McCarthy Presents Rights Proposals in Keene, N.H.

KEENE, N.H. Feb. 15--Sen. Eugene J. McCarthy (D--Minn.) told an overflow crowd at Keene State Teachers College tonight that America must establish a new set of civil rights for every one of its citizens.

Repeatedly interrupted by applause, McCarthy charged that the Johnson Administration's preoccupation with the war had diverted its attention from vital issues at home. He urged the adoption of four specific "civil rights."

* The senator said that every American was entitled "to a decent job which returns an income that supports a man's family." There is no longer any reason for our economy to allow a man to be poor, he asserted.

* McCarthy said the country has the capacity to give everyone an education "in keeping with their intellectual gifts and talents." He said students have a right to an education not only through high school but in college and graduate work as well.

* The senator urged that health care be thought of as a right and that the government attempt to curb the financial burden of medical expenses.

He said all Americans have the right to live in "decent, appropriate, becoming housing, fit for human habitation--not in a ghetto but in a neighborhood." He said the adoption of this right was especially urgent for American Negroes.

McCarthy's day began with an early morning appearance at Milford High School> "Some people think America has to live in fear," he told the students. They think they can't really sleep nights for fear of the country being overthrown by morning." He urged rejection of the notion that North Vietnam and Communist China pose any real threat to America's security.

In Peterboro, where the senator was met by a large and enthusiastic crowd, McCarthy said reaction to his latest New Hampshire trip has been "more than just courtesy--it has been politically reassuring and encouraging."

Arriving in Keene this afternoon, McCarthy visited two insurance companies and one plant. A planned tour of another manufacturing company was cut short because of what the management called "labor difficulties." The senator departed for New York this evening.