Title: Evangeline Archer's Letters to the Editor and Such (1955 – 1979) – Part 4 of 5

Letters to the Editor can reveal the heart and spirit of a person and remind us of the issues of the day. This five-part series contains many of Evangeline Archer’s Letters to the Editor. All are from the Northwest Arkansas Times.

Apr 17, 1973
Imhoff Home Scene of Meeting
(excerpts from the article)
Fayetteville Garden Club met Wednesday in the home of Mrs. John Imhoff. Mrs. Lawrence Lewis was co-hostess.
After a discussion of conservation, a motion was carried that the Fayetteville Garden Club write a letter to the State Federation of Garden Clubs asking that more concerning the pressing issue of conservation such as channelization and billboards be on state garden club programs.
Mrs. W. F. Knowles gave a talk on Arbor Day.
Trees are valuable to prevent flooding, provide shelter for birds and animals, and to purify atmosphere. Children are encouraged to plant trees to create a feeling of the beauty and value of trees.
The May meeting will be with Mrs. Laird Archer.

May 7, 1973
Let’s Not Be Deceived
To the Editor:
Too often, with reference to certain proposals for street or highway planning, it is stated that such plans will not be carried out for a period of years. Or, that they are so costly that the money for them never may become available. The idea is to discourage public dissent, perhaps, or to soothe anxiety.
Whatever the cause, it is not reasonable to make a serious proposal and then say that it is not to be taken seriously. Dams on the Buffalo River were first proposed in 1938, and not until 1972 were these evil concepts finally disposed of. Mistaken ideas do not disappear of themselves.
The point is not that mistakes are sometimes made, which is understandable, but that they need to be acknowledged and corrected.
Evangeline Archer
Fayetteville

Nov 8, 1973
[Beloved Dimitri]
To the Editor:
Our beloved cocker spaniel, Dimitri, disappeared on Saturday afternoon, October 27, just after we had returned from a glorious walk. We have done everything possible to find him and cannot give up trying.
There are still people who do not know we lost him. He is nearly full grown, golden tan in color, has a few freckles on his nose. If he is still alive he could scarcely escape notice. He was wearing a tan collar, but no tag. As he needed to go to the veterinarian, I was going in two days for this.
Any pet is precious, but this little dog had our whole heart. My husband is too frail to go for walks with me as formerly, but Dimitri did, and I was never alone. He “helped” me with my yard work, joyously. I welcomed his low whimper, no matter how early in the morning, asking to be let out. He was filled with love and goodness.
I hope that some kind person has seen him and is taking care of him. If such a person will call me (or the Humane Society), we will give a substantial reward. If anyone has ever seen him at any time, please tell us. I beg of you.
Evangeline Archer
Fayetteville
(Ph: 442-4497)

Dec 28, 1973
Our Best Citizens
To the Editor:
Your editorial of Dec. 15, called “Matter of Critical Concern,” is very puzzling. You comment on the progress made and the greatly increased prosperity over the years, and then on the number of young men and women who are leaving because they cannot find employment here.
Then, and this the strange part, you attribute much of this out migration to the fact that this has become a “retirement haven” and that retired persons are “too rigidly conservative in economics and politics to provide adequate attraction for younger ambitions.”
Also, you say, “There is a built-in dampening effect in conservative, no growth, no-taxes, no-schools attitudes of a preponderance of newcomer retirees”. And, “At the present time a slowdown in the national economy plays into the hands of no-growth advocates, which are strongly allied with the retirement attitude.”
Let us consider some facts about the retired persons here:
Nearly always these persons are among our best citizens. They contribute their time and their means and their abilities to civic, social, and economic betterment. Their taxes support the schools, and usually without adding to the school enrollment. They are law abiding.
As to growth, some of the best minds in the country, including those in big business, have learned that growth is not in itself necessarily beneficial. That depends upon various factors.
In general, our retired persons are perceptive, unwilling to accept the old clichés we have been offered for so long. Their needs for goods and services support the economy. In short, they seem to provide profit without creating problems.
There must be many retired persons among your readers who could never recognize themselves from your characterization of them.
Evangeline Archer
Fayetteville

Apr 30, 1974
2,4,5-T
To the Editor:
The New Yorker for March 25, in commenting on the use of the dangerous chemical 2,4,5-T in the Vietnam war, says that “It appears that those who brought about the herbicidal destruction in South Vietnam consider themselves beyond accountability for their acts”, and, further, that “In the military appropriations request for the fiscal year 1974, one item concerned the financing of research into ways of making existing military herbicides even faster-acting than they are at present” – defined by the Department of Defense as “We are continuing investigations in the area of vegetation control to an effort to significantly improve our current capability”!
“In 1969, a resolution declaring that the Geneva Protocol did prohibit herbicidal warfare was approved in the United National General Assembly’s Political Committee by a vote of 58 to 3, with the United States … voting against it.”
“In 1970, President Nixon resubmitted the Protocol to the Senate, but with the suggestion that the Administration considered neither herbicidal warfare nor the use of tear gas to be prohibited by the treaty.”
The article further states that in April 1971, Senator Fulbright wrote to President Nixon asking him to reconsider the Administration’s position on herbicidal warfare in relation to the Protocol, but that no answer has as yet been received. It now appears that Kissinger may be reconsidering the question. “If he can succeed in altering the Administration’s present position, the move will surely constitute what Senator Fulbright, writing in 1972 about the possibility of such a policy change, called the single greatest contribution which our nation could make now to the creation of truly effective and universal barriers against one of the most repugnant of all forms of warfare.”
The New Yorker article is enlightening for two reasons: it points out a mistake in our country’s military policy and illustrates Senator Fulbright’s attitude toward correcting such mistakes. We need our senator’s continuing effectiveness.
Mrs. Laird Archer
Fayetteville 

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Image:
Cocker spaniel "Suky", by Lucy Dawson, 1940