Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

Clinton: Rag should come down by Leigh Strope Associated Press COLUMBIA—President Clinton on Tues day jumped into the fight over the Con federate flag over South Carolina’s State house. “He thinks the flag shouldn’t be flown,” White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said. He relayed Clinton’s comments while flying with the president to Boston. Lockhart said the president recalled that .the flag controversy was rooted in a 1962 decision by the Legislature, which voted to fly it in “a symbolic act to show opposition to desegregation.” “He’s not saying the Confederate flag ' ... doesn’t have some historical meaning to it, but in this case, it’s wrong,” Lock hart said. “It shouldn’t be flown.” The battle over the flag shifted inside after a demonstration Monday at which nearly 50,000 people called for the banner’s removal. Only the Legislature can remove the flag raised over the Statehouse in 1962 during the Civil War centennial. State Rep. Joe Neal, a Democrat, said he hoped that the rally on Martin Luther King Day changed some legislators’ minds. “The will of the people is that the flag come down, I think that’s clear,” he said Monday. “It has to come down. This issue is too divisive for South Car olina. It’s an embarrassment to the state.” Many demonstrators from out of state honored a tourism boycott by the Na tional Association for the Advancement of Colored People and slept on cots in church basements instead of checking in to hotels. “I don’t want to contribute to the economy of South Carolina,” said Gary Jefferson, who drove from Charlotte for the rally. “Even though I’m hungry, even though I’m thirsty, I’m going to wait un til I get home.” State police officers estimated Mon day’s crowd at 46,000 people; one man was'arrested for disorderly conduct. “In all candor, we welcome people to Columbia and our Statehouse, but I don’t think it has any real impact on how 170 members of the General Assembly will vote if there’s a resolution,” said Re publican state Sen. John Courson, a flag supporter. “I think most legislators have their minds made up.” Republican Rep. Jake Knotts said he would vote how his district wants — to keep the flag flying. “The problem isn’t the flag in this state,” he said. “It’s a race issue. People need to leam to treat each other with re spect.” Supporters say the banner is a sym bol of the state’s heritage and honors Con federate soldiers killed in the Civil War. More than 6,000 Confederate flag sup porters marched a week ago at the State house. Some lawmakers have said they’ll dis cuss a compromise only after the NAACP backs off the boycott. But NAACP Pres ident Kweisi Mftime said the boycott will remain until the flag goes. “We will continue to march and we will continue to boycott until it flies no more,” he said. A few white marchers joined the most ly black crowd. Margaret Abbott, 59, who wore her grandmother’s Daughters of Confederate Veterans certificate, said her ancestors fought in the Civil and Revo lutionary wars so she could have freedom of choice. She wants the flag removed. “Wfe have a lot more important things to do than fight over this stupid flag,” she said. While South Carolina is the only state still flying the Confederate flag from its Capitol, Georgia incorporated the sym bol into its state flag in 1956. The Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rain bow/PUSH Coalition now wants tourists to boycott Geoigia until the emblem is removed Activists are threatening to be gin the boycott on Jan. 30, the day the Super Bowl will be held in Atlanta. Coretta Scott King, who introduced A1 Gore at a King Day service in Atlanta, praised the vice president for saying the flag shouldn’t fly over South Carolina’s Statehouse. “I agree with you that it is a hurtful, divisive symbol,” she told Gore. Gore, who wants the Democratic nomination for president, has accused Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the Repub lican front-runner, of trying to duck the issue. Bush and his rivals, Arizona Sen. John McCain and businessman Steve Forbes, all have said that South Caroli na voters should determine the flag’s future and that it shouldn’t be an issue for their campaigns. Russia enters central Grozny, military says BY LYOMA TURPALOV Associated Press Urus-Martan, Russia—After weeks of ferocious fighting, Russian forces pen etrated the center of Grozny on Tuesday and started a final assault to take con trol of the capital of separatist Chechnya, Russian officers said. Russian troops were pushing into the center from east and west and had es tablished control over part of central Grozny, said Lt. Col. Konstantin Kukharenko, a Defense Ministry spokesman. “-The decisive phase of the liberation of Grozny has started,” he said, adding that the city would soon fall. The military’s claims couldn’t be con firmed. There was no immediate indi cation that the estimated 2,000 well entrenched rebels in Grozny had fled the city. The city has been the center of Chechen rebel resistance, and its capture would give Russian forces a huge victo ry after humiliating military setbacks. Russia has boasted several times that it was close to capturing Grozny, on ly to be driven back by the rebels, who have launched counterattacks in recent weeks in and around the capital. After facing little resistance in their steady march across Chechnya’s northern lowlands, Russian troops have been stalled at Grozny for months and only recently began pressing into rebel strongholds in the southern mountains. Chechen commanders admitted Tues day that there was heavy fighting in cen tral Grozny. Aslanbek Ismailov, the Chechens’ deputy chief of staff, told the Interfax news agency that the Russians were try ing to reach “the most strategically im Chechnya see woe « Kohl resigns party post BY TONY CZUCZKA Associated Press Berun—Helmut Kohl resigned as honorary chairman of Germany’s Chris tian Democrats Tbesday, shortly after the party suspended the former chan cellor because of his refusal to help clear up a campaign funding scandal. Kohl admitted “mistakes” but re jected a renewed appeal by his party to identify the sources of apparently ille gal cash donations, a step the conser vatives hoped would end speculation that the money was tied to political fa “vors. Kohl says he gave his word to keep the donors secret. “I cannot bring myself to break the promise I made to several personalities who financially supported my work in the Christian Democratic Union,” Kohl said in a statement, “The decision to resign the hon orary chairmanship was not easy for me,” he said. “I have been a Christ ian Democratic Union member for 50 years. It was and is my political home.” He admitted making mistakes dur ing “four decades in important posts,” but added: “I have always tried to do my duty.” Earlier today, the party's national executive suspended Kohl from the honorary post—an extraordinary step illustrating the power struggle between the CDU leaders and the man who led the party with a tight grip for 25 years. He led Germany for 16 years, includ ing the reunification with communist East Germany. News Briefs « ■ Council fails to reach agreement on chief weapons inspector for Iraq United Nations (AP)—The Securi ty Council failed to reach an agreement Tuesday on naming a new U.N. chief weapons inspector for Iraq, with Rus sia, China and France objecting to the sec retary-general ’s candidate, Rolf Ekeus, and requesting further meetings. The council president, U.S. Ambas sador Richard Holbrooke, said ambas sadors and foreign ministers would con tinue to discuss the matter among themselves until agreement is found. He ‘ said it could be several days, if not weeks, before an agreement is reached. No dead line was set and no new date scheduled . for talks. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Monday that Ekeus was best suited for the job. ‘ ■ Death increase shows some held on to see 2000 New York (AP) — The city’s death rate jumped in the first week of Janu ary, suggesting to experts that some ter minally ill patients held onto life just long enough to see the year 2000 arrive. “The will to live can be pretty powerful,” said Robert Butler, founder and president of the International Longevi ty Center. Preliminary numbers from New York’s Department of Health show that 1,791 people died in the city in the first week of2000—a 50.8 percent increase from the 1,187 deaths for the same peri od last year and 46 percent more than the 1,226 deaths in the first week of 1998, The New York Times reported Saturday. “It’s pretty well established that peo ple who are seriously ill will hang on to reach significant events, whether they are birthdays, anniversaries or religious holidays,” said Richard Suzman, an asso ciate director of the National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Md. “In this case, making it into the next century or mil lennium certainly counts as that.” f* . *% *^w ■ . IF^*r . ''r&VJwiPBB1 liA-? OFFICE OF ALCOHOL S^drug PROGRAMS Based on survey data collected by the USC Office of Alcohol & Drug Programs from a random sample of USC students in November, 1998. \ \ Funding by SC DAODAS Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Project. ... ijflijiflrf" i - - We Can Help You Get Started! Student Government Spring Treasurer Workshops Begin This Week.«\ -\ THURSDAY, January 20, 3:30 PM/ Russell House 315 4- - MONDAY, January 24, 3:30 PM/ Russell House 315 4- - MONDAY, January 24, 5:30 PM/ Russell House 315 *SPORTS CLUBS ONLY* 4- - TUESDAY, January 25, 3:30 PM/ Russell House 315 4- - WEDNESDAY, January 26, 3:30 PM/ Russell House 315 WEDNESDAY, January 26, 7:00 PM/ Russell House 315 * Attendance at one Workshop is required for all student organizations receiving or applying to receive Student Activity Fee Funds. Student Government Russell House 1 ip 777-2654