Thursday, February 6, 196
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Three
Thursday, February 6, '1 96~~ THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Three
THE O 'NCE GROUP
Presents
,I
SEEK AMENDMENT
18-year-old vote fight continues
By JOHN ZEH
WASHINGTON (CPS) - The
history of efforts to lower the
voting age is full of frustration
and failure, dating back to 1942
when Sen. Arthur Vandenberg
introduced the first recent re-
solution to extend the fran-
chise. In that session, Congress
lowered the draft-induction age
to 18, but refused to lower the
voting age.
Since then, more than a hun-
dred similar resolutions have
been bottled up by the nation's
lawmakers. Despite President
Eisenhower's support in 1954, a
proposed Constitutional amend-
ment lowering the voting age
failed by five votes. In the last
session of Congress, well-mean-
ing liberals.let another bill die
without a fight after President
Johnson spoke up favorably but
too late.
The long struggle for the 18-
year-old vote has also been
marked by lack of organization
and resources. There has been
no nationwide movement at the
grass-roots level to demon-
strate youth's initiative and in-
fluence like those when Negroes
and women sought the franchise.
"The nub of practical poli-
tics is that without assurances
from organized college-aged
groups that 18-to-21 year-olds
really want the franchise, the
chances of passage are dim,"
Sen. Jacob Javits, (R-N.Y.), has
said. Young people have decided
to take his advice seriously.
In the last month two groups
have formed to start a nation-
wide push for passage of laws
lowering the voting age. One,
begun by students from the
University of the Pacific in
California, and launched on a
television special with J o e y
Bishop, is called LUV (Let Us
Vote). It claims chapters on
more than 200 college campuses
and 1,500 high schools.
Another handful of y o u n g
people, from the National Edu-
cation Association (NEA)'s stu-
dent affiliate, have formed a
Youth Franchise Coalition. With
the support of other student
groups, they claim to be the
first national organization
working toward the 18-year-old
vote.
The Coalition's campaign to
lower the voting age will aim at
passage of a Constitutional
amendment and changes ir
state statutes and charters.
Dirck Brown, an early Coalition
leader, explains that an ef-
fort at the state level wilt make
ratification of the new Consti-
tutional amendment easier.
A petition drive will be con-
ducted and a national y o u t h
conference will be held to dra-
matize the interest in a lower
voting age. The Coalition also
wants to develop a speakers'
bureau and a stable source .of
information on the subject.
One of the "hack issues" of
past campaigns that the stu-
dents hope to redefine is the
"Old enough to fight, old enough
to vote" argument which has
had wide emotional appeal in
wartime.
"Apparently it takes war to
open the eyes of America to the
injustice she does her young
men." R. Spencer Oliver of the
Young Democrat Clubs of
America has said. "It is surely
unjust and discriminatory to
THE TRIAL OF ANNE OPIE WEHRER AND
UNKNOWN ACCOMPLICES FOR CRIMES
AGAINST HUMANITY
PLACE: Michigan League Ballroom
TIME: 8:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday
- February 7 & 8, 1969
TICKETS ON SALE at Discount lRecords, Centicore Bookshop,
Plaster of Paris, and Creative Arts Festival Booths (Michigan
League and The Fishbowl). $1.50 Students, $2.00 General Ad-
mission.
BIWOJNI
I L
I
DIAL 8-6416
2nd
Week
command men to sacrifice their
lives for a decision they had no
part in making."
Sen. Mike Mansfield (D-
Mont.) feels the lower voting
age is "more pertinent now
than ever before, because youth
s better equipped to exercise
this responsibility."
Campus unrest and other dis-
order stands to be lessened if
the vote is granted, Senator
Javits and others argue. The
National Commission on the
Causes and Prevention of 'Vio-
lence has just reported that vio-
lence occurs partly because pro-
testers believe they cannot make
their demands felt effectively
through normal channels.
Supporters of the lowered vot-
ing age also argue that voting,
the ultimate test of citizenship,
should be begun as soon as pos-
sible. A new argument is that
under the recent one man-one
vote ruling by the Supreme
Court, 18 to 21 year olds in
states not permitting them to
vote are being deprived of
rights their counterparts in
Kentucky, Georgia, Alaska and
Hawaii have. Voting age in
Alaska is 19; 20 in Hawaii.)
With all these reasons for
lowering the voting age, why
has the Constitution not been
changed? A main reason is fear
of change itself, and the threat
old politicians at federal, state
and local levels see in an elec-
torate expanded by 12 million
young people.
Two key persons in Congress
also stand in the way of change.
They are Rep. Emanuel Celler
(D-N.Y.) and Sen. James East-
land (D-Miss.), who chair the
judiciary committees of t h e i r
respective chambers. Both bit-
-terly oppose letting young peo-
ple vote, arguing that people
i under 21'are not mature enough.
While to some prospects look
bright, the realities of the sit-
uation suggest that the 18-year-
old vote is far off. Coalition
leaders expect only Senate pas-
sage by the end of 1969. House
passage will come only after
much difficulty. Even then the
new amendment would have to
be ratified by the legislatures of
three-quarters of the states,
many of whichwillunot be in
regular session again until 1971.
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Arbor, Michigan 48104.
Published daily Tuesday through
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by mail.
the
news today
by The Associat'd Press and College Press Sarvice
PRESIDENT NIXON announced yesterday that, ef-
fective immediately, all postmasterships will be removed
from the political patronage system.
Postmaster General Winton M. Blount said that when
future vacancies occur for postmasterships or rural carriers,
the best qualified candidates will be appointed regardless of
political affiliation.
The departure from the patronage system will take place
at once without any action by Congress. However, the Nixon
administration will press for legislation to do away with the
present requirement that the Senate confirm nominees for
postmasterships.
* . *
PRESIDENT NIXON asked the Senate yesterday for
prompt ratification of the nuclear nonproliferation
treaty.
-Nixon emphasized a policy of "negotiation rather than
confrontation with the Soviet Union."
Senate Republican leader Everett M. Dirksen will lead
the move and anticipates no trouble getting the treaty rati-
fied. The document should reach the Senate floor by the end
of the month.
The treaty may be an important step in curbing the
spread of nuclear weapons and advancing an Atoms for Peace
program.
CONGRESS gave itself a 41 per cent pay boost yester-
day along with substantial increases for the Cabinet and,
federal judges.
The House Rules Committee refused to clear the floor
action on a resolution to veto the pay boosts scheduled to go
into effect Feb. 14.
Congressional salaries will go up $12,500 a year to $42,500,
Cabinet members from $35,000 to $60,000, and Supreme Court
justices from $39,500 to $60,000.
The Rules Committee action prevented House members
from being in the awkward position of voting a pay raise for
themselves. The Senate did so, but its members do not all
have to face re-election within two years as all House mem-
bers do.
SOUTH VIETNAM announced yesterday all military
leaves will be canceled Monday as a precaution against
enemy offensive in the upcoming Tet holidays,
The Viet Cong's offensive caught the South Vietnamese
by surprise last year when about half of the South Vietna-
mese military forces were on leave for the holiday.
Recent enemy troop movements north of Saigon in the
central highlands present a cause for concern to the South
Vietnamese.
CZECHOSLOVAK COMMUNIST party leader Alexan-
der Dubcek indicated yesterday Czechoslovakia's reform
leadership has overcome pro-Soviet Communist forces in
a power struggle resulting from the suicide of Jan Palach.
Dubcek, addressing 1,500 high ranking army officers and
political workers, announced the Prague 'regime overcame
perhaps the most serious crisis since the Soviet-led military
invasion last August.
He called on all party organizations to get rid of anyone
representing "special groups with their own platforms, dis-
tributing leaflets, and disturbing the unified action of the
party."
II
INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS
'69
FEB. 13
Union Ballroom
10 p.m.-Dawn
Admission free
LOVE, SEX and RELATIONSHIPS
A teach-in conducted by
Robert Rimmer, author of
"The Harrad Experiment"
SATIRE AT ITS
COLLEGIATE
BEST ! M
"... EXPLOSIVELY r
FUNNY... r
DON'T
ser
MISS ITI"
.] ' ^.Times
COLOR
(7a session with
"THE COMMITTEE"
Exactly as presented LIVE on stage in San Francisco ad Los Angeles!
Feb. 16 SEN. WAYNE MORSE
Union Ballroom
2 P.M. $1.00
Feb. 19 & 20 GENESIS
League Ballroom An underroun m festia
7 P.M. and 9:30 P.M.
$1.50
'I
U
"
FEB. 22
Rackham Aud.
Admission FREE
8:30 P.M.
DR. ROLLO MAY, PhD.
Exisfential Psychology
IA
CONTEMPORARY
DISCUSSIONS
\1
presents
THE INTERNATIONALLY CELEBRATED
~,rafrv
National Theatre of Canada
2 NEW PRODUCTIONS-
BEN JONSON'S"-'
classic comedy
THE ALCHEMIST
with{
WILLIAM HUTT
POWYS THOMAS
BERNARD BEHRENS
Directed by JEAN GASCON
SECOND ANNUAL OZONE FESTIVAL
wth
COMMANDER CODY
and his
LOST PLANET AIRMEN
and
OZONE PRODUCTIONS
at
6)IRERURYfOUSE
2rBIG NITES Doors open 8 p.m,
Fri.-Sat. $1.50
Inter Cooperative Council Presents
*...:: :.: ,} '.", )^ . .Y4,
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y
NATIONAL GENERAL PICTURES Presents
GREGORY PECK - EVA MARIE SAINT
in a Pakua lHESALNOON
Production Of TE~A N~ VI~P
TECHNICOLOR- PANAVIOON'
I I
Russ Gibb presents in Detroit
.from England
SAVOY BROWN
from San Francisco
MOTHER EARTH
Fri., Sat., and Sun.
Fri. and Sat.-$3.75
Sun.-no age limit, special low price
GRANDE BALLROOM
Grande River near Joy Rd.
'C
--- - -
--
A New Version of
SHAKESPEARE'S
February 7 and 8
A THOUSAND CLOWNS
HAMLET,
with
:;.: KENNETH WELSH