TIM
M 0 NDAY,,
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iliti!JiTi2 ' -
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THE MICHIGAN DAILY
The Public Speaks On Newsreels,
Charity And Wild-Eyed Reformers
U.S. Scientists
A manifesto signed by 1,284 Amel i-
can scientists summoning their col-
leagues to participate actively in the
It Seems To Me
T
By HEYWOOD BROUN
.f
11-
Edited and managed by students of the -University of
Michigan under the authority of the Board in Control of
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Member, Associated Collegiate Press, 1938-39
Managing Editor
Editorial Director
City Editor
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Associate Editor
Associate Editor
Associate Editor
Associate Editor
Associate Editor
Book Editor
Women's Editor
Sports Editor .
Board of Editors
S . . . Ro
+ . . . Ho
. . . Ro
.
. . D
. . . .1:
obert D. Mitchell.
Albert P. Mayio
race W. Gilmore
bert I. Fitzhenry
S. R. Kleiman
Robert Perlman
*Earl Oilman
William Elvin
Joseph Freedman
. JosephGies
orothea Staebler
Bud Benjamin
Business Department
Business Manager
Credit Manager.,
Advertising Manager- -
Women's Business Manager
Women's Service Manager
Philip W. Buchen
Leonard P. Siegelman
. . William L. Newnah
S. - Helen Jean Dean
Marian A. Baxter
NIGHT EDITOR: ROBERT I. FITZHENRY
- A
The editorials published in The Michigan
Daily are written by members of the -Daily
staff and represent the views of the writers
only.
Stealing
The Lion's Food .. .
TnHE ENGLISH commercial interests
rns haverfinally realized that Germany
presents a dangerous threat not only to racial
minorities, to freedom and liberalism, and to
the countries on the continent, but to England's
trade. For Britain has felt German competition
for European markets as was evidenced recent-
ly when Robert Spear Hudson, Secretary of
Trade, came out with the belated statement to
Germany that "Unless you are prepared to put
an end to this form of competition . . . then w,
Will fight you and beat you at your own game."
When Herr Hitler sent his Nazi troopers
goose-stepping into Austria His Majesty's Gov-
ernment remained silent. When the power-drunk
dictator demanded Sudetenland, England played
handmaiden to Germany's unwarranted de-
mands and calmly helped to deal the death blow
to Czechoslovakia at the Munich settlement
Everyone expected to see England take a firm
stand against the Nazis, but the last vestiges of
British pride had, disappeared after the Ethiop-
ian and Chinese fiascoes. The strong commercial*
and landed classes from which Chamberlain
draws his support saw in the Fascist liquidation
of all democratic elements the checkmate to
their fearful bogey, the "communistic threat."
Whatever peace the English hoped to gain
by these sacrifices on the Nazi altar has not been
realized. Hitler and his strategists, encouraged
and strengthened by British acquiescence, have
used this artificial breathing spell, which Cham-
beilain mistook for "Peace for our time," to
scrap the last restraining elements in the party,
cleanse the army and make ready to continue on
their course of aggression.
Instead of the threat of brute force, the Nazis
are now trying guile. They have entered the
market in Central and Southeastern Europe and
have paid the producers in that region much
more than world prices at the expense of the
German people. Germany buys wheat there for
$46.50 a ton while the world price is only $32.55,
-and barley for $34.88 a ton with the world price
at $24.65. In return for these commodities, Ger-
many sells manufactured products at less than
cost. As a result of this clever but costly proced-
ure, the Nazis have practically cornered the
Eastern European market and have almost
gained an economic strangle-hold on Roumania,
Hungary, Greece and the Balkan states.
Much of the market that Hitler now controls
was formerly in the hands of the English produc-
er, and his attitude seems to be, "You can twealry
the lion's tail so long as you don't steal his
food." For a month after Munich, when Ger-
many's trade with these countries began rapidly
to cut down England's share, Prime Minister
Chamberain assuaged his supporters' fears by
stating that England must accept extension of
Germany's influence . in Eastern Euroie and
confidently added, but "there is room both for
Germany and ourselves in the trade." Although
Hitler had doubtless promised that this should
be the case when he was in Munich, he quickly
changed his mind on returning to Berlin. Now
the English producers, who were so deaf to the
pleas of the Austrians and the Czechs, have
become sensitive to the cries of the Balkan
Newsreels Sin By Omission
To the Editor:
One may wonder at times whether we have
a controlled press in the United States, but there
can be little doubt that we have a controlled
(in the sense of sterile) Hollywood Newsreel thatI
is as revolting to anyone with an ounce of brains
in his head as Hearst's "red" sheets are to the
readers of The New Republic. I challenge any-
one to cite for me a newsreel coming out of
Hollywood in the past year that has considered
either photographically or by dialogue any im-
portant social question in any significant way
whatsoever.
It is not so much a question of what the
Newsreels do as what they do not do. For ex-
ample, at the time of the signing of the Munich
"Peace" Pact what did Paramount and MGM
newsreels emphasize? Everything from the Dog
Show of New York's Social Set to a train wreck
in Idaho (or somewhere) in which five women
and three children were killed!-my data arej
screwy, that's not the point.
I am squawking about this in a letter to the
Michigan Daily in the hope that students here
at Michigan who read it may consider a little
more seriously things of this sort, things which
one might call America's "sins of omission."
This see-nothing do-nothing say-nothing atti-
tude is rampant everywhere, and is quite as rot-
ten, dangerous and condemnable as the more
positive actions of Hague or Girdler.
-Richard Bennett
These Young Editors
To the Editor:
It is amusing and amazing to see the facts
that young editors use to prove their cases-
facts that on analysis often prove the exact op-
posite of the writer's contentions. The Tuesday'
morning editorial, "The Case Against Fascism,"
'is a case in point.
It seemed possible to deduce that the editor
was using the term fascism in the general
sense of rule by the captalistic classes rather
than the particular kind of fascism represented
by the German government. With this distinctionj
in mind, the writer states in his editorial, "fas-
cism is of benefit to only one group in society,j
namely the owners of large-scale industry." In
the United States, for instance, there are offi-
cially listed only four or five multimillionaires
and about fifty millionaires. How can these men
perpetuate the capitalistic system against the
wishes of millions of people in a country where
the ballot is still potent? The answer might be
given by many middle class people. There is
more employment, there are better wages, and
people with industry and ability can progress
with less uncertainty under the orderly regimen
of business as represented by the capitalitic
system than they can under the disorderly,
grasping methods of mans rule as demonstrated
in the world so far.
Again, the writer says, "in Spain the people's
government was in the midst of an immense
work of social and economic reform wpen re-
bellion broke out." Since there are but few
wealthy families in Spain and since the Catholic
Church is after all made up of te lowest econ-
omic classes to a large extent, it seems queer
that these people should rebel against reforms
that were really bettering their condition.
And lastly, the writer closes with "The changes
effected by the so-called Roosevelt rebellion ...
have been the answers a democratic government
has been able to provide to a people's demands."
Judging by the last election, the answers the
Roosevelt rebellion have given have not served
the demands of the people or else the people
have found that the results were not satisfy-
ing to their needs. That they have changed
their point of view should be evident.
In this editorial the writer is anxious to prove
the desirability of his favorite forms of govern-
ment, but the arguments he uses serve to em-
phasize the fact that majorities everywhere to-
day are preferring to return to orderly living,
orderly employment, and orderly progression
in both business and politics rather than to
experiment further in the lack of stability and
the uncertainties that arise when classes of
tlie population get to pulling and hauling against
each other. Call it capitalism, call it fascism,
call it what you will, we, the people, want to1
know where we stand and, what we can expect
of the future-we are tired of wild-eyed reform-
ers and indefinite future Utopias.
-M. W.
Young Editor Replies
Miss M. W. must have read a long way be-
tween the lines in my editorial. I never dreamed
of suggesting that the majority of people in
America are opposed to the capitalist system;
on the contrary I am convinced nearly all of
them favor it.
I quite agree with her implication that the
Catholic Church has influenced a large part of
the Spanish people of the lower classes to sup-
port the rebellion. But those who do, I main-
tain, are acting contrary to their own interests.
As for the answers of the last election to "the
Roosevelt, rebellion" (read "revolution") they
have nothing to do with anything I said as far
as I know. That the people have changed their
point of view may or may not be evident, for 11
of me. All I was trying to point out was that the
last six years of government were not the result
of a gigantic coincidence wherebya President
with certain views was accidentally sent to Wash-
ington along with a number of senators and
congressmen who happened to share them.
I am sorry Miss M. W. is tired of wild-eyed
reformers (I am rather near-sighted myself)
and indefinite future Utopias, but if she really
thinks that majorities everywhere or anywhere
actually 'want to return (?) to the sort of order-
ly living, orderly employment and orderly prog-
gression in both business and politics represented
by fascism I think she is definitely mistaken. I
think, however, that there is a possibility of
their being scared into acquiescence in fascism
by skillful exploitation of mass stereotypes and
the uncritical habit of thinkin of too many
people.
--J. G.
Xmas Charity I Perspective
To the Editor:
Prompted by your capturing "Goodfellow"
captions, I might say that sincere and kind feel-
ing is due to the Daily for following the spirit of
the Detroit News in sponsoring a sale of Good-
fellow newspapers with the proceeds going to
improvident unfortunates and their families.
Many a child will receive a toy and some shoes
and the family some food. The Goodfellow en-
deavor is fine and dandy.
It is a nice expression of the ragged individual-
istic conception of charity. These people who
lack the virtues of thrift, self-control, and tem-
pered vice, should be taken care of. And of course
they should be allowed to know who is contribut-
ing, and act accordingly. Hence, during Christ-
mas with its attendant era of good feeling, it
is right for the prosperous and sober to inaugu-
rate Community Goodfellow fund drives and
chant the cant of homely charity to take care of
those who don't know any better.
This is an attitude that is tenacled deep in
the minds of many Americans. In the same issue
of newspapers tear-jerking contributions for the
community funds there is a walloping yelp for
the termination of direct relief and work relief,
the W.P.A. The fundamental issue that private
charity and private business are mercilessly in-
capable of providing adequate charity and jobs
is obfuscated in an ambush of allegations about
politics in relief and about many people who
haven't any business being on relief.
Yet the per capita income in U.S. in 1937
was $480; and 54 per cent of the families re-
ceived less than $1,200 per year. For any year
in U.S. history the average income per family
per weeks has fallen miserably below accepted
health and decency standards. Prof. Haber in
the Dec. 1938 "Survey Graphic" has shown that
43 per cent of 1,407,000 on W.P.A. are over 45
years of age and probably won't be hired by
private industry and with a host of other figures
definitely concludes that relief is not an emer-
gency measure but inevitably permanent.
This little missive, Mr. Editor, is merely to place
your Goodfellow drive in the proper perspective;
it is nice and charitable and inadequate-it shuts
'em up. For a while.
-Harold Ossepow, '39 j
All For N.Y.. Get-Together
To the Editor:
For one who would rather remember a place
and associates even when she's supposedly away
from them,-I think the idea of getting all the
Michigan clan together while we're back home
in New York over vacation time is grand, and
I'm all for it.
-Miriam Szold, '40
"In an article entitled 'The Prag-
matic and Dogmatic Spirit in Phys-
ics,' which appeared in the April 30th
issue of 'Nature' (with strong edi-
torial disapproval), wide publicity is
given to the official Nazi position on
science and scientific research. In.
essence the article is an attack on all
theoretical physics, and, by obvious
implication, on scientific theory in
general. It introduces the official rac-
ialism of the Nazis to divide physic-
ists into good, i.e., non-theoretical
and 'Aryan', and bad, i.e., theoret-
ical and Jewish.
"Similar notions have appeared in
many popular magazines and scien- -
tific journals in Germany, in the ad-
dresses and writings of the Minister
of Education, of university rectors
and deans, of scientists and non-
scientists.
"Apartfrom racial theories, furth-
ermore, science and art are subject
to ruthless political censorship.
These ideas have found concrete ex-
pression in the dismissal and perse-
cution of over 1600 teachers and
scientists (by the fall of 1936) from
German universities and research
institutes (and now Austria and Italy
too), and in the restriction of higher
education to students having the
'proper' political and racial qualifica-
tions.
Demand Freedom
"American scientists, trained in aj
tradition of intellectual freedom, hold
fast to their conviction, that in the
words of the resolution adopted by
the American Association for the Ad-
vancement of Science, 'Science is
wholly independent of national boun-
daries and races and creeds and can
flourish only when there is peace and
intellectual freedom.
"If science, to quote the AAAS reso-1
lution again, is to 'continue to ad-
vance and spread more abundantly
its benefits to all mankind-and}
who can attack that goal-then the
man of science has a moral obliga-
tion to fulfill. He must educate the1
people against the acceptance of all
false and unscientific doctrines which<
appear before them in the guise of
science, regardless of their origin.,
Only in that way can he insure those1
conditions of peace and freedom
which are essential for him and for
the progress of all mankind.'
"It is in this light that we publicly
condemn the Fascist position towardsz
science. The racial theories which
they advocate have been dnolishedt
time and again. We need only point
to the work of Heinrich Hertz int
physics. Fritz Haber and RichardI
Willstatter in chemistry, LudwigI
Traube, Paul Ehrlich, and Augusti
Wassermann in biology and medicine,
all German Jews and all empirical
scientists.
Theory Upheldi
"The charge that theory leads 'to
a crippling of experimental research'2
is tantamount to a denial of ther
whole history of modern physics.
From Copernicus and Kepler on, all1
the great figures in Western Science;
have insisted, in deed or in word,
upon the futility of experimental re-.
search divorced from theory.t
"We firmly believe that in the res-
might hire a horse for two weeks in
Miami and run him every other day
during my vacation.
Long before we began to inquire as
to the rental of sturdy steeds the
plan collapsed because the syndicate
fell out on some small details. My'
three potential partners would not
agree that our racing colors should
be red with a hammer on the jockey's
front and a sickle on his back. There
was also some argument as to which
one of us was to lift the rider into
the saddle and give him his final in-
structions, "Make every post a win-
ning one." And we all quarreled with
Quent, who insisted that if we won
a Derby he was to have the floral
horseshoe placed around his _neck,
lead the horse from the paddock and
make the radio address upon receiv-
ing the gold cup.
Close To Home
But if church contributions are to
be a matter of governmental survey
by Mr. Dies, or anybody else, the thing
defense of democracy as the sole
means of preserving intellectual free- STAMFORD, Conn.-Nothing in
dom and insuring scientific progress current journalism has frightened me
was released recently by a committee more than the headlines I have seen
of prominent men of science. which say, in effect, "Dies committee
Prof. Franz Boas of Columbia Uni- finds that Jimmy gave nothing to the
versity, dean of American anthropolo- church." Possi-
gists and former president of the bly this is retri-
American Association for the Ad- bution. W h e n
vancement of Science acted as spokes- other committees
man for the committee. "The pres- ' publicized t h e
ent outrages in Germany," Profes- budgets of men
sor Boas said, "have made it aal the who o w n e d
more necessary for American scien- yachts and rac-
tists to take a firm anti-Fascist stand.gs
"We are Pure that a great majority
of German scientists, and the Ger- sent their insur-
man people as a whole, abhor Fas- ance payments to Bahama companies,
cism. The thousands of teachers and I did not yell "Bloody murder!" or,
scientists who have been exiled since protest against the invasion of priv-
Hitler came to power bear testimony acy. No urge moved me to proclaim
to the incompatibility of Fascism and that a man's income is his castle,
science." No sacred principle was involved so
The 1,284 signatures to the mani- far as I was conc6rned.
festo represent 167 universities and Perhaps my motivation may have
research institutes in all sections of :ome from the fact that no toe of
the country. Below the text are print- my own was being stepped upon. Nev-
ed the names of University of Michi- er have I shopped around for yachts,
gan professors who signed the docu- and the nearest approach to a racing
ment. stable was a visionary syndicate
which fell through. It was a notion
The Manifesto soithat with three other fellows we
But this doesn't begin to scratch"
'he surface. An active and generous
resident of Connecticut could be kick-
ng up his heels and making whoopee
it some church jamboree practically
every night of the year while the sea-
son is on.
It is also true that I gave $3 to the
farmer who does the preaching in the
.ion-denominational chapel on Hunt-
ing Ridge. And that, again, was a
gift, for though I buy fertilizer from
him I have yet to hear him preach.
But all these things were free-will
offerings. Both the giver and the re-
ceiver were sanctified by an entire
absence of pressure.,
Does the Dies committee mean to
break down the sales resistance of
those who dislike oysters and do not
particularly care for strawberries or
evangelism? I shudder to think that
religion in America could by any
stretch of the imagination approach
the status of being a racket. ,And so
I deplore the day when it will be
possible for a deacon to drive up to
the door and say, "You take ten
tickets for our Baptist raffle or I'll
turn your name over to the proper
authorities as subversive and a slack-
r
of the woods, and I want to register
a protest. I'm sorry that James Roose-
velt has seen fit to issue a denial and
state that he did put money in the
plate and'refrained from mentioning
the matter in his tax return. "That's
my own affair," would have been a
better answer. I'll stick to that one.
Any other course would. be fatal to a
liouseholder in Connecticut.
I live in the very center of the
Church Supper Belt. If my generosity
or penury becomes subject to a public
recording I will be strawberry-festi-
valed to death. It is my recollection
that I did buy two tickets for a church
affair at the Longridge Congregation-
al Church, but I fooled them by show-
ing up and eating two servings of
pumpkin pie and got my money back.
I also took one card of admission
to the Methodist Oyster Carnival on
Highbridge and remained away,
which left the church with a clear
profit of 50 cents and an oyster.
,* * *
I
i
-New Approach To Problem Seen-
Those who planned the monopoly second, because restrictions of pro-
inquiry have done a good job in set- duction reduce profits themselves.
ting the stage, during the first few Under perfect competition. btisiness
days of their hearings, for the de- would theoretically not be able to
tailed material that is to come later. pay too little or charge too much.
With masses of- statistics, well* (r- But as business power competition in-
ganized and explained, two of the creases, the ability to restrict mass
most brilliant and sound of the purchasing power by these means in-
younger economists in the country creases too. Are we therefore facing
have told us the circumstances that a problem of -monopoly extortion?
make an investigation of business Here Mr. Willard L. Thorp, now with
practices pertinent, and have shown the Department of Commerce and
why monopoly may be playing an lately with Dun and Bradstreet, con-
important part. tributes enlightening information,
Dr. Isador Lubin, Commissioner of
Labor Statistics, after showing the well enough known to economists, but
tremendous losses to the population needing restatement for this purpose.
caused by the decline of production There are only one or two cormplete
under 1929 levels, pointed out on a single-company monopolies -n im-
large scale what must be done to portant industries in the United
bring production and employment up States. To look for monopoly in the
where they ought to be. We can no ordinary or crude sense would be to
longer rely on growth of population, tilt at windmills. Nevertheless there
for population increase is slowing is a high degree of business concen-
down and in another twenty years tration- among a small number of
may cease altogether. large concerns. Two, three or more
Larger consumption per family is corporations control the bulk of the
the only way to create the necessary business in important industries;
demand for industrial and agricul- their wage and price policies govern
tural products. At least half the in these industries.
market for these products lies with How are these policies determined?
the 54 per cent of the families hav- There is the most fruitful field for
ing $1,250 a year or less. If each of investigation. Certain other indus-
these families had $2 more a day to tries are composed of many units and
spend than at present, and if prices are subject to a high degree of com-
did not rise, we should now be pro- petition. In the economic struggle,
ducing, on the average, at full capac- are these industries exploited by the
ity. more highly concentrated ones? Or
It might be asked what all this do monopolistic practices exist, by
has to do with monopoly. Why is it agreement or understanding, even in
not merely an argument for more industries with many small units?
government spending on relief, o rfor It is significant, we believe, that
Douglas consumer credit, or for some the inquiry is not simply an expres-
other ingenious scheme to put more sion of the old ethical opposition to
money into the hands of low-income bigness, but an apparently well reas-
groups? It is true that a large variety oned attempt to find out how our
of expedients might be advocated to economy works, and why it works so
increase mass purchasing power. But, badly.
S/
Anna Christie' Wastes Acting
By HARVEY SWADOS
Without the cast of "Anna Christie," (Film
Series IV of the Art League) made in 1930, it
would be easy t say that it all depends on
whether or not you like Eugene O'Neill. The
movie is pretty much the O'Neill play, all about
the prostitute who comes home to daddy and to
a young man, both of whom revere her (since
they are tough gents) as a nice home girl. The
payoff comes when she tells all-the two men
go off and get drunk, but return to forgive her
and all ends happily. There are also some fine
O'Neill lines: "I can't go on like tlhis any longer."
"I can't stand it any more." "It's no use, it's no
use." And Daddy Christafson, the old sea dog,
says twenty seven times (by actual count), "Dat
ole devvil sea, dat ole devvil sea . . ." not unlike
Eddie Cantor blacked up to do a Negro spiritual.
But make no mistake about this; the cast is
so very good that it makes "Anna Christie" a pic-
ture well worth a reshowing. Charles Marion is
mirror practicing hearty laughter and that this
one is just another practice shot. Yet her facial
expressions and her amazingly moving delivery
of the most banal dialogue mark her quite be-
yond doubt as, a great actress.
The direction of Clarence Brown was not only
in the spirit of 1930 but in the spirit of the '20's.
He never got very far beyond merely photo-
graphing the scenes of the play and threading
them together with written titles. As I hinted
above, his material was nothing to brag about.
It's a tough job to make a good movie out of
a stage play, particularly when the stage play
refuses to stand by itself. But Mr. Brown was
smart enough to focus his camera on Marie
Dressler and Charles Marion amid Greta Garbo
and let them do their fine work. The result was
a long and draggy picture containing some of
the best wasted acting ever filmed in Hollywood.
"Anna Christie" was the third in this season's
revivals by the Art Cinema League; the next
one, on Jan. 8, will be The Four Horsemen Of
ent historical epoch democracy alone if our system is ever to operate with-
can preserve intellectual freedom. Any out external stimulants,, our people
attack upon freedom of thought in must be able to earn for their work
one sphere, even as non-political a in industry and agriculture enough to
sphere as theoretical physics, is in buy the products of one another at
effect an attack on democracy it- full productive capacity.
self. -What is it that prevents them from
"When men like James Franck, Al- so doing? Here is where business
bert Einstein, or Thomas Mann may practices may come in. If business
no longer continue their work, wheth- concerns pay too little for raw ma-
er the reason is race, creed, or be- terials and labor on the one hand,j
lief, all mankind suffers the loss. and charge too much for their pro-
They must be defended in their right ducts on the other, they diminish the
to speak the truth as they under- power of farmers and workers to
stand it. buy, and thus curtail mass purchasing
"If we American scientists wish power, with disastrous effects on
to avoid a similar fate, if we wish to production and employment.
see. the world continue to progress It is no answer to say that those
and prosper, we must bend our ef- who receive the profits can buy the
forts to that end now." surplus, first because, as Mr. Lubin
University of Michigan signers: u ths becu..as Mrn L in
r
a
{i
>j311
t
i
--The New Republic
Free Admittance
Is Bowling Prize
One hour's free bowling will be
awarded each week as a prize to the
man and the woman who make the
highest' score in bowling at the Wo-
men's Athletic Building alleys, Jean-
nette Stickels, '39, bowling manager,
announced recently.
The alleys are open from 3:15 p.m.
to 4 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
daily. The fee for women students is
five cents a line in the afternoon
and 10 cents in the evening. Men stu-
dents may use the alleys, if accom-
I,