' eA kgau :4ay Setenty-First Year t . ~ -EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVESITrY OF MICHIGAN Vhen Opinions Are Ir' UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS Truth Will Prevail" STUDENT PUBLICATIONS BLDG. " ANN ARBOR, MICH. * Phone No 2-3241 Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staf writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. "This Is Your Friendly Pilot. It's A Lovely Day, We Are Still Above Ground, And So Everything Is Fine" -- i AT THE MICHIGAN: Big Theme In Big Movie Too Big.For Brooks HE word 'vulgar' appears in the film "Elmer Gantry" only once or twice and then this latest movie by Richard Brooks proceeds to define the word in Hollywood's newest, biggest fashion. Based on the novel of Sinclair Lewis, vulgarity, according to "Gantry," is slipshod treatment of emotions and/or artful use of them. Gantry is a born salesman with a background in theology (he was expelled from the seminary for seducing the dean's daughter). He is brought up in the southern United States during the 'twenties, when reactions to everything from lynchings to Prohibition were highly emotionally charged. The rural South was, in fact, raw emo- tion ready to be harnessed, and Elmer Gantry was the man for the job. Drawn instinctively to a traveling revival troupe both for the I RDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1960 NIGHT EDITOR: MICHAEL BURNS Campaign Emotionalism Blocks Discussion of Issues EVEN THOUGH both candidates have par- tially tried to avoid it, the presidential campaign has already been clogged with many superficialities - particularly the so-called religious issue - which have misdirected the course of the campaign and injected un- necessary emotionalism into crucial discussions. The level of public discussion reached a new nadir two days ago when Thomas Dewey was quoted as arguing "neither we nor any part of the free world will survive if we have naive leadership which believes Russian pro- paganda and spreads it." Dewey's remarks, a direct attack on John Kennedy, were made with reference to the national rate of growth and American defenses. Kennedy has warned that the Soviet Union's gross national product is increasing relatively faster than America's, that this country's de- fenses should be stronger, and that the re- sponse to these economic challenges has been "sporadic, timid, and inadequate." CERTAINLY Kennedy's arguments represent a legitimate position for one to take, and for someone else to question in honest debate, but Dewey simply charges that the rate of growth statistics are based on communist economic propaganda. In doing so, Dewey has brought forward an important but undocumented - and therefore vicious - charge against Kennedy. The im- mediate implication, that Kennedy is a com- munist dupe, will hopefully not have impact on the campaign. BUT THERE is a larger and still more dan- gerous implication - that anyone who questions American strength will be liable to the same charge. Such inhibition of discussion is somehow based on the untenable assumption that a nation or an individual best survives through self-flattery rather than self-criticism. And it does not simply assume that critics are "naive", but that they are also subversive. There are now five weeks remaining before the public selects its next leader. In that time one hopes faintly that the focus of discussion will swing away from the Roman Catholic faith, women's clothes, men's ages, and com- munist dupery. One hopes even more faintly that the focus will swing towards America's position in this world, towards disarmament, human rights, international economics, inter- national ideologies and aspirations. Dewey has done nothing to change the focus. Instead, he has blurred it all the more. -THOMAS HAYDEN above reasons and. because of its beautiful preacher, Sharon Fal- coner, he soon becomes its second. biggest attraction and woos his fellow preacher with equal facility. * * * WITH THIS FILM, BROOKS (who directed and wrote the script), goes all out to make it as big as its theme. It is big in act- ing talent,' big in action, big in implications and very, very long. Though the first scenes in the movie handle all of these so well as to make it all worth the ef- fort, (so well, In fact, as to sug- gest perhaps a great movie), it is sad to report that Brooks soon loses hold on the continuity. I would say that his cinematic talents are far i nadvance of his dramatic sense. His characters are beautifully created and contain within them life-energy and exub- erance, but the energy soon dis- pels itself in many directions, leav- ing the plot holding the bag. His characters end up having no pre- dictability and eventually so does the plot, ' * * * IT WAS, I AM AFRAID, a big task and a big failure. The final scenes of physical violence are merely chaotic and ludicrous when they could hold powerful symbols of the turbulent battle between the emotional conflicts within and without Elmer Gantry. The fault is certainly not with the acting. ,1 Jean Simmons uses her femin- ity as other actresses use their voice (although she is in complete control of that, too) in the role of a woman with vital and healthy emotions who has completely ded- icated herself to a vision. Burt Lancaster's Elmer is effective in sheer force. CINEMA GUILD: Fragfmented' 6S ympathy 'TEA and Sympathy," at Cine- ma Guild today and tomorrow, could have been the painful and interesting portrait .of a boy who finds himself at. the age when "he's not a boy anymore, and not a man yet." Deborah Kerr, John Kerr and: Leif Erikson are quite good, but separately good-the emotions are not woven into the same pattern. Because of this lack of interaction between the characters, we watch the comical scenes, the psycholog- ical evolution of the boy Tom Lea, fights around the bonfire, the bullying of the boys, with the same cool and dry eye. BUT IT IS NOT BORING. For even though the pieces are de- tached from each other-prevent- ing the spectator from participat- ing-the pieces are interesting and some of them very good. Tom Lea has the misfortune of falling in love with the wrong woman, which drives him to some awkward occupations, such as sewing on the beach with faculty wives. And we have the conflict between the "sister boy" and the "regular fellas." And the question is: How much tea and sympathy should she give, and how much does she, in fact, give? You can have the answer for just fifty cents. -Christiane Angeli i Ip IDELINE ON SGC: Analyzes Comment On Party MAX LERNER: Debates And D SO FAR, the only really comprehensive criti- cism of the new political party that has been offered is that of InterQuadrangle Council President Dan Rosemergy. Other SGC members have commented, certainly, but they have endorsed the idea with certain qualifiers. The organizers of the as-yet unnamed group in general concur with the qualifiers. Rosemergy, on the other hand, has launched a comprehensive attack on a brdad front, questioning both the practicability of and philosophy behind the party. He said first that the party willnot work, though he is willing to be shown. He may be. About 100 people came to the first organiza- tional meeting, a strong nucleus of party regulars. The people concerned do not appear to be solely a "small cell-group of self-styled liberals" as Rosemergy thought they might be. ELABORATING on his point, Rosemergy pre- dicts that broad support will not develop. This, of course, will not be shown until the election-the answer will definitely be a func- tion of the party's platform. The IQC president also feels no opposition party will materialize. This may well be so, though it may also be irrelevant. The new party can be effective in running candidates against the general pack as well as organized opposition. The assumption here seems to be that or- ganized opposition is necessary. Certainly this would be a good thing, if the two parties would end up being broad-based in terms of participa- tion by varied segments of the campus. There is no particular reason why the parties would have to be as ideologically incohesive as the major national parties. ROSEMERGY'S second criticism, which goes deeper, questions the need for a party because it would have no real purpose to fulfill. He bases this attack on three objectives enunciated in the party's initial manifesto. If it is to be a political action group, Rose- mergy says, it isn't needed because the campus already has such groups in the Young Demo- crats, Republicans, Socialists and the like. However, it would seem he is misinterpreting the aim of the party, which is not partisan in the Republican-Democratic sense. If he means that the party cannot take stands, and work for certain extra-University political objectives, such as disarmament or integration, then it would seem he is on less firm ground. Such issues lack the ring of party politics. ROSEMERGY says further that, if the party's self-appointed task is to make students aware, then it is not needed because the present college generation is the most well- informed of any to date. "I particularly object to their telling students what they should be aware of," Rosemergy adds. Rosemergy is probably right - that the present generation is the most well-informed. But, at the same time, in general it is far from being fully informed, and any further effort along this line can help. As to the party dictating issues, it is up to the individual student voter to decide whether the party's diagnosis is correct when he votes in the election. Rosemergy feels the most valid purpose is the party's desire to aid SGC. Amen. On the other hand, no matter how noble this purpose, it is hardly a sufficient stimulus for the amount of activity the new party promises to put forth. ROSEMERGY concludes his criticism with a critique of the "new role" for students on which the party's philosophy is based. He says the proper role of students is a familiar threefold one; yet, within even Rose- mergy's concept of the student role, there should be room for a party. The first true task of a student is study, -Rosemergy asserts. He tends to limit this to formal academics plus other intellectual pur- suits. But what is educational in the democratic political process if not membership in an open political party? On-the-job training is often the best. The second task is a responsibility to learn about and contribute to the University. Rose-, mergy envisions this within the present organ- izational context. Yet, the political party could add a great deal of vitality to this context; it could also mobilize people and activity that had not participated in aiding the University. The third role is for the student to enjoy himself - in his remaining time. This also is true, and a good thing for the party people to remember. Students in general tend to take themselves too seriously, especially activists. The world is not changed in a minute, -and thinking it can be will only cause neuroses. A little enjoyment is necessary for a balance. -PHILIP SHERMAN THERE is a rather touchingr American dream about the Presidential campaigns. Wouldn't it be nice (it runs) if the whole nation could watch and listep to the major Presidential contenders while they argued out the great issues of our day, and then pick the man who showed by his knowledge, clarity and strength that he was the obvious leader to choose? Thisewas not the dream at the time of the Lincoln-Douglas de- bates. which were a local Seator- ial affair that somehow attracted national attention. It was hot un- til much later that the dream be- gan to take possession of the American imagination, and then the Lincoln-Douglas encounter was invoked as a haunting symbol of what Americans wanted. As Americans look back, they may well ask themselves why it took so long for the experiment to be tried, as it was in the Kennedy- Nixon encounter. Surely what is. possible today was possible in 1952 and again in 1956. I can't help wondering what might have hap- pened in both those campaigns if Adlai Stevenson and Dwight Ei- senhower had faced each other in debate. ** * BUT THESE ARE bygones. Turning from the past to the fu- ture, we may be pretty certain that no Presidential candidate in fu- ture elections will dare turn down a request from his rival for a se- ries of debates. Whether for good or ill, the political TV debate as a method in Presidential cam- paigns is here to stay. Is this, as a child might put it with disarming directness, good or bad? The democratic dream, which would like to have total participation of all citizens in an election and total exposure of the candidates to the voters, would obviously call it good. Yet I note in the current discussions a degree of wariness about it and fear of its possible consequences. Put most simply, the fear is based on the belief that TV is a magical medium to conjure with, and that it plays all sorts of tricks on those who watch it. Add to this the belief that a medium which we associate with enter- tainment is bound to turn even a Presidential debate into an en- tertainment rather than an intel- lectual exercise. Add finally the fear that since every political technique tends to- ward a natural selection of the people who are adept at it, the Presidential TV debate will put a premium on candidates with the skill of debating tricks and with a good TV image rather than on men who can think, make deci- sions, and lead the nation. I HAVE PUT the case against the debates as strongly as I know how, yet I don't go along with the argument myself. Sure, TV plays tricks and can be rigged with hokum, as witness the his- toric appearance of a remarkable trio-a Vice Presidential candi- date under heavy fire, his wife and his dog. But to cast away a com- munication medium because it must be made available to 1 major parties and cand rather than be restricted one that can afford to pa mercially for it. As far as p both parties should have access to it. I should add that this mi be at least a partial answer problem of the "one-party in America. There are tho of small communities when one party-in the South the ocrats. in the North the R cans-gets the break in nev sentation. But when Nixo Kennedy appeared togethe were watched by almost the population of these isolated ets, and they broke throu one-party barrier. " , , I BELIEVE THAT' the fir on-Kennedy debate destroy crust of apathy that had around the campaign, an e moc rcy both the breaking of it benefitted Ken- lidates, nedy more than Nixon. The day to the following the debate both candi- y com- d )ossible dates had unusually good turn- equal outs where they campaigned per- sonally, but Kennedy in Ohio was ay also greeted with a dramatic warmth to the he had not previously had any- press" Where. usands shall we lament that it took re only a TV debate to accomplish this e Dem- breakthrough? I don't see why epubli- we should. Americans are living ws pre- with advanced technology in every n and field: Why not in politics? Just r, they as people in undeveloped coun- whole tries are having to shift their I pock- perspective with the new indus- gh the trial machines which are break- ing up their traditional societies, Americans must learn to use the big media, not be used by them. st Nix- Running away from them, or ed the lamenting their dangers, will nev- formed er make America move forward. d that (Copyright, 1960) --Robert Kraus INTERPRETING THE WEEK'S NEWS: China, Moscow Agree; Berlin Crisis Mounts LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Protests Communist Spe By J. M. ROBERTS Associated Press News Analyst RED CHINA has flip-flopped back into line with Moscow on the matter of peaceful coexistence versus inevitable war, and the two may be burying the hatchet in their ideological disputes. But that isn't sure. Peiping has given lip service to the Khrush- chev line before, while he was still displaying some enthusiasm about the Paris summit conference. Mao Tze-tung, Chinese Communist ~~-------Ichairman and chief theoretician, continues the old lime in a book just being published. THERE'S CONCERTED action iker BansHC aka Bin the new move, however, which comes after reports that Khrush- nvalid) choose democracy over chev was planning to apply more ommunism. Without proper ex- pressure. Chou En-lai, Chinese osure to the Communist view- premier, and his ambassador in oint, students may be attracted Moscow made similar statements o communism by the secrecy and at the same time, endorsing peace- lamor of belonging to a banned ful coexistence after a long per- rganization. iod of insistence that war might * * * be necessary forthe eventual WE COMPLETELY dish gree Communist conquest of other vith statements which compare conre. It leads to wonderment wheth- ommunism to the Plague, sug- er Soviet technicians have been esting that contact with com- withdrawn from Red China as niunism means certain conversion. par fapesr rgai n Pa us, this is a defeatist attitude. part of a pressure progra, in- f a person believes that free stead of being evicted. - - ~ ---.--- *,*,~~ 4~4* * * To The Editor: WITH reference to Wayne State University's lifting of its ban on Communist speakers and the subsequent petition to reimpose the ban, we would like to express our views in favor of allowing Communists to speak, at least in our higher educational institu- tions. As we see it, one of the basic ideals of democracy is the right of free discussion of any issue. A proper decision can only be made after all viewpoints have been heard and considered. Banning the expression of certain view- points can lead to many incor plete, and therefore weak, opi ions. "We shouldn't have to "protec our college students from new ar "dangerous" ideas. Students this level have the ability to ma rational decisions. In particul we feel that the merits of demo racy make it far superior to coi munism in, practice and in theor The vast majority of studen given a chance to hear all vie' points before making a decisi about governmental systems, w9 (unless our American ideals a M- in- t nd at ke ar, c- m- ry. ts, w- on ill It t 0: w 1 I tre AS OTHERS SEE IT: 'Ostriches' Fear Khrushchev Talky E OSTRICHES are running again. This time, they're hiding their heads in New Jersey sand, at Rutgers University. Five Rutgers students started it all two weeks ago when they sent a telegram to Sec- retary of State Christian Herter, asking him to lift travel restrictions long enough for Nikita Khrushchev to speak to the student body. The telegram was sent with the permission of Rutgers University president Mason W. Gross to Herter, the New York Times, the New York Post and Richard Rettig, president of the United States National Student Association, Editorial Staff 'rHOMAR HAYDEN, Editor IT READ in part: "Although we are not in accord with his political practices or phil- osophy, we propose to invite Nikita Khrush-, chev to address the students of our university." The ostriches, some of them students and some state legislators, began their predictable screams of "dishonor! shame! infamy!" The issue is still being debated, and Herter has not yet replied. The Rutgers administration seems to be of the intelligent belief that seeing the Soviet Premier and hearing him talk will not warp the student mind. But the protesting members of the student body disclaim academic curiosity, believing their minds too weak to resist pro- paganda. IF THIS is to be a discussion of what is and what is not "American," we would agree with the, New York Post columnist who com- mented that "small-minded" refusals to allow Khrushchev to visit are worth more communist h 1 +, !' V ti y M ;. : i .. ...3 I ! ,a 4' ' a f " 4 y T tf I _ ""' ! M w+M"'" , " r .. 4 1 J", 5ya 5 Americans, enjoying the benefits of the world's greatest democracy, are this susceptible to Communist ideas, he must have little hope for the survival of democracy in the world. This defeatist attitude is a harmful substitute for faith in democratic ideals. We feel that to ban Commu- nist speakers is to hide from the problem and handicap ourselves in our fight against communism. For our part, we are not ready to concede victory to communism unless America and the other Western democracies abandon their ideals. -Peter Jensen, 64 -James Mason, '63 Agitating Comment . .. To the Editor: THE following excerpt from Matthew Arnold is pertinent to the recent pursuit for The Student 1960-Social Agitator! "We are all terrae fili, cries their eloquent advocate; all Philis- tines together. Away with the no- tion of proceeding by any other way than the course dear to the Philistines; let us have a social movement, let us organize and combine a party to pursue truth and new thought, let us call it the liberal party, and let us all stick to each other, and back each, other up. Let us have no nonsense about independent criticism, and intellectual delicacy, and the few andf~h msn ,,n't - m t,,-a DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN WEST GERMANY'S decision to embargo trade with East.-Germany, a reaction against Communist travel regulations in Berlin, is a grave matter. Khrushchev has kept on delay- ing any Berlin crisis to keep the issue as a club in negotiations with the West, but has been per- mitting the East Germans to take steps advertising how much trou- ble they are capable of causing. The West had to retaliate. sa . The Daily Official Bulletin is an official publication of The Univer- sity of Michigan for which The Michigan Daily assumes no editorial responsibility. Notices should be, sent in TYPEWRITTEN form to Room 3519 Administration Building, before 2 p.m. two days preceding publication. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1 General Notices Rhodes Scholarships: There will be a meeting of all those interested in Rhodes Scholarships on Mon., Oct. 3 at 4:15 p.m. in 2012 Angell Hall. Appli- cations for Rhodes Scholarships will be due Wed., Oct. 12 in 202.6 Angell Hall. Application blanks may be oh- tained from Prof. Clark Hopkins, 2011 Angell Hall.