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Seventy-Sixth Year
EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIYGAN
UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
The Unreachable Children of Dissent
ere Opinions Are Fe 420 MAYNARD ST., ANN ARBOR, MICH.
Truth Wi Preva4l
NEws PHONE: 764-0552
Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers
or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints.
FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 1967
NIGHT EDITOR: WALLACE IMMEN
Romney's Fiscal Reform:
The Key to 'U' Quality
By ROBERT F. KENNEDY
First of Two Parts
The following is the first half
of an address by the junior sen-
ator from New York to the
Americans for Democratic Ac-
tion in Philadelphia, Feb. 24. It
is reprinted from the New Re-
public, March 11.
MORE AND MORE of our chil-
dren are almost unreachable
by the familiar premises and ar-
guments of our adult world. The
first task of concerned people is
not to castigateor deplore -- it is
to search out the reason for dis-
illusionment and alienation, the
rationale of protest and dissent
-perhaps, indeed, to learn from it.
What are they dissenting from--
and what do they tell us about
ourselves?
They begin, of course, with the
war in Vietnam. We are not talk-
ing about all our young people;
after all, Vietnam is a young
man's war. The men who fight and
die there, with bravery and en-
durance equal to any in our his-
tory, are young.
There are others, as I have
seen on many campuses, who are
in favor of escalation - though
many who favor escalation also
favor continuation of the student
deferment, their seeming slogan:
"Escalation without Participation."
But when a hundred student
body presidents and editors of
college newspapers; hundreds of
former Peace Corps volunteers;
dozens of present Rhodes scholars
question the basic premises of the
war, they should not and cannot
be ignored.
THESE STUDENTS oppose the
war for the brutality and the hor-
ror of all wars, and for the partic-
ular terror of this one. But for our
young people, I suspect, Vietnam
is a shock as it cannot be to us.
They did not know World War II,
or even Korea,
And this is a war surrounded
by rhetoric they do not under-
stand or accept; these are the
children not of the cold war, but
of the thaw. Their memories of
Communism are not of Stalin's
purges and death camps, not even
the terrible revelations of the
Twentieth Party Congress, or the
streets of Hungary.
They see the world as one in
which Communist states can be
each others' deadliest enemies or
even friends of the West, in which
Communism is certainly no bet-
ter, but perhaps no worse, than
many other evil and repressive dic-
astating the land of those we call
our friends. However the war may
seem to us, they see it as one in
which the largest and most power-
ful nation on earth is killing chil-
dren (they do not care if acci-
dentally) in a remote and insig-
nificant land.
We speak of past commitments,
of the burden of past mistakes;
and they ask why they should
now atone for mistakes made be-
fore many of them were born, be-
fore almost any could vote.
They see us spend billions on
armaments while poverty and ig-
norance continue at home; they
see us willing to fight a war for
freedom in Vietnam, but unwill-
ing to fight with one-hundredth
the money or force or effort to
secure freedom in Mississippi or
Alabama or the ghettos of the
North.
And they see, perhaps most dis-
turbing of all, that they are re-
mote from the decisions of policy;
that they themselves frequently
do not, by the nature of our poli-
tical system, share in the power of
choice on great questions shaping
their lives.
IT WOULD BE tempting - but
it would be wrong and self-delud-
ing-to trace to the war all the
problems of our dissatisfied youth.
Nor can this problem be traced
to any individual, or to any ad-
ministration, or to a political par-
ty; the challenge is deeper and
broader.
Nor-painful as it may be for
liberals to acknowledge-are these
young people enchanted with lib-
eral institutions. Labor has been
in the forefront of many a great
battle.
But youth looks with other eyes,
and their view is very different:
They think of labor as grown sleek
and bureaucratic with power,
sometimes frankly discriminatory,
occasionally even corrupt and ex-
ploitative; a force not for change
but for the status quo, unwilling
or unable to organize new groups
of members, indifferent to the men
who once worked the coal mines
of Appalachia, a late-comer -to
the struggles of the grape pickers
of California or the farm laborers
of the Mississippi Delta.
This is a one-sided picture,
without the dimensions of 50
years' struggle, and the undramat-
ic yet vital work of labor in many
parts of the nation today. But
there is too much truth in it for
us not to understand our chil-
dren's view--or to ignore the need
for change.
pi
01
THE QUALITY of University programs
for next year depends on the passage
of a fiscal reform package by the Michi-
gan Legislature.
The state . Senate yesterday reported
out of committee the amended version
of Governor Romney's fiscal reform pro-
posals. Altered were the personal income
tax level, from two and a half 'to three
per cent, and the corporate income tax,
raised from five to six per cent. A refund
on state sales taxes for food was eliminat-
ed from the plan, while the three cent a
pack rise in cigarette taxes was retained.
If approved by the Legislature, this
measure would provide the state over $300
million in new revenues. About $100 mil-
lion of this increase would be routed to
all levels of state education, upon which
the University would be able to make de-
mands.
Eight professors from the economics
departments of this University, Michi-
gan State and Wayne State Universities
are holding a news conference this morn-
ing to endorse Gov. Romney's fiscal re-
form program, which should come to a
vote in the Senate on Monday.
IF FISCAL REFORM measures are de-
feated, the state will be unable to pro-
vide the Uniyersity with any more than
the $62.2 million, it is allotted on the pres-
ent Higher Education Bill before the Sen-
ate Appropriations Committee. The rea-
son for this is purely economic, as pro-
gram costs are rising faster than state
revenues in the face of a 20 per cent
slump in the auto industry.
Without fiscal reform, the University
would be faced with a $2.5 million deficit
to meet its minimum program require-
ments. Even a $50 tuition increase would
still necessitate program cuts in the fall.
As Allan F. Smith, vice-president for
academic affairs, told members of the
appropriations subcommittee visiting the
University irecently, "we know that fiscal
reform of some sort is apparently requir-
ed to financ9 even the level of spending
the governor suggests. President Hatcher
has already indicated, and I repeat, that
we believe such reform is needed if Mich-
igan is to supply the services required in
this state."
The $62.2 million appropriation will not
be enough to maintain the existing teach-
er-student ratio for next year's enroll-
ment. It will not provide supporting staff
for planned new enrollment (2,244 next
year). It will not provide supplies and
equipment at price levels which are likely
to increase about 10 per cent.
The proposed minimum state budget to-
tal this year is $127.5 million higher than
last year, but this exceeds expected reve-
nues by $220.3 million. Even by using all
of the projected $38 million state-accum-
ulated surplus from this year, some type
of fiscal reform measure is mandatory for
basic operation of the state (and avoid-
ance of a $180 million deficit).
BUT THE BILL faces opposition. Demo-
crats in the Legislature had contend-
ed that Romney's package as it origin-
ally stood placed too great a tax burden
on individuals and not enough on cor-
porations and financial institutions. They
are now less likely to support the amend-
ed version, which calls for an even high-
er personal income tax rate.
Republicans, prodded by Romney, hope
to speed the bill through the Senate and
have placed it on the top of the Senate
calendar. They have asked that all pro-
posed amendments be submitted today so
that the bill can be debated and voted on
next Monday. The motion will most like-
ly have enough support to pass, although
several Republicans may dissent along
with the Democrats.
Opposition will be more intense in the
House, and the bill will probably be stall-
ed in committee there for several weeks.
Republican discontent with the plan has
taken the form of two alternative pro-
posals introduced to the taxation commit-
tee recently. These plans feature even
higher income tax rates than Romney's
proposal.
Romney has charged that these pro-
posals are ploys to hurt him politically.
More than 40 representatives of both par-
ties are currently backing one of the two
proposals and may be unlikely to sup-
port Romney's bill if it comes to the Sen-
ate floor.
But it is actually unlikely that the al-
ternative bills will be reported out of the
Senate committee before Romney's plan
comes to a vote in the House. The bill
must be approved and pass the appropria-
tions committee by June 1 if it is to take
effect before the new fiscal year begins.
THEREFORE, speed is important. A great
deal of maneuvering may spoil the
chances of fiscal reform this year, with
drastic effects on the state in the com-
ing year.
Romney must have success in rallying
the state's Republicans to his necessary
program and it is hoped that the Legis-
lature will see the value of this speed in
acting on the measure.
-WALLACE IMMEN
SEN. ROBERT KENNEDY
tatorships all around the world-
with which we 'conclude alliances
when that is felt to be in our in-
terest.
EVEN AS the declared foreign
policy of our government is to
"build bridges" to this new Com-
munist world, they see us, in the
name of anti-Communism, dev-
4
Letters: An' Incident at the unionWall
To the Editor:
AM the individual who paint-
ed an anti-war slogan on the
blue wall in front of the Union
last weekend. Because of incidents
concerning the act, I feel called
upon to clarify my motives and
then to make known what in fact
did happen that night.
My motives are simple: I see
my country getting more and more
deeply involved in a war which is
not only immoral and unjust, but
is also not in the best interests of
our country. What President John-
son and his advisors fail to un-
derstand is that the age of the
nation state and power politics is
ending, and the age of social rev-
olution is beginning. A policy of
opposition to these social revolu-
tions can only hurt the United
States in the long run by alien-
ating the populace of those coun-
tries where we oppose social re-
form. Prof. Max Mark, of the poli-
tical science department of Wayne
State University, in his book, "Be-
yond Sovereignty," points out that
if the United States continues in
its present policy it will leave it-
self "in the backwaters of his-
tory."
This self-interest is not the only
factor involved. The United States
is carrying on this war in viola-
tion of previous international
agreements. The M-16 rifle, with
a light bullet that "tumbles," was
outlawed at an international con-
,vention at the Hague in 1899. The
United States is also guilty of
using chemical warfare in Viet-
nam. The outright bombing of ci-
vilin areas by U.S. bombing mis-
sions need not be elaborated here.
LASTLY, there is the obvious
contradiction in the United States'
position as a defender of the Viet-
namese people. Field commanders
have pointed out that it takes a
ratio of 10-1 in manpower to in-
sure a victory for the U.S.-South
Vietnamese forces. Desertions are
high in the South Vietnamese
army, and the Americans are
hated by all except those who
profit from their presence. Until
we relinquish our position we are
doomed to along, frustrating. and
inhuman war, for them as well as
for us.
I am a citizen of a country
which has placed itself on a path
leading directly to the "backwaters
of history." Even if the govern-
ment were not acting against the
will of the majority, I would feel
called upon to act. I have a mor-
al obligation as outlined at the
Nuremberg trials both to the Unit-
ed States and the world to bring
this war to an end, and if possi-
ble, a "peace without victory" for
the U.S.
WHAT PROMPTS me to write
is what happened to me that
night. A man drove up and asked
if I wanted to "go to the station."
He proceeded to call me a "punk,"
charged me with the destruction
of private property, and said that
I had "desecrated" the wall. He
then hit me in the face twice. His
action was disgustingly typical of
the conservative element in our so-
ciety, his obvious consideration of
property rights before personal
rights. He and many others will
have to learn that we are no long-
er living in the age of British
mercantilism, that human values
come before the values of mater-
ialism.
WE MUST MATURE, politically,
or perish.
-J. Smith
Historical Angle
To the Editor:
ERALD H. FORD made the
following statement, according
to your reporter, at the "heckled"
session' 'durig. the University's
Sesquicentennial Alumni Celebra-
tion: "From 1931-35 I was a stu-
dent here. It was a period of very
deep controversy. But even though
we had differences of opinion and
they were very strong differences
-at least everyone had enough
decency to respect the rights of
other people."
Lest the younger generation get
the impression that all was sweet-
ness and light in those days let me
recall a bit of history that Mr.
Ford may have been unaware of
while he was on campus.
In March, 1935, the National
Student League invited John Stra-
chey, British author and lecturer,
to speak at Michigan. The Uni-
versity, labeling the NSL "irre-
sponsible," refused Strachey per-
mission to speak on the Univer-
sity grounds. The "respect for
rights of people" on the part of
University authorities was so great
that John Strachey did finally
speak to an overflow crowd - at
Granger Hall-off campus.
MR. FORD had left Michigan
by the spring of 1936 so he cannot
be expected to know of another in-
stance of "respect for rights of
other people."
At the spring parley held in the
Michigan Union a group of stu-
dents was severely reprimanded
and shamed before the forum .au-
dience by one of the University's
most brilliant and popular profes-
sors for exhibiting "bad taste,"
"discourtesy," and for "undermin-
ing good relations between our
country and a friendly nation."
Their offense-handing out leaf-
lets protesting against holding the
1936 Olympic Games in Nazi Ger-
many!
-Hilia Laine Elan, '36
New York City
ame .Wanted
To the Editor:
WE HAVE RECEIVED a letter
from a student at the Uni-
versity of Michigan which was
unsigned and without a return
address requesting an extension in
the filing of a Parents' Confiden-
tial Statement which is required
by the state of Michigan competi-
tive scholarship and the General
Undergraduate Scholarship pro-
gram of our office.
His or her parents were injured
in an automobile accident in Ken-
tucky. It is our hope that the stu-
dent concerned may see this let-
ter or that some friend may iden-
tify him or, her because of the
accident and supply us with his or
her name.
Under the circumstances we will
be very glad to grant an extension
as requested, but cannot do so
unless the student is identified.
-Ivan W. Parker
Associate Director
Office of StudentrFinancial
Aids
Madison Ave.
To the Editor:
A QUESTION?
After the 1964 national show-
ing of such sayings as "In Your
Heart You Know He's Right," per-
haps one could foresee some of the
SGC candidates' recent political
slogans. However, are such things
as, "No, I Won't Get Dumped on
Anymore!" (Marty Lieberman) or
"park-ins.. ..underwear sit-down
dinners . . . all-night campouts"
and "Mother Hubbard" (Thomas
Copi) really the most attractive
or intelligent appeals one can
make to our student body?
-Judy Southern, '69
Seniority
To the Editor:
I THINK it is shortsighted that
the administration has failed
to give graduating seniors pref-
erence in course elections. Under
the present system, if a graduat-
ing senior doesn't happen to pre-
register early, he often will be
excluded from taking his preferred
courses because they have been
closed. This is unreasonable since
graduating seniors will not have
the opportunity to elect the cours-
es in later years as will other un-
dergraduates.
As a consequence, if a graduat-
ing senior wants to take a course
which has been closed (even if he
has previously obtained permission
from the instructor) he is required
to present a note from his counse-
lor to the effect that the course
is required for his graduation, and
present the note; further to the
dean of the LS&A school. Even
with this required action, there is
no assurance that the student will
be permitted to enroll in the
course.
This process is roughly equiv-
alent to pole vaulting Mount Ever-
est with a pencil and equally as
effective.
-Karen Knowles, '67
OPINION
The Daily has begun accept-
ing articles from faculty, ad-
ministration, and students on
subjects of their choice. They'
are to be 600-900 words in
length and should be submitted
to the Editorial Director.
"4
I I
' ir '
Y
I 1 POMISED CB~I i DTUDY IT COVER TO COVER'"
The Insensitive Peace Feeler
EPORTS THIS WEEK have revealed
a rebuff by North Vietnamese Pre-
mier Ho Chi Minh to peace feelers ex-
tended by President Johnson both direct-
ly to Ho and through intermediaries in
Moscow. American newspapers Have rep-
resented this as a sincere effort towards
peace (and eventually withdrawal) on
the part of the United States.
All indications, however, point out that
the Guam conference has more firmly en-
trenched the U.S. involvement in Viet-
nam. For the mid-Pacific meeting must
be seen as a struggle between the mili-
tary and the politician, with the omin-
ous shadow of business interests taintaing
the whole procedure.
Attending the conference with such
top officials as Dean Rusk and Robert
McNamara was a representative of a
management consultant firm planning
long-range investments in Vietnam.
The step-up of Viet Cong activities dur-
ing the conference period must also have
been received ominously.
The Viet Cong action in the South
can be interpreted as an attempt to
demonstrate that the war cannot be won
on military terms by the U.S.
The attempt failed miserably, as Viet
Cong forces were held back along on a
wide front. This failure could only further
she stand of the military representatives
in Guam, who feel that the war can be
won by superior manpower and weaponry.
However, it seems inconceivable that
the predictions that a military victory
cannot be won in less than two or throe
years are being discounted by Johnson;
perhaps he plans to escalate and reduce
this period; perhaps he is willing to wait
it out until elections next year.
wards n gotiations reaffirs t hi p
praisal, for he is now unwilling to stop
the bombing until after Hanoi stops infil-
trating troops and supplies to the South.
Johnson's letter of' February 2' to Ho
Chi Minh, released Monday along with a
rejection of the U.S. proposals from Ho,
said that the President was "prepared to
order a cessation of bombing against your
country and the stopping of further aug-
mentation of United States troops in
South Vietnam" as soon as the was assur-
ed that infiltration by land and by sea
had stopped.
Ho's reply said, "The Vietnamese peo-
ple will never submit to force, they will
never accept talks under the threat of
bombs."
Thus, it seems likely that Hanoi will
never accept a "reciprocity" which asks
him to stop supplying troops in the South
with much needed ammunition and food
(assuming Johnson's "infiltration" means
supplies as well as men).
To do so would be to extend tacit ap-
proval to the continued U.S. presence in
South Vietnam, with American troops
04
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The Charred Remains of acial Violence
By CAROLE KAPLAN
Associate Magazine Editor
FOR A NATION that tries hard
to forget about racial hatred
and that wants to ignore the de-
moralizing events which can drive
Negroes to demonstrations of viol-
ence, there were two tragic re-
minders in the Deep South last
week.
In Lowndes County, Alabama, an
abandoned church that was the
home of the Lowndes County
Christian Movement was burned
to the ground. And the next day,
in Liberty, Miss., the headquar-
ters of the Southwest Mississippi
Child Development Council, part
of a Mississippi Head Start pro-
gram, was seriously damaged.by a
bomb.
The Alabama project, operating
under a federal grant, is designed
to teach migrant farmers new job
skills. (Lowndes was in the path
of the Selma-Montgomery civil
rights march in 1964, and it was
here that marcher Viola Liuzzo
president, said that there are "still
no white children in the Head
Start centers," and that the plan-
ned entrance of white children, or
the well-integrated staff of the
project, may have prompted the
bombing. No one seemed to know
just what caused the explosion.
RESIDENTS like these rarely
receive much publicity outside of
their immediate areas,, and even
when they are known, are easily
forgotten. They are sometimes the
result of well-organized hate,
sometimes merely causal, socially
accepted forms of vandalism.
Such acts of destruction will
never be forgotten, however, by
the men who are working to teach
illiterate farmers useful skills, and
by the people trying to prepare
five-year-old children who have
never seen a book to enter public
schools. Nor will they be forgot-
ten by the farmers and the chil-
dren themselves.
The education of the illiterate,
which is absolutely necessary if
01
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