University of Virginia Library

Letters To The Editor

No 'Ugly Americanism'

As one of the organizers of the
Virginia R.F.C. tour of Scotland
and England, I would like to
express the touring sides disappointment
at some omissions in the
Cavalier Daily report of the tour.

There was much partying —
after each match, which is an
integral part of the camaraderie and
good sportsmanship that rugby
fosters, but so much more. We
played a match every other day
against rugby teams in Britain
equivalent in ability over there to
ACC teams in football over here
(except the Scottish Wayfarers who
were an all-star team comparable
say to the Southeastern Conference
all-stars).

As every former footballer now
playing rugby will attest, the
physical contact and conditioning
are comparable. Can you imagine
the Virginia football team playing a
game every other day with no
substitution allowed? Yet every
team we met except the Wayfarers
expressed surprise at our competence.

We lost to the Old Hamptonians
8-3 in our last match played with
most of our first side backfield out
with injuries, yet they respected us
enough to add 4 of the Richmond
Club's (one of the 3 or 4 best in
England) best players for the
match. Nor did the article note that
most of the match was played
within their 30 yard line with 600
or so British spectators yelling
"Come on Yanks."

The article mentioned that no
serious injuries were incurred but
fails to note the courage of the
players who, out of necessity,
competed with pulled hamstrings
and bruised kidneys or the fact that
our serum half was brilliant for four
matches until it was discovered he
was playing with pneumonia, or the
fact that in the Beckenham debacle
both our wings were injured in the
first five minutes, and we played 13
against 15.

But more important than this
was the friendship and sportsmanship
displayed by both Virginia and
their opponents. I felt that at all
times we were a credit to the
University. There wasn't a single
incident of "ugly Americanism."

Each British side is administered
by successful business and professional
men. Officers of virtually
every club were impressed enough
to follow and cheer for us at several
succeeding matches. An officer of
Windsor came to the airport to see
us off. Incidentally, Windsor was
sporting a 21-5-5 record when they
narrowly defeated us. One English
Rugby Union Official (our NCAA)
noted in my presence, "I have never
seen a more spirited rugby side.
Meeting you has been a most
enjoyable experience for me."

Finally, while we did "party
hard," each free day was spent by
virtually every rugger visiting the
sights of England and Scotland.
Each time I visited an historic spot
such as Edinburgh Castle or the
Tower of London I met five to ten
ruggers along the way. That was a
large measure of what the tour was
all about.

Historical Error

Your front page article of 10
April entitled "Impeachment Proceedings
Against Douglas Probable"
states that, while the Senate has
heard impeachment proceedings
against ten lower court federal
judges, "no Supreme Court justice
has been brought to trial." Not
only is this statement wrong, but it
overlooks an important and currently
relevant chapter of American
legal history.

In 1805 the House of Representatives,
responding to suggestions
by our own Mr. Jefferson, brought
impeachment proceedings against
Samuel Chase, Associate Justice of
the Supreme Court. The Senate
subsequently acquitted Chase on all
eight articles of impeachment,
thereby putting to rest (at least
until now) Mr. Jefferson's unfortunate
theory that Justices of the
Supreme Court could be removed
when Congress found their legal or
political views unpalatable.

Had the outcome of this affair
been different, surely it would have
precluded the free and independent
judiciary this Republic has learned
to enjoy and prize. As Charles
Warren concludes in The Supreme
Court in United States History
(1935), "the profound effect produced
upon the course of American
legal history by the failure of the
Chase impeachment can hardly be
overestimated." See also "The
Chase Impeachment," 4 Journal of
Legal History 49 (1960).

Greatest
Pumpkin

In the Cavalier Daily of 7 March
we placed a notice under Miscellaneous
in which we claimed to have
the only and biggest pumpkin in
Virginia. This is no longer so. We
are proud to announce, in conjunction
with the P.P.P. (Planned
Pumpkin Parenthood), that our
pumpkin has given birth to a baby
pumpkin. The little darling weighs
3 lbs. 9 oz. and measures 22 in. In
circumference, and is doing very
well. One astonished observer was
heard to remark, "Zonkers! She
didn't even look pregnant. Wonder
who did it?"

Craig
Charlie
Mike
1705 J.P.A.

— Ed.

Ticketing

This letter is written in protest
of the arbitrary way the Security
Police are ticketing cars in the
vicinity of the hospital, particularly
at the Mental Health Clinic, 1244
Jefferson Park Avenue.

There is a 2-hour sign posted
halfway up the driveway for people
going to the hospital or the clinic
and the other spaces above this sign
are used by clinic staff and are
assigned to them.

This morning a policeman came
along and ticketed every single car
regardless of whether they were in
an assigned spot or not, regardless
of the personnel who went out to
protest this. But of course, we had
no recourse. He said the sign
pertained to all the parking spaces
in the entire circle, and gaily went
on ticketing.

Parking around the University
has been increasingly more and
more difficult as parking areas are
gradually being eliminated. Nothing
arouses the ire of the American
people, who are car oriented all the
way, to drive to where they are
going and find absolutely no place
to leave their cars. Hatred is
aroused for the police who are
caught in the middle. However,
discourtesy on their part does
nothing to help matters.

Just because Thomas Jefferson
could not foresee the necessity for
ample parking spaces or garages for
hospital employees and visitors,
does not free present authorities
from solving this problem.