THE MICHIGAN DAILY WEDNE SDAT, r. iPI26, Propaganda In The Press No. 5: Glittering Generalities;-Foreign Policy Concealed By Slogans: Freedom Of The Press A Catch-Phrase .I T1 Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigan under the authority of the Board in Control of Student Publications.' Published every morning except Monday during the Oniversity year and Sumrn r Session. Member of the Associated Press The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this newspaper. All rights of republication of all other .matters herein also reserved. Entered at the Post Office at Ann Arbor, Michigan,. as second class mail matter. Subscriptions during regular school year by carrier, $4.00; by mail,"$4.50. REPRESENTED FOR NATIONAL ADVERTISING BY National Advertising Service, Inc.' College Publishers Repiresentative 420 MADISON AVE. NEW YORK, N. Y. CHICAGO BOSTON .S ANGELES - SAN FRANCISCO Member, Associated Collegiate Press, 1938.39 s Board, Managing Editor Editorial Director City Editor Associate Editor Associate Editor Associate Editor . Associate Editor Associate Editor Associate Editor Book Editor r. . Women's Editor Sports Editor'. o .r Editors R ob~ert D. Mitchell . ..Albert P. Maylo Horace W. Gilmore Robert I. Pitzhenry m. R. Kleiman * . Robert Perlman . . . Earl Gilman S. William Elvin . . Joseph 'reedman * . . .Joseph Gies . . Dorothea taebler . . Bud Benjamin Business Department Business Manager. P s . , Philip W. Buchen Credit Manager . . . Leonard P. Siegelman Advertising Manager . . . William L. Newnan Women's Business Manager . ele Jean Dan Womaens,,Servie Manager . .:.~arianA. Sater NIGHT EDITOR: MORTON L. LINDER The editorials published in The M.chgan Daily are written lay members of the Daily staff and represent the views of the writer. only. The Chicago Daily News And America's Press ... IN A MUCK-RAKING article on the American press which Lincoln Stef- fins wrote for Scribners in tie lineties, he made the point which is so frequently repeated at the present time: namely, that American news- papers have become big, business and that, in the future. this identification with, business in- terests and an increasing dependency upon natioial wire services will result in a decreasing degree of editorial independence. That theme has been repeated often in recent years by critics of the press, especially by George Seldes, author of "Freedom of the Press" and "Lords of the Press." And in the handling of national news it is extremely diffi- cult to gain-say the declaration. But among cer- tain sectors of the American press a notable independence in regards to foreign news has been shown. The Chicago. Daily News is perhaps the outstanding exaniple. Its foreign staff in- cludes Michigan ,graduate Edgar Ansel Mowrer, former Pulitzer. Prize winner; William Stone- ham, another Michigan graduate; Frank Smoth- ers; M. W. Fodor, once-called the "wisest man in central. Europe;" A. T. Steele, and others. It has .consistently reported the news without regard to pressure applied by national regimes. Edgar Ansel Mowrer was forced o leave Ger- many when he wrote "Germany Puts the Clock Back." M. W. Fodor has consistently retreated into central Europe as the Fascist powers ad- vanced. Only last fall Frank Smothers was asked to leave Italy because of the "unfriendly" tone of his dispatches. This week Richard Mowrer, another. Michigan graduate, became the 18th correspondent to be expelled, for writing "un- favorably" of the Mussolini dictatorship. The ministry of popular culture charged him with sending. stories which contained "false informa- tion and false interpretations." In reply the Daily News declared no member of its staff ever wittingly .sent out false informa- tion and stressed that the Italian propaganda authorities were unable to cite a single instance where, Mowrer's dispatches were false. "The course of events in Italy to date has borne out the soundness of Mr. Mowrer's interpretations," it declared. Mowrer was upheld by Colonel Frank. Knox, publisher of the Daily News. "The News main- tains a correspondent in Rome solely for the purpose of printing news, not for the purpose of disseminating propaganda fVom the Italian government," he declared. "So long as they will permit us to be thus ,represented we will con- tinue to provide representation there.. When this is no longer possible we will go without represen- tation." In those words, Colonel Knox expresses a journalistic philosophy which is to be whole- heartedly commended; a philosophy which well- represents the attitude cf the independent press which. America wants. His Chicago Daily News exemplifies that ;philosophy and because of it has become a great newspaper. It is interesting to note that on international news the pressure which may be applied on national issues does not exist; . there is consid- erable unity of public opinion. Yet in the face of malicious and supposedly objective reports such as are. fuynished by the Hearst International By JOSEPH GIES The Scripps-Howard papers carry at their masthead the slogan, "Give Light and the People - Will Find Their Own. Way." The New York Times has made famous the phrase, "All the News That's Fit to Print." Most other papers have similarly studded masts. It's a Glittering Generality in every case, and seldom goes fur- ther than the top of the editorial column. The Chicago Tribune doesn't stop at a slogan. It prints a whole program every morning. Samples are these: PLATFORM FOR CHICAGO 1. End the Parole Business. 2. Build Deathproof Highways. 3., Make Chicago the.First City in the World. 4.'Faster Suburban Service. 5, Up-to-Date . Local Transportation. 6., A Lake Front Airport. 7. A Motor Ferry to Michigan. 8. Cut Taxes in Half. PLATFORM FOR AMERICA 1. End the Alliance of Crime and Politics. 2. Adopt an American Foreign Policy. 3, Give Aviation a Square Deal. 4. Free the Railroads from Red Tape. 5. Cut Taxes in Half. 6. Collect the International Debts. An interesting group of proposals they are. It will be seen that the matter of. taxes is one especially close to Col. McCormick's heart; they are included in both his programs, in the form of a reduction byu50 per cent. Prize Glittering Generalities are Numbers Three of the first plat- form and Two, Three and Four of the second. The America4 fay The Gannett papers recently published a series of. articles entitled "Oil, and 'the More Abundant Life' . . . A Saga for Newspaper Readers." In Editor & Publisher the series was advertised with a two page spread annouicing that the articles .were designed to demonstrate .what can be accomplished by individual.enterprise under the American system, in the satisfaction of human needs." The word."American" is present in nearly all the best examples of Glittering Generalities. Again and again Hearst and other publishers have exhorted conservative Democrats to place Americanism before party affiliation, as Al Smith did in 1936 ("I am an American before I am a Democrat, a Republican or anything else."). ; Americanism is a decidedly fluid quality. The paily Worker says Communism is Twentieth Century Americanism, while Nazi and Fascist groups preach anti-Semitism, anti-Catholicism, dictatorship and contempt for democracy in their publications under the pristine slogan of Americanism. Many fascist papers even urge fascism in order to save democracy; nearly all of them assert that the only way "American in- stitutions" can be preserved is. by dictatorship. A certain well-known publisher, addressing a group of students some time .ago, made the following statement: "We believe in neither fas- cism nor Communism, the twin evilsof Europe; we subscribe to but one 'ism'-Americanism." Many publishers sum up international politics in nearly the same terms every day. A Glittering Generality that sounded good. until its application was looked into was the insistence upon "the right to work" by the press during the strikes of 1937. It turned out that the only right t work in which most of the press was interested was the right of non-union workers to work during a strike. This became, in actualpractice in many cases, the right to scab. Many Glittering Generalities have been in- dulged in by the press in defense of the freedom of business to operate without government inter- ference. The line usually runs something like this: "Freedom is best preserved by the Ameri- can system of individual enterpr~ise." Or, "Democ- racy can be maintained only as long as the indi- vidual rights of American citizens are safe- guarded." What these. statements really amount to is simply a defense of the economic status quo, a thing which every economist and every historian knows does not exist. Alr. Bingay On Dictatorship The Glittering Generality functions as a cloak for some specific but often unsavory idea, cov- ering it over with the immaculate aura of cher- ished traditions and institutions. Malcolm W. Bingay concluded a column on dictatorship and the New Deal the other day with this master- piece: .Jefferson and Lincoln had faith in the people; Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, and the high priests of the New Deal do not. They are convinced the people should be governed, not govern.- The first thing a dictator does is to war on the press, free speech and the Church. In these three things are to be found the attributes that make democracy possible; the spiritual essence of liberty. It is not a thing of forms and legalisms; it is a thing of the soul. Notice the alignment of the New Deal, the object of attack, with known stereotype names of bad character, juxtaposed against known stereotype names of a virtuous character. The second paragraph is more interesting, however; in it the writer makes the grand gesture, the appeal to the Bill of Rights and the Church. A simple assertion of the value of civil liberties and religion would be of absolutely no ulity to Mr. Bingay; the spiritual essence of liberty would be utterly useless, even though it might be a thing of the soul, were it not marshalled into line on the side of the opposition to the New Deal. Foreign policy has always been a favorite field for Glittering Generalities. Both advocates of isolation and concerted action indulge fre- quently. Most of the press is isolationist, and fre- quently defends isolation with the slogan, "Keep out of European entanglements," which many editorial writers still insist Washington once said, although he never did. These Europeans Generalities about European politics itself are anything but glittering, as a rule. There 'is a very widespread tendency in the press to inter- pret events abroad in the terms Mr. Bingay used last week when he offered as an analogy a fight starting in a school-yard at recess with such remarks as, "I can lick you," and "Knock that chip offen my shoulder," etc. When it is all over and the indignant principal asks, "What started this row?" nobody knows. "That's about the way things are in Europe today," Mr. Bingay concludes. Countless editorials and cartoons af- firm the same thing. Those Europeans-they've always been at each other's throats and always will be, and the best thing America can do is stay over here and mind her own business. Is this contention borne out by history, economics, psychology.or any rational examination of fact? Do European - countries fight wars more often than the United States, or spend more money on armaments? Do certain peoples have a natural tendency to be quarrelsome? Of course not, but it's a useful generality, the propagation of which makes easier the task of sabotaging a foreign poiicy the publishers do not approve. The greatest Glittering Generality of them all perhaps is Freedom of the Press. An essay could easily be written on the volume this simple phrase has attained in the American newspaper business. Two outbreaks of it -in recent years are, perhaps especially notable; the first in 1933 when ,the NRA codes were introduced, and the second in the past two years when the News- paper Guild has been organizing editorial work- ers. On the former occasion John Boettiger, at the time a Chicago Tribune correspondent (now managing edit6r of the Seattle Post-Intelligen- cer and President Roosevelt's son-in-law) inter- viewed the President on the supposed threat to the freedom of the press carried by the Blue Eagle. "You tell Bertie (Col. McCormick) he is seeing things under the bed," the President said. Neither Col. McCormick nor his fellow-publishers have stopped seeing them, however, and the same cry is still raised at every opportunity. 'TODAY in WASHINGTON -by David Lawrence - WASHINGTON, April 24.-The biggest issue before Congress at this session-and one that grows larger every day in its implications - is whether Congress or the commissions and boards here shall make the laws. The specific example which is caus- ing most perplexity is the almost un- limited delegation of legislative pow- er which Congress in 1935 bestowed on the National Labor Relations Board. This latter institution, being composed of alert human beings, is interpreting the law exactly as it was written, namely with a conscious bi- as in favor of compulsory unioniza- tion in America. Congress now has before it many actual instances of what a board of three members will do .with such a statute.' There are several illustrations showing the contradictory attitude which the board itself has found it necessary to adopt in an effort to carry out the mandate of the law it- self, which, in effect, means nowa- days that employers no longer have the right to discuss directly with their employes questions affecting the ec- onomic relationships . of their busi- ness. Employes, on the other hand, the board intimates, may go so far even as to use company time and company property to carry on their own outside activities, including so- licitation of union members. Opposite Sides Of Fence The board has been on opposite sides of the fence on this issue, which is one reason why Congress is being asked now to consider whether it should not take back or at least limit the power it once delegated. Here is an example of the perplexity created by the board's struggle to apply the broad powers given it. On Dec. 1, 1937, the Board decided what is known as the Botany Worsted Mills Case, in which an employe was dis- charged for violating a company rule prohibiting outside activities during working hours, including activities connected with an outside organiza- tion, namely a trade union. The board suspected and found that this was not the real reason for the dismissal and wondered if the rule was in ex- istence or was being applied, and hence ordered the employe reinstated But in the course of the opinion, the Board said flatly that such a rule it- self would be all right if enforced against everybody who violated it and not in a discriminatory way. TheBoard's opinion on this point, in exact text, was: "We conclude, therefore, that the respondent's (the company's) alleged rule prohibiting outside activities during working hours, although in itself unobjectionable and within the lawful power of the respondent to adopt and enforce, was either non- existent or a dead letter and was in- voked and applied to peid (the em- ploye) in a discrimnatory fashion. ' This ruling stood as a guide for employers for about 17 months, until March 18, 1939, when what is known as the Midland Steel Products Con- pany case was decided. In this, there was a company rule forbidding solici- tation of union members onhcom- pany property. The text of that part of the board's opinion ordering the employee reinstated who had violat- ed the rule is as follows: Text Of Opinion "We have grave doubts that the solicitation of union members on an employer's property by an employe on his own time is subject to lawful prohibition by an employer. It is un- nessary, however, to consider such an issue here. It is apparent from the uncontroverted testimony of those employesswhowere -presentduring the August 20th conversation and who took the witness stand that cheek (the employe) did nothing more than call an employe a scab ... unquestionably the use of a deroga- tory epithet of an employe can hard- ly be characterized as solicitation." Now in both cases there was a company rule which was designed to stop union activity within the plant, one rule being a prohibition of union .solicitation during company time and the other being a rule against any solicitation on the property itself. The latter rule, of course, was designed to avoid during lunch hours the very friction and discord which occurred in the Midland Steel Case. When the board now says that it has "grave doubts" whether a com- pany can prohibit union activities on its own property, it is saying in ef- feet that it is prepared to reverse also the opinion of December, 1937, in which it granted the right to em- ployers to adopt and enforce rules against union solicitation on com- pany time. Evolution Plausible This evolution becomes plausible because some union leaders are con- tending that they have a right tc solicit membership, even on com- pany time, when there is a lag in the work or there is some other pause in DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN Publication in the Bulletin is constructive notice to all members of the University. Copy received at the office of the Assistant to the President until 3;30 P.M.; 11:00 A.M. on Saturday.r WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 1939B VOL. XLIX. No, 146 i b Notices t Honors Convocation: The Sixteenth Annual Honors Convocation of the University of Michigan will be helda Friday, April 28, at 11 o'clock, in Hill Auditorium. Classes, with the excep- tion of clinics, will be dismissed at 10:45. Those students in clinical classes who are receiving honors at the Convocation will be excused in or- der to attend. The faculty, seniors,n and graduate students are requestedL to wear academic costume but there will be no procession. Members ofC the faculty are asked to enter by the rear door of Hill Auditorium and pro- ceed directly to the stage, where ar-t rangements have been made for seat- ing them. The public is invited. Alexander G. Ruthien. Retirement Incomes: A suggestionp has been made that questions con- cerning various phases of rttire- ment incomes as they affect members of the Faculties be submitted to thea Business Office, with the understand-a ing that the questions are to be an- swered in the University Record. This arrangement might serve to clear up any misunderstandings or problems on this subject. Will you please, therefore, send to.me any such prob- lems and I will try to answer them or will refer them to the Carnegie Foun- dation for the Advancement of Teaching or The Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association for solution. Herbert G. Watkins.~ First Mortgage Loans: The Univer- sity has a limited amount of funds to loan on modern well-located Ann Arbor residential property. Interesta at current rates. F.H.A. terms avail-I able. Apply Investment Office, Roome 100; South Wing, University Hall. Summer Work: The Bureau of Ap-s pointments and Occupational Infor-t mation has received calls for the fol-o lowing: s 1. Head of the Mariner Unit ofC Michigan Girl Scout Camp. 16 girlsI between 15-18 to supervise. Re- quirements: at least 21, experience in canoeing, boating, lifesaving and iff possible sailing. Salary: $90. . 2. Cook for Michigan Girl Scout I Camp. Salary: $110. Literary Seniors: The Cap andb Gown Committee has officially chos- en Moe's Sport Shop and advises fit- ting at once. No deposit required. Freshmen, College of Literature, Science and the Arts. In order to giveC freshmen adequate opportunity to discuss their sophomore elections with their counselors, appointments may now be made at the Office of. the AcademicmCounselors, 108 Masonf Hall, telephone, Extension, 613. Youh will be notified by post card when toF ararnge for, your appointment. Freshmen will find it to their de-a cided advantage to secure official ap- 1 proval of their sophomore electionst now, since opportunities for consul- tation in the fall will b of necessity very limited.t Arthur Van Duren.c Lecturess W. Webb McCall, publisher of theI Isabella County Times-News, will give the eighth lecture in the Journalism Supplementary Lecture Series at 3t o'clock today in Room B, Haven Hall, speaking on "The Business Side ofs the Weekly Newspaper." The publicf is invited. American Chemical Society Lecture. Prof. M. S. Kharasch, of the Univer- sity of Chicago, will speak on "The Present Day Status of the Struc- tural Theory of Organic Chemistry," in Room 303, Chemistry Building, Thursday, April 27, at 4:15 p.m. Mayo Lecture: The annual William J. Mayo Lecture will be delivered by Dr. Harold I. Lillie, in the Hospital Amphitheatre, University Hospital, on Friday afternoon, April 28th, at 1:30 o'clock. Doctor Lillie will speak on the "Correlation of the Special Practice of Otolaryngology with the General Practice of Medicine." All Junior and Senior classes will be dismissed to permit students to attend this lecture. The Staff and Internes of University Hospital are cordially invited to be present. Events Today Seminar for Chemical and Metal- lurgical Engineers: Mr. A. W. Her- benar will be the speaker at the Seminar for graduate students in Chemical and Metallurgical En- gineering today at 4-o'clock in Room 3201 E. Eng. Bldg. His subject is "The Thermo-dynamics of Binary Metallic Systems." Seminar in Physical Chemistry will meet in Room 122 Chemistry Bldg. at 4:15 p.m. .today. Baroja, contemporary Spanish novel- st. This lecture in Spanish) will be open free of charge to all those in- erested. Hiawatha Club: There will be a egular business meeting of the Hi- awatha Club this evening at 7:30 in Room 305 of the Michigan Union. The chief order of business involves lection of officers. Graduate Luncheon today at 12 noon in the Russian Tea Room of the League. Dr. Hans Gerth, of the Sociology department, a former resident of Germany will discuss "Science in Propaganda." All graduate students are cordially nvited. Swimming, University Women: There will be recreational swimming for University women at the Union Pool today from 4 to 5 p.n. The Intermediate Dancing Class will meet tonight from 7 to 8 o'clock and will have its extra class on Tues- day, May 9. The Swing and Sway Session will have its second meeting tonight from 8 to 9:30 o'clock. Coming Events The Political Science Round Table will meet Thursday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m. in the East Conference Room of the Rackham Building. Subject: 'Scope and Methods of Political Sci- ence. Institute of the Aeronautical Sci- ees: All members of the Institute are informed of a meeting to be held Thursday, April 27, at which time an election of officers will take place. This meeting will be held in Natural Science Auditorium at 7:15 p.m., in- stead of' the Amphitheatre of the Rackham Building at 7:30 p.m., as originally scheduled. Movies will be hown, and the inspection trip to the Curtiss-Wright Corporation, Buffao, N.Y, will be discussed. Camp Filibert Roth: All students in forestry who expect to attend Camp F'ilibert Roth this summer please meet in Room 2039 Natural Science Building, Thursday, April 27, at 4:10 p.m. Important information will be given out about camp. Economics Club: Professor M. W. Waterman will speak on "The Work of the .Securities and Exchange Commission" on Thursday, April 27, at 7:45 p.m. in the Amphitheatre of the Rackham Building. Phi Beta Kappa. Annual Initiation for members elected this year will be held in the Michigan League Chapel on Thursday, April 27 at 4:15 p.m. Professor Herbert A. Kenyon will address the initiates. All new mem- bers are expected to be present at this meeting. Phi Beta Kappa. The Annual Initia- tion Banquet of the Alpha Chapter of Michigan will be held at the Mich- igan League on Saturday, April 29 at 6:45 p.m. Price one dollar.Profes- sor Robert S. Lynd of Columbia University will speak on "Scholar- ship in Time of Crisis." Alli pembers of Phi Beta Kappa are urged to at- tend. Especially' are members of other Chapters invited. Reservations should be made at the Secretary's office at the Observatory by Friday evening, April 28. Hazel Marie Losh, Secretary Phi Beta Kappa. The Beta Chapter of Iota Alpha will hold its regular monthly meeting on Thursday evening, April 27 at 8 p.m. in the West Lecture Room on the mezzanine of the Horace H. Rackham School Building. The speaker of the evening will be Dr. E. C. Case, Director of the Mu- seum of Paleontology, whose address will deal with the excavation of the dinosaur, which took place last sam- mer in Montana. An interesting evening is promised and every member is urged to be present. Graduate Coffee Hour: Thursday afternoon, April 27, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Rackham Building. There will be dancing in the Assembly Hall, and coffee and tea will be served in the West, Conference Room. All graduate students are cordially in- vited. Omega Upslion, National Profes- sional Speech and Dramatic Sorority, invites all women interested in radio to come for auditions at Morris Hall, 7:15 on Thursday evening. Michigan Dames: The Book Group will meet in the Rackham Building Thursday evening at 8 o'clock. The Annual Frenh Play: The Cercle Francais will present "Ces.Dames 4 4 4 1 You ofM By Sec Terry A PROF. Dwight L. Dumond was discussing in a history lecture yesterday the prevalence of tax dodgers in the prosperous.twenties,, and to illustrate the comparable efficiency of the inter- nal revenue department in England he told this incident. On his recent visit to the British Isles, he arrived in London on Friday night. Next day he received a notice to appear before revenue officials Monday morning, at which time :he was assessed the tax on income he was not to receive until four weeks later. * *' * Following the presentation at the opening session of the Spring Parley Friday of the con- servative viewpoint of the forties, a cynical stu- dent in the rear of the room wrote up a question, which, in effect, asked: "Are you speaking of the 1840's?" No reaction to the impertinence was forthcoming in the forum that followed. * .* * Ah, The ood Life In. Rostand's classic play, "Cyrano de Berger- ac," the author defines the good life thus: "To sing, to dream:, to laugh, to loaf, to be alone and free, and to have eyes that look squarely and a voice that rings true; to wear one's hat backwards if he chooses, and to fight a duel or write a sonnet for a yes or no! To labor for that heart's-desired journey'to the moon without a thought of fortune or glory . . . Then, if even to some small ex- cently as being "too Gallic," but such philosophy of a rugged, unregimented individual was more probably too galling. THE Associated Press soptted the "beauty-plus- brains" angle in Marcia Connell's attain- ment of Phi Kappa Phi, and sent her photo to its subscribers.'Which is why Mount Clemens' peaceful citizenry awoke one day last week to, discover Marcia ,was a bigamist. The Daily Leader, hitherto unassailable sentinel of .that village, had crossed its captions, and in the opposite corner of the page was a picture of another lady, somewhat frayed by her unhappy experience, with the caption, "Big Ten Beauty Queen." Flash: Exclijsive THIS is a scoop. Kjibou, the slate grey squirrel that inhabits Tappan oak, has yielded to the allure of Spring and a dainty brown beauty that loiters about the 'Ec building. This secret affair of the heart was uncovered when Kjibou's moody behavior the past few days invited an investiga- tion. A bashful, sort, Kjibou has been meeting his light o' love behind the broken down Ec Build- ing,, which observers agree show a definite lack of technique, for even the moon isnt visible there. Characteristically reticent, Kjibou last night