
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, July 31, 1990                   TAG: 9007310373
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

HOLD OUR LEADERS TO A HIGH STANDARD

IF WE CARE about where our country is going, it seems there would be more protests about the miscarriage of justice in high places. Perhaps our definition of "liberty" needs to be re-examined.

I am concerned about Gov. Doug Wilder's apparent change of face. I agree with your excellent July 7 editorial that this is totally unrelated to race, but only to his conduct. It is inconceivable that an intelligent man, voted to the highest state office, would hold a trust so lightly as to appropriate $20,000 of Virginia taxpayers' money for his private use of a state helicopter.

I have not read of any attempt by Wilder to justify this action or to reimburse for this misappropriation of state funds. And shouldn't he be accountable to disclose the profits from his inaugural? To my knowledge, that has not been done.

Does this even remotely resemble our concept of "justice and liberty"? Someone has written: "We call liberty allowing the other fellow to please himself to the same extent as we please ourselves. True liberty is the ability earned by practice to do the right thing. There is no such thing as a gift of freedom; freedom must be earned."

John Donne put it succinctly: "No man is an island." How true! Everyone suffers when leaders transgress. Our representatives in places of trust should be exemplary in conduct and integrity, or we are headed on a downward path. MILDRED SADLER SALEM

by CNB