Reaction was mostly cool by New Ulm residents to the full pardon granted former President Nixon by President Gerald ford.

Bill Eichtem, a local businessman e-plained that he should have at least been tried for possible crimes. “My reaction is that no man should be put above the law and here Nixon is pardoned and we’re not even sure for what crimes,” he said.

Eichten continued.“If we have to accept the pardon of Nixon then we had better be prepared to accept pardons for the other Watergate conspirators.”

Bill Ferguson, a school administrator in New Ulm,wondered if President Ford had any other choice. “If Mr. Ford is going to let the draft dodgers back, then he had to give Mr. Nixon some type of pardon. It didn’t have to be a full pardon,however.”Ferguson added that now draft dodgers should be given full pardons because Nixon received on.

Mayor Carl (Red) Wyczawski felt that the action was a little premature. “I feel the president should have waited until it came out in the courts. He should have given more consideration to the double standard feeling. What’s good for the president is good for the people and what’s good for the people is good for the president,” he said.

Wyczawski also added that he thought some type of deal was probably made prior to Nixon’s resignation.

++

TWO lawyers had differing opinions of the pardon. Al Mueller thought that Nixon had suffered a great deal. “I believe that President Ford took this matter under great consideration before he made his decision. I do feel he thought it was best for the country.”

When asked what his feelings were concerning equal justice under the law, he replied “There should be no exceptions to the rule even though he was president. However, I think there were other circumstances involved here which may justify the pardon.”

Bill Schade differed with that train of thought. “I feel he should have been subjected to the criminal process. If he had been convicted I would have been able to understand that he had suffered enough, in the president’s opinion.”

Schade continued. “I’m not so sure I agree with a pardon at this moment because he was not required to stand and answer to the charges against him.”

++

SOME did not want to be quoted.

One said the decision by the president was “premature.” He said that more information should have come out before the decision was reached. “I expected some pardoning,” he commented, “but not before some more information was brought out before the public.”

Another person said that everybody else in the case should be pardoned after Nixon was pardoned. The reader also said that criminals should be left out of jail after they had broken the law.

Another New Ulmite contacted said that the decision came hastily, and it shouldn’t have been made before Nixon was tried in court. The person said that the pardoning came before Nixon had anything to be pardoned for in the case.

New Ulm Daily Journal

Sept. 9, 1974