Seventy-Sixth Year
EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
-- UNDER AUTHOITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS

"Put On Your Gas Mask, Kid - This Is It"

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Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers
or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints.

NIGHT EDITOR: MEREDITH EIKER

NIGHT EDITOR: NEIL SHISTER


The Open Regent's Seat

REGENT ALLAN R. SORENSON'S letter
of resignation poses problems for the
University.
Sorenson resigned after it became clear
that his job with Dow Chemical Com-
pany-which has taken him on extended
foreign assignments in Spain and Den-
mark-was leaving him little time and
opportunity to serve as a Regent.
Much to their credit, outgoing Re-
gents Irene Murphy and Carl Brablec,
along with Democratic Party officials,
insisted that Sorenson step down. Even
though Sorenson's departure would take
the last remaining Democrat fron4 the
Regents, they argued, an absentee Dem-
ocrat like Sorenson is good for neither
the University nor the Democratic Par-
ty.
NOW THAT Gov. George Romney's pres-
idential campaign is underway it would
seem political folly for him to appoint
a Democrat to succeed Democrat Soren-
son-particularly in view of his reputa-
tion in Republican circles as "lone-wolf
Romney."
Yet to turn the Regents into an all-Re-
publican body would weaken the Uni-
versity's contacts and relations with state
and national Democrats and would ob-
viously deprive the Regents of even the
most minimal degree of internal politi-
cal balance.
And 4in view of campus events in the
past semester, the rumblings that Rom-
ney may name a right-wing Republican
in an appeal to conservative Republi-
cans raise the possibility of further con-
flict here-directed this time straight at
the Regents themselves.
More important than politics, however,
is expertise: The University is faced with
a number of crucial issues, from the es-
tablishment of a $11.55 million residen-
tial college to the selection of its next
president.

A weak or inexperienced Regent newly-
appointed to the board would contribute
nothing to it and might even prove a ser-
ious liability. Yet there are no signs that
Sorenson's replacement will not be cast
in exactly this form.
rPE CANDIDATE most likely to get the
nod from Gov. Romney at this point is
Marcia Lyons Strickland, a Republican,
whose most vocal supporter appears to be
Republican Regent Alvin Bentley.
In appointing Mrs. Strickland, Gov.
Romney would be making an unfortunate
and unnecessary mistake. Her major ac-
tivities in University affairs after she
graduated in 1939 have been in alumni
organizations, including the alumni ad-
visory committee on presidential selec-
tion-a group whose contribution has
been so marginal that even the Regents
disregard it.
MORE SERIOUS, some who know her
maintain, she would rarely, if ever
exercise independent judgment and would
instead follow the lead of fellow Re-
gents-such as Bentley. One Republican
Regent is already opposed to her appoint-
ment; one intimate Romney advisor not
in the governor's official family says
flatly, "She's not the person."
But if Bentley's candidate is, in fact,
"not the person," there is no sign that
Gov. Romney realizes it yet.
He need not offend his party by ap-
pointing a Democrat; and he should not;
appoint a conservative or a political eu-
nuch. It would be far better for the Uni-
versity if Gov. Romney instead appoint-
ed an independent-both in politics and
in outlook--who has had some experi-
ence with the University and is willing
to devote time and energy to its problems.
-MARK R. KILLINGSWORTH
Editor

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Cartoon Christmas

CARTOONISTS Mauldin, Herb-
lock and Conrad watched the
bowl games, Christmas specials,
Jackie Kennedy's miniskirt, and
LBJ's poll results just like the rest
of us and proceeded to make hay
of the usual Christmas para-
phernalia and the problems of the
Great Society.
Checking up on pollution, Herb-
lock gave us an alternative to the
"fun city" image of New York and
other big cities as the New Year
approached. Meanwhile, Conrad
presented a Christmas gift to
Jacqueline Kennedy-a book, of
.course.4
A little bit of history died in
that controversy. It won't be miss-
ed much, and "Death of a Presi-
dent" will top the best-seller lists
for months, you can be sure. As
for the "precedent" - we will
probably never know what or how
much died there.
BUT VIETNAM won over all as
the news story and cartoon sub-
ject of the year. While the war
wreaked equal havoc on that
Southeast Asian country, the car-
toonists wreaked equal havoc on

some aspects of our military poli-
cies.
The draft and deferments went
through a new contortion as the
untouchable status of professional
football players was revealed with
some publicity. Well, Joe Namath
always has that knee .. .
Peace negotiations were out of
the question in Viet Nam, but the
United States and the Soviet
Union did agree at least on one
thing. There will be no napalm on
the moon-or even on route. Thus,
Conrad's three kings.
The war also caused the cancel-
lation of some non-essential ex-
penditures-like the war on pov-
erty, Mauldin's stocking wouldn't
even hold a couple of chunks of
coal.
AS THE NEW YEAR ended and
the Associated Press picked its top
ten stories, Mauldin and Conrad
seemed to agree that for Lyndon
Johnson and Time magazine's Man
of the Year there was just one
Christmas greeting. And, as Con-
rad indicates, we can expect the
ghost of Christmas present to be
around for a long time.

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"...Hit that line .'"

The Accelerator at Weston

TWO AND A HALF YEARS is a long time
to wait for nothing.
That's how long Ann Arbor had to wait
to find it had lost its bid for the Atomic
Energy Commission's proposed accelera-
tor. The Ann Arbor community pushed
hard to bring this major science facility
to nearby Northfield Township, and to
the last minute ,Northfield was in serious
contention.
Yet now that another site-in Weston,
Illinois-has been chosen, it seems likely
that the long selection delay has destroy-
ed any chance of getting fund appropria-
tions for this as yet visionary project due
to huge budget increases planned for the
war in Viet Nam. At the same time, the
problems which became evident in the
selection process may well minimize Ann
Arbor's chances of winning a bid for a
major facility in the near future.
The selection itself had long ago been
technically narrowed to the three sites
in the Midwest-Northfield and Weston,
along with Madison, Wisconsin. "This
area of the country has had less than its
share ofs cience projects," the commit-
tee said. Madison, however, received only
passing notice.
One of' the members of the selection
committee commented that the technical
differences between the, remaining Illi-
nois and Michigan sites were minor. The
real choice was not between the cities of
Weston and Northfield, but between the
environment and facilities offered by Chi-
cago and Detroit. Their proximity to sci-
entific manpower was a key consideration.
Along these lines the contest was in
many ways a toss-up.
BUT FROM THE POLITICAL stand-
point, there was no contest. The vicious
struggle waged to get "the political plum
of the decade" was not decided y who
made the best speech; merely by who
was a Democrat.
Since a Democratic administration is
preparing the budget, the most glaring
lack in Michigan was Democrats in key
positions. The AEC delayed its decision
several months pending the outcomes of
the election. Romney's strong showing
soured Michigan as a possibility-but it
was Weston Vivian's congressional loss to
Marvin Esch which dropped local hopes
to the realm of impossibility. Vivian had

lically under consideration was none oth-
er than Otto Kerner of Illinois.
And strangely enough, two members of
the congressional Joint Committee on
Atomic Energy which . has the power to
authorize the request for funds for the
construction of the accelerator come from
the state of Illinois. Michigan has no
one on that committee or any direct leg-
islative influence on the future of the
accelerator project.
Weston, however, had a good case any-
way. The committee outlined a number
of factors pro and con which actually
showed Weston slightly better suited for
such a major research facility. Included
among them was the fact that Weston is
a sort of "economic backwater," which
hasn't received many benefits from the
prosperity of its nieghbor Chicago.
BUT NOW THAT THE CHOICE has been
made, all differences are put aside;
the question has become one of getting
the project under way. This could be a
much bigger problem than the site selec--
tion.
A draft proposal has been prepared for
submission to the President to get an ap-
propriation on the coming budget. Its
chances for approval have been greatly
lessened by the difference of two and a
half years in 'the government's finan-
cial posture.
Two and a half years ago, money for
big research projects was much more
readily available than it is today. A gen-
eral belt-tightening to keep up with spir-
aling war costs has already cut into small
grants. And while most long-term prof-
'ects now underway are being moved to
completion, the start of a $375 million
project which has little direct bearing on
national defense could easily be shelved
pending the reduction of war costs.
The Viet Nam war is draining capital
resources from our economy, seriously
threatening long-range growth. This par-
ticular AEC project, if waylaid, will rep-
resent another serious drain-the loss of
manpower and resources employed for
scientific expansion. Such a loss in the
face of crying technological needs in ci-
ties, transportation, world agriculture and
the like cannot be written off easily.
The fate of the accelerator will be de-

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"Peace on the Moon and Good Will in Space...

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