The Best Man

To the Editors:

There can be no doubt that we Catholics have in Pope John Paul I [Sept. 4] the best man for the job at this time.

The secret to the surprisingly quick election of the new Pope may well be discovered in his recognized "aversion to Communism." And so, important church matters like birth control and priestly celibacy may have been set to simmer on the back burner in order to attend to a primary concern: the right of the individual to realize his potential and pursue his highest destiny free of oppression.

(Mrs.) Marion Demange Riverside, Ill.

Both the brevity of the papal conclave and the selection of a dark horse as the new Pope defied the predictions of worldly analysts. The inescapable conclusion is that the Holy Spirit intervened.

Richard Y. Norrish Edwardsville, Ill.

The church is confronting one of the greatest crises in its history. At the time of Pope Pius' election in 1939 there was little if any dissension within the church, and thus it was able to speak as a united voice against war. Today, unfortunately, that is no longer the case, and papal' authority is being challenged in many quarters. Pope John Paul's task, therefore, lies in binding the church together again, steering between traditionalists and progressives--and that certainly requires as firm a hand as that of Pope Pius XII.

Christopher Diaz New York City

Those Baffling Holes

Thank you for the fascinating article on black holes [Sept. 4]. This may sound strange to some people, but I am delighted by the fact that there is still something that can baffle almighty science.

It is good to know that even 20th century man, with all his technology, cannot feel complacent about his world. He can still gaze heavenward and feel the same sense of awe and wonder experienced by earliest man, in all his ignorance.

Glenn C. Despres Lynn, Mass.

If a black hole can draw matter from a nearby star, perhaps two black holes can draw matter from each other, spewing off enough matter and energy into space to create a new galaxy eventually. Perhaps black holes are God's way of recreating the universe a portion at a time.

Mary A. Ziegenfus Avon Park, Fla.

You should know that an impressive number of intelligent and thoughtful people do not regard parapsychology as "pseudoscientific hokum."

Judith Perry Barre, Vt.

Monument for the Elite

I was pleased to read that the House of Representatives voted down an additional $54 million for the Philip A. Hart Senate Office Building [Aug. 28]. However, I am outraged that this monument to elitism will be completed with all its luxuries for our democracy's ruling class.

Timothy L. Julet Farmington, Mich.

Senators may be big men and politics dirty, but 16-ft. ceilings and two bathrooms per suite are ridiculous.

Theodore T. Brundage Phoenix, Md.

Wrong Man, Wrong Spelling

Really now . . . the man you pictured with Karen Master [Sept. 4] is not T. Cullen Davis. His name is James L. Mabe Sr. Also, the name of the restaurant is CoCo's, not Coo Coo's.

Christie Beard Fort Worth

Labor's Untidy House

In your article on labor [Sept. 4] you failed to mention two problem areas: connections with syndicated crime and corruption within labor ranks. Until labor sweeps out the dirty corners and gets its own house tidy, many of us will want none of our money thrown into the mess.

Adele Breech Northport, N. Y.

Labor unions, as such, have outlived their usefulness. It's time for management to take advantage of the situation and give labor a vested interest in the capitalistic enterprise system through equity profit sharing. Eventually, labor unions will be forced to change their point of view and seek higher profits for the benefit of their membership. At that point, outside stockholders may even want to pay for the privilege of joining such associations.

Harry George Feinstein New Haven, Conn.

Perils of Plea Bargaining

It is amazing to me that sociologists, law professors and others typically divorced from the realities of our criminal-law system are sought out as experts on the subject of plea bargaining [Sept. 4]. As a practical matter, bargaining is essential to this system, as a means of streamlining gargantuan case loads, and as a vehicle for ensuring the swift and inexpensive administration of justice, such as it is, in appropriate cases. Any prosecutor who claims to wholly eschew plea bargaining is dismissing a lot of borderline cases, losing a lot of jury trials or seriously misstating himself.

James Roy Accardi

Assistant District Attorney

Huntsville, Ala.

Your article on plea bargaining overlooks a basic fact: that it is the right of the defendant to plead guilty as well as to go to trial. The real question is whether by pleading guilty the defendant gains any substantial advantage. A recent study by the Institute for Law and Social Research (INSLAW) shows that those criminals pleading guilty do not gain any particular advantage either in the length of punishment or the seriousness of the crime to which they plead.

Bernard Carey

State's Attorney of Cook County Chicago

Kondratieff Upswing

With the best of intentions, you inverted my views by 180DEG [July 31]. I believe that the world economy entered in 1972 the fifth Kondratieff upswing, not a downswing. At the core of this upswing is the prospect that the prices of energy, food, raw materials will fluctuate in a relatively higher range than in the previous downswing (1951-72). We shall have to try dealing with inflation more seriously than we now are. On the other hand, the Kondratieff upswing requires greatly enlarged investments in energy production and conservation, transport, water conservation and development, pollution control. When economists, politicians and businessmen come to understand that these will be our leading growth sectors, and we act to stimulate private and, where necessary, public investment in these directions, unemployment should be low, our growth rate high.

Walt W. Rostow Austin, Texas

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