INTERPI kI Seventy-First Year EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Where Opinions Are Free. 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 staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. Y, SEPTEMBER 28, 1961 NIGHT EDITOR: MICHAEL HARRAH Parallel Committees ... Parallel Progress? "I Don't Want My "ax Money Spent On Your Kind" }- -z .*.. r - Associated Press News Analyst CONGRESS CLOSED YESTERDAY on an extremely sour note. An attempt to tote up some of the things that have happened in Washington this year produces a certain sense of unease about trends in American government. The House passed an appropriation bill. in its last hours more than $400 million above the figure approved by the Senate, and then adjourned without allowing any time for conference compromises. The Senate was left to swallow the larger figure or leave the adminis- trative departments without their appropriations. Senators were out- ' GROUP DYNAMICS, as a theory, claims that certain assumptions can be made about small groups before they begin to function. Similarly, a number of judgments can be made at this point about the University's two new- est committees. Student representation on both the reas- sembled lecture committee and the office of studet affairs study committee represents an auspicious beginning for improvement in the University. Several years have passed since the Initial battle for student representation on faculty-administration committees was waged, but even now it is always with a sigh of relief that one learns that students are included in a planning group. STUDENTS were appointed to the new lecture committee because there were students on the old one. They will serve a far more crucial function this year, but they are present pri- marily because two students were added to the structure of the lecture committee in May, 1957. President Hatcher said last spring, when Platform Attractions closed shop, that the oth- er functions of the lecture committee would cer- tainly continue. Because the members of the old committee resigned, the new group repre- sents in effect only a shake-up of personnel and an added mandate to attempt revisions of the Regents bylaw on lectures. The Office of Student Affairs study commit- ee has rstudentsrepresentation primarily . be- cause great pressure was applied by students and faculty during the summer. Prof. John Reed, "chairman of the committee, and a dele- gation from Student Government Council agreed only yesterday on the number of stu- dents. Student representation is in the process of becoming an automatic, unquestioned part of University committees. The progress that has been made is great, but it is not yet time to -Separation LAST WEEK the Michigan Supreme Court became the fourth in the nation to make k very special kind of decision. In a 5-3 vote, he high court reversed a long-standing precedent and held that it would be.permissable o hold governments and their agencies liable for damages from negligence. It is not the decision itself that is disturb- ng, for such legality is long overdue. Govern- nents can well be just as negligent as private ndividuals or groups, and it is time that all governments admit this, following the example 4 the federal government (set in the 1930's )hen the federal courts allowed that the Jnited States government could be sued if it agreed to be sued. RATHE, it is the way in which the Michi- gan Supreme Court arrived at its decision hat should be of concern to all people for t seems to be a violation of our governmental rocesses. The immunity of government from civil uit has long been accepted, even back to he theory that "the king can do no wrong," nd while this theory may not be true, courts knd legislators have operated on that theory 'or hundreds of years. Therefore, under the heory of common law, this is a rule of the and. However, its common law status does not nake it unassailable. Legislators are free to hange it through the normal channels of roting a contrary statute. But courts are not ree to change this law or any other to git themselves, for our governmental process pecifically does not give them the power to egislate, and laws are only changed by legis- ation- AID JUSTICE EDWARDS in the majority opinion, "I do not see why our courts have dhered to this out-moded doctrine (stare lecisis, or the theory that courts are bound Ol precedent) as long as they have." Added Justice Black, in essence, Legislators relax and assume that students will be ap- pointed to future committees without pressure. ART OF THE REASON for the anxiety and breath-holding when committees are an- nounced is that 'they usually emerge unan- nounced and fully-formed from the jaws of the Administration Building. Certainly, it is the privilege of the University's administrators to form committees at will. The suggestion here is simply that the ideas for' such committees might benefit from exposure before they be- come part of the University structure. But this kind of open, cooperative atmosphere will only develop over a period of time. It will come aboust through constant pressure from faculty and from an increasingly responsible student body, which year by year becomes more ready to participate fully in University affairs. The big step this year toward responsible student participation could be the precedent of open hearings for the two new committees. Professor Reed and his committee are to be commended for postponing the decision on open hearings until after the student members of the group have been appointed. The lecture committee also has not considered it yet. THE INTRODUCTION of open hearings this year will be further evidence that student participation in policy-making does not stop with the placement of one or two knowledge- able and interested persons on committees. Open hearings are a product of student re- sponsibility, but conversely, they are the im- petus for expanded and more successful student policy-making. Observers at an open hearing not only watch sophisticated decision-making on matters which directly effect them, but are also stimulated to consider the relevant issues themselves. The ever-widening circle of in- formed, concerned and responsible students cannot help but create a better institution. -PAT GOLDEN Associate City Editor of Powers have not done their duty (in allowing the law to remain) and therefore we'll do it for them. But Justice Carr, joined by Justice Kelly and Chief Justice Dethmers, had the wisdom to correctly evaluate the letter of the law. We are bound by precedent, Carr pointed out, for "we do not have the power to legislate." Illinois, California and Ohio preceded Michi- gan with decisions of this nature. The legis- latures in Illinois and Ohio have already passed legislation reversing the 'decisions. Legislation is pending in California. COURTS must not be allowed to assume that they have the power to roam about through the law, ignoring it or going against it at will, for this denies a citizen a basic protection that he must assume: That he can be sure what is and what isn't legal in his society and act accordingly., But if he is faced with a court that feels free to change the law at will, he can never be sure whether he is right or wrong. When laws are changed by legislation, he is protected by the doctrine of "no ex post facto" (no man may be convicted of a crime that was not a crime when it was committed). When precedent is changed by judicial action, the defendant involved suffers for something that was not a crime when he did it, clearly a violation of our governmental principles. THE MICHIGAN CONSTITUTION states in Article IV, Section 2 that "no person be- longing to one department shall exercise the powers properly belonging to another . . . The majority opinion even goes so far as to say that the court has taken upon itself to legislate, even though Article V, Section 1 states that "the legislative power of the state of Michigan is vested in a senate and house of representatives . " 'It would not seem that the framers of the constitution could have been more explicit, but apparently it isn't clear to a majority of Michigan's high court. -MICHAEL HARRAH Congress Ends On Sour Note By J. M. ROBERTS P-I.--cam DUPONT-GM: Better Livit By FREDERICK ULEMAN Daily Staff Writer IN 1911, the E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company was ordered by the Supreme Court to divest itself of part of its huge holdings in the explosives in- dustry. In the process, it accum- ulated vast sums of money and was forced to search for a new field in which to invest. Seven years later, duPont purchased a large block of stock in a then- struggling automobile company- General Motors. In 1961, the E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company was or- dered by the Supreme Court to divest itself of all its huge hold- ings in the automobile industry. When duPont purchased its 23 per cent interest in General Motors more than 40 years ago, the stock was selling for $2.09 per share. The 63 million shares are now worth approximately $2.9 billion. s * s THE HISTORY of the divesture order, which began more than three decades after the original purchase, centers mainly upon a Federal District Court in Chicago and the Supreme Court in Wash- ington, D. C. In 1957, the Supreme DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN 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. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 General Notices Language Exam for Masters Degree in History, Oct. 13. 45 p.m. 429 Mason Hall. Dictionaries may be used. Sign the list posted in the History Office, 3601, Haven Hall Events Thursday Carillon Recital: Thurs., Sept. 28 at 7:15 p.m., Burton Memorial Tower. Percival Price, University Carillonneur. Engineers: "Opportunity Trends in Engineering" will be discussed by Prof. Johna . Young, director, Engineering Placement, Thurs., Sept. 28, at 400 p.m., in 311 West Engineering. All in- terested students are invited and en- gineers who expect to graduate this year are especially urged to attend one of these meetings. Union International Seminar: "Ad- mittancesof.Red China to the UN," Thurs., Sept. 28' at 4:15 p.m. Union Room 3-S. Events Friday Astronomical Colloquium: Fri., Sept. 29, 4:15 p.m., The Observatory. Edward K. L.,Upton will speak on "Contracting Stars." Placement Registration for Seniors and Graduate Students: The Bureau of Appointments and Occupational Information will hold two meetings next Tues., Oct. 3, in Aud. B, Angell Hall-One at 3:00, One at 4:00-both open to everyone. Both the Education Division and the Gen- eral Division of the Bureau will brid registration at this time for all rb!- dents who will be available for ptt,* tions in February, June, or Aust, ...0 through Congress? Court found that the tie between duPont and General Motors was "a tendency toward monopoly," and directed the District Court to devise a methods of destroying this "tendency" with full regard for "the exigencies of the particular case." Because the Government had indicated no preferred sequence of events, and duPont had indicated a preference for the early sub- mission of detailed plans by both sides, the Government submitted its proposed decree several months later. The plan called for dives- ture by duPont of ,its 63 million shares by equal annual distri- butions to its stockholders, as a dividend, over a ten year period. In May of the next year, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue delivered a ruling that the divi- dend to individual stockholders would be measured for tax pur- poses as the market value of the stock at the time of distribution. * * * INJUNE, objections to the Gov- ernment's plan were filed, includ- ing that such divesture would severely depress the values of both GM and duPont stocks. This de- crease, besides bringing hard- ships on stockholders, would ex- tend to other related corporations and have a generaly unheathy effect on the entire stock market and business activity. It wouid rtt, the objection concluded, follow the Supreme Court mandate and oe "in the public interest." After extensie hearin's and serious consideration of the tax effect of complete divesture, the District Court evolved a plan to pass the voting power of the stock on to the individual duPont stockholders in proportion to their holdings. To insure ai splt- ting of corporate interess, it also enjoined the two companies from sharing common directors, offi- cers, or employees. As a precautionary measure, the court retained jurisdiction over the case to insure the absence of any preferential trade agreements. In light of their evidence and these precautionary measures, the court decided that to order a divesture of the title to the stock would "constitute a serious abuse of discretion." THIS DECISION was appealed by the Government to the Su- preme Court in the hope of ob- taining complete divesture of the stock title, not just the voting power. By this time, other agencies had made remarks relevant to the case. The Attorney General's Na- tional Committee to Study Anti- trust Laws had reported in 1955 that divesture is "not to be in- voked where less drastic remedies will accomolish the purpose of the litigation." Robert A. Bicks, then Acting Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division said it would be well to note that "the 1890 Sherman and the 1914 Clayton Acts, the basic' antitrust statutes, became law bet re the income tax was a reality." Nevertheless, vhf 6uprem Court found by a 4.3 decision that pass- ing on the voting rights to all trict Court whereby duPont's di- vesture of its General Motors stock would be completed within 10 years. * * *r SUCH DIVESTURE as recom- mended would be treated as in- come under the present tax laws and taxable at the regular rates, which would mean an estimated $1 billion in taxes. President Greenewalt of the duPont Cor- poration guesses that about half the distributed GM stock would have to be sold to pay the taxes. Senator Williams (R-Del), rank- ing Republican on the Senate Finance Committee has stated that a distribution of GM stock under present laws Would be "con- fiscatory." The minority report, written by Mr. Justice Frankfurter, con- tended that reversing of the lower court was neither necessary nor wise. He noted that the Supreme Court is not intended as a fact- finding body and that "for the Court to require divesture, there- by overturning a trial court judg- ment founded on an appraisal of voluminous conflicting evidence and opinion, is in effect to dis- place the trial court's, function as a fact-finder." He also claimed that the Dis- trict Court's resorting to such safety measures as retaining jur- isdiction over the case "is an established practice in review of antitrust remedies, for they allow the courts to act on the basis of informed hindsight rather than treacherous conjecture . . . The essential appeal of the Govern- ment's position lies in its excita- tion of fear of any intercorporate relationship between two such colossi as duPont and General Motors." NEVERTHELESS, complete di- vesture had been ordered. In view of this, a bill was put before Congress which would have re- duced the tax impact on duPont's hundreds of thousands of stock- holders by allowing the distribu- tion to be treated as return of capital gain rather than income. In this way, it would be subject to a capital gains tax maximum of 25 per cent instead of an income tax estimated to average 50 per cent. The duPont 'bill, delayed in spite of Mr. Justice Brennen's plea that "this already protracted litigation should be concluded as soon as possible," will be brought up in the Senate next January. By that time, however, the precise procedures of the divesture may have been decided. Congressional action to relieve the tax hardships resulting from the divesture order was needed immediately. Final closure of a case begun over 12 years ago should not have been delayed be- cause of either petty grievances or a desire to adjourn. Freedomn' THE IDEA of democracy . . . contains no reference to the raged. During the last weeks of the foreign aid appropriation, even a Solomon could not have told who was acting within his own conception of the best in- terests of the nation, and who was trying to harvest political hay to feed upon during the forthcom- ing election campaign. There was little or no states- like explanation to the public which would help it pass judg- ment on whether the administra- tion had asked more than was really needed in the hope of a favorable compromise. It was just as difficult to assess the opposi- tion to the actual money figure- as oposed to the issue of methods of financing which involved a fight over legislative and admin- istrative prerogatives. * * * THERE HAS BEEN unease for years over the transition wiunin Congress from government under majority and minority party re- sponsibility to government t y bloc. The actions of both the lib- eral and conservative moalians this year serve to heighten that unease, regardless of the merits of the issues involved. A strong argument can he made for individual independenc in Congress when it represents a conscientious effort at °lexzbiity and objectivity in dealing with the nation's welfare. When it deter- iorates into coalitions and a mere fight for the balance of power, it can become dangerous. * * * - ON THE ADMINISTRATION'S side there seems to have be a settling down and a restoration of confidence in the ability to act since the tizzles over Laos and Cuba. But only last weekend the public was shocked by its own misinter- pretation' of a statement by Gen- eral Clay in Berlin which was taken to mean the United States was shifting to a policy of ap- peasement. The point is that the public mind was in a state of readiness to accept such an in- terpretation as fact, ready to be shocked, because of the condition- ing effect of the half measures taken in Cuba in April and the march up and then down the hill of Laotian defense in May. The unease is not confined to the United States. When American representatives went to Europe recently seeking cooperation in easing this coun- try's problem over her balance of trade and the soundness of her currency, their reception was not sympathetic. They were asked why the United States didn't try a little austerity herself. Some of the inconsistencies re- vealed in Washington this year affect not only foreign thinking about the American ability for leadership, but also create con- fusion among the American peple over how they are expeted to answer President Kennedy's call for their enlistment in the na- tional effort. The Second coming RELIGION is finally setting the hard sell it so richly deserves: there's a church in Florida that's now giving green trading stamps to people who attend services. Now piety will yield tangible iUreasures, as reverent little parishioners race from pew to supermarket. "Look Ma!" a choir boy will cry with a flourish of his stamp book, "I awreddy prayed five times for a holster. Only seven more prayers and it's mine." Such bonuses should not only hypo church attendance, but they also might send worshipers to the tabernacle as often of five times a week, especially if they're praying for something they really need in the kitchen. From now on you Just can't bow your head with vague wishes for such im- practical premiums as world peace or human happiness: you must know the specific prize you're after and how many services it will take you to get it - otherwise you'll be wasting your time and valuable pew space. Of course, this new religious incentive will bring its problems. For example: the sup- plicant who makes the most trips to the supermarket could become holier than thou. Things might be simplified by having services right in the store, thus eliminat- ing tedious trips to redemption. With trading stamps for a start- the session, in the dispute over LETTERS: Europeans' To the Editor: RE Mr. Vide's article on those milk drinking Americans.. His article isn't really very im- portant and not too much time should be spent over it. Having been a "foreign student" for quite some time .I have come across talk like that before. However, I can't let Mr. Vide get away with speaking in my name when he talks about the opinions of Europeans. Had he said some Europeans, or even many Euro- peans, I might have left it at that. But I won't put my name behind some of his unfair, immature and partly ridiculous statements. And it just so happens I like milk. Of course students are different here. Life is different here. But you'll find as many open minds, and as many closed minds, as many un-"boiled eggs" and as many responsible students here as in the Old World. Some values are different here. And if Mr. Vide had studied things a little better, he would know that no American student of good academic ability needs a woman to support him through school. Maybe these wo- men are supporting| their niar- riages which may just have more appeal to them and their hus- bands than 'Mr. Vide's strong man's life with relations with the oposite sex-boy, oh boy... * * * MUCH OF WHAT he says is really cliche and has been re- hashed so many times by foreign students during their first months of stay here when they derived some comfort In criticism because they couldn't quite accept every- thing easily and felt a bit left out of things, maybe felt a little home- sick. It is my sincere hope that be- fore Mr. Vide leaves this country he will change. some of his at- titudes and his ways of thinking a little bit-otherwise his invest- ment and that of whoever fi- nances him. here will have been wasted, with more loss to himself perhaps than to this country which has learned to accept such failures before. Well, not too much offense meant, Mr. Vide. But don't apol- ogize for your English-there are other things that might need im- provement. --G. Weinlander The Affliction . . To Prof. Duey: yOU say our athletes are soft. One thing do I have to say, Prof.: M's mighty men may get hurt While battling on the turf.' And the past has seen athletes greater and'stro ger (Although between the two of us, I think you're the wrong er). - Yet how many of the 101,001 of us each Saturday in the Sta- dium seated Have the speed, strength, guts, or, oh yes, stamina To be so physically afflicted. -Ken Vaitkus, '65 Disclaimer ., -To the Editor: 'THANKS to the combined efforts i of the Women's League, the Panhellenic Association, Assembly Association, the Women's Athletic Association, et al., there exists an insidious little volume entitled Women's Roles and Rules which is apparently for the constant and conscientious perusal of all under- graduate women on campus. (Is there any significance to the [in- finity] symbol on the cover next to the word "Rules"?) Much to my personal chagrin, it has been called to my attention that I am listed on the title page as a "Contributing Photographer." I would like to emphatically dis- claim any and all repsonsibility for the contents of this booklet other than for my pictures, and wish to dissociate myself from any mistakenly implied notions that I had anything to do with the booklet's initiation and/or publication. Is it too much to ask of the t to A Education by Time Clock 'HE PRIDE of the University language de- partments is located at 1415 Mason Hall. nidst the labrynth of tapes, phones and oths at the language lab, there exists in e unobstructive niche a mechanized mon- r which records for posterity (and the ,chers) the amount of time their fledgings ve been spending there. [t is strongly "recommended" in most lan- age classes that the students spend at least o hours a week at the lab. Sometimes this iggestion" is extended into a partial deter- nant of the grade. The most feasible way r the teachers to keep track of the students' urs at the labs Is to have them punch in d punch out on. a time card, which is con- aiently filed there in wooden racks and, absolutely no call to regulate study habits. It is certainly its prerogative to give tests and required exercises which use materials and in- struction found only in the lab, but it is absurd for them to dictate exactly how much time students must spend to obtain and absorb the material. Criteria for grading should include test results and class contributions, but grades should not be based at all on a mundane snd petty standard. "Two hours or more a week" will not ensure a satisfactory learning pros any more than x hours spent working on a paper will mean it is well-written. A more natural relationship would be one in which the student spends as much or as little time at the lab as he considers sufficient for an integrated r U