or can be influential around election■fime, It is. obviously possible for the governor to achieve "when il comes to efnciWy/of' service, tfie B resent motor vehicle agency appears to he on le ball, but when it comes to convenience of location and hours, It should be on the move to a place and time more accessible to most pen pie

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This Land Is Our Land

NOTICE TO Letter Writers Opinions for our Itender's Forum should: • Be sinned by the writer and include the writer's ad dross and plume nuiuber. letters can Im printed anonymously, hut the newspaper must have writer verification • • Deal with one topic or issue in an accurate, nonlihelous manner

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hy H lawlin Chriimer An unrorOiin oral Ihrcalcning «* tliingii uru Iraloy (nr Ihc common pi‘ l >l 1 l | ' 'which mofin» mosi ot u»i, Ihoy wore lor worso when I Ira OoHnralionjltjB^eiraHrawn wob Bignoa ■m your* ago, on July 4, ITfn^ At thonimo thole were n low rich people, mnlnly srent morytinnln, Bhi|»wnorB, ohil lorge Inmlnwnoni (many of Iho Killer alun Inrgo Blovo-hoWeral; oral nl«n n fuw well off 'ffiTk who wea' Bmnll lormera oral Iralepenilenl ortinono, toil only o mlnorily of Iheoe two eloHoeB were really ’’pro operoiiB,” (hot ia, able to oove out ol Ihoir looomoa Two huralreil yeorB ogn (ho vohI majority ol our country'll population - lira common people were properlylocking oral pom It wo# they who dill the hoek-hreoklng oral nmnolonnUB loluir, from oun up till sun-down, Oral for barely enough wages to poy for their food, hod clothing, and miserable abetter, IT IM NOT KXAOflBKATiNti to aay Ihnl lih' for moal lienpln during Iho rolonlfll-, era wan mean and dlrly. diiagroeahle and dmcase-ridden Mobi married young oral died young Mnny women perished in childbirth, or (rum excessive childbearing "tew women lived a decade in wedlock and a rare woman survived her fifth ehild ” Aloiul one hot! of Iho new born were dead williln u tew days Inbinllcido win common. The overage life spon at reader's forum Cool City Can Be Clean City, Too hy Mu Hdiiuyo About the time wo were celebrating Cpt. Mey Day in honor of the founder of the City of Cape May, thousands of tulips were planted in the fall pf 'Hi on Ihe Washington SI Mall and elsewhere in Ihe town. Wouldn't you know that while these plants were strug gllng to come up in spite of bad weather, I noticed large footmarks in the flower beds — not children's, but grownups.' Wilh ihe good care of our lady city workers, Ihe tulips finally bloomed, and God love them, they were

beautiful

ON THE MAI,I, at Ocean SI. we proudly raised three flags to the lefi Ihe city flag, in the center the American flag, to the right Ihe stall- flog Then a shameful thing happened: these beautiful flags were pulled down and stolen on four different occasions recently hy some despicable sick characters. The citizens of this town are urgently requested lo assist our fine police department In apprehending the vandals who are desecrating our beloved flags You may have noticed that the city has been putting up portable restrooms throughout Ihe area The firsl one, near the Rotary handstand, has already been vandalized and parts ripued out, We wonder where the visitors ore going loygo if we don't have these facilities for them, it's a disgrace, THE SIGNH J'ltOH I BITING bicycle riding and dogs on the Mall (large) are now being taken care of This also applies lo the beaches, the promenade and any area where il is especially hazardous for older people and III lie children There is also a health problem involved wilh dogs on account of their droppings, and if violations continue, a law may have to be passed oq ibis % few restaurants on the Mall sell take-out food to ewnomer* who sil on the beaches and leave their paper, plates and empty containers without any consideration • about who will pick up the trash A MB), Tltt; OWNERS should show some responsibili ly hy provi/img large container* to take care of Ihe irash II is'imporlant lo hove a I rash free Mall Wilh the barroom* open to the wee hours of Ihe morn

man or woman, two centuries ago, was about 40 years, Today it is in Ihe mld-70s. Allhough painfully slow, we have steadily improved the quality of life as well as lengthened it If we wont lo con tihually improve our eAndition, we should constantly remind ourselves that we have the best of revolutionary methods: ballots! (Won ns hy our ancestors by the hardest of revolutionary methods: bullets I) All we need do lo gel what we deservois lo use ballot again, and again, and again, and when We don't use them or use them unwisoly-we also gel w/ial we deserve THREE HUNDRED/YEARS AGO, Roger Williams ihe good and bravo clergyman who founded Rhode Island Colony advocated religious freedom (which is (he basis of all other kinds); befriended Ihe Indiansjbnd believed in democracy — safd this: "I Infer IhaMhe sovereign, original, and foundation of Civil s Power lies in the People.' 1 Woody Guthrie was nol onlY voicing senliment hy also good sense when he composed one of his lies! folk songs: This htnd is your land - Thin land is my land — From California In Ihe New Ynrh Island = From file Red Wand Fares! To ihe Gulf Stream'water This land was rbade far you arid me — Gettysburg -—=

by Viney Endieott

Kditor's note The Hattie of Gettysburg, a fuming pnlnl in Ihe American Civil War, was waged 110 years ago, July 14, IHM II was on November/19 of that year that Presl deni Lincoln gave his famous address there. Here where 1 stand the grass is green, The stately trees give shade The multitudes of granite stones That mark where boys were laid, ‘ < And here the peaceful shadows stretch Across the quiet ground That once convulsed -in agony beneath

The cannon's sound

Beyondvlhat rock on yonder slope A blue clad hoy once lay, His rifle trained in deadly aim

Upon a boy in grey.

Across the field from Spangler's Spring A boy from Maine lay sprawled Maving a wavering crimson line Where lately he had crawled, • The healing rains of many years Have washed Ihe hale away Thai walked beside the soldiers here Who wore Ihe blue and grey The guns long since are silenced That overlook each hill, The shrine of peach glows through the nigh! a symbol df goodwill ’, The vengeance and Ihe hatreds are Remembered now no more. United, under God, we stand Where once blazed Civil War

Have faith then, though Ihe eonflicls rage Ten thousand times as great, Though men are on Ihe march again Consumed by fear and hale, Thai slrelehing out beyond Ihe years A world united elands, Where men will cherish peace above