New York: The Loner & the Shaman

The most significant question still to be settled in the Adam Clayton Powell case is whether the House of Representatives had the constitutional right to deny him admission for the specific offenses with which he was charged. While his lawyers raised this issue in federal court last week, Powell himself unexpectedly became the target of a political challenge in his Harlem fiefdom.

Powell's exclusion from Congress automatically created a vacancy in the 18th District; to fill it, a special election was set for April 11. Powell was assured of the Democratic nomination for the seat he has already won twelve times—even...