°_THE MICHIGAN DAILY PRA Open Letter to the Regents TODAY A RESOLUTION will come before your board which should be studied very carefully. The resolution calls for a clarifi- cation and possible liberalization of a by- law which bars political speakers from Uni- versity property. This resolution was drawn up by the committee governing student affairs, which is composed of an equal number of faculty members and students. The committee worked on the problem for more than two weeks. They consulted with the University Lecture Committee and found that the prob- lem is one which only you can solve. (The decision is up to you!) Speaking for the student body, The Daily Senior Editors urge that the By-Laws be changed to allow a limited number of po- litical speakers from each party to appear at the University. As the Board of Regents Editorials published in The Michigan Daily xre written by members of The Daily stafff and represent the views of the writers only. NIGHT EDITOR: HAROLD JACKSON in 1926 said " . . . the intelligent discussion of social issues by qualified persons is of the very essence of education . .." in the past the student body has been aroused only by events relating to the phys- ical prowess of the various athletic teams. There has been a "hands off" attitude to- ward politics-an attitude fostered by the present By-Law which makes it impossible for top political spokesmen to appear before the student body. This is a presidential election year-a natural time for students to develop an in- terest in political issues and candidates. The appearance of political speakers here will augment that interest and better pre- pare students to take a part in political affairs when they leave the University. Approval of political speakers will un- doubtedly bring criticism to the University from certain points in the State. However with an equal number of speakers from each party, charges of partisan politics will not be valid. It will take vision and courage to amend or liberalize this By-Law but we feel that the best interests of the students will be served by so doing. -The Daily Senior Editors. Brief Czech History SOME TEN YEARS AGO, Czechoslovakia was bitterly protesting Hitler's demands on her territory. A conference was held at Munich, the British and French advised compliance, and German troops quietly marched in. Hitler announced that this was his last territorial claim in Europe and the world was happy at the smallness of the sacrifice. Czech students and professors marched in protest, out were shot and clubbed. Press and radio censorship were imposed and Both Ways THE SITUATION in Czechoslovakia is only one more indication that we are "bring- ing it down on ourselves." The hypocritical attitude of Americans in high places, how- ever, is laughable in their righteous con- demnation of the Czech coup by the commies. A Russian retort might be, "Who started the cold war, anyway?" The "Holier than thou" attitude seems to be the whole crux of the botched up mess we call foreign policy. We make known our intentions to keep Communism from Europe, perhaps even drive it back, if possible, and then complain when the Reds counter, attack by taking over a Democratic country with dictatorial ruthlessness. Ho0w much more evil, if such quantities can be meas- ured, is the Russian coup than the British Coup in Greece, than the American support of that coup, or the resulting Dictatorial government? Parables are usually hopeless when they can be countered with equally streng but contradictory statements. Hence "Fighting fire with fire" is answered with "Two wrongs don't make a right," and with that we are stuck. They call people radicals who only ask that we put democracy across in Europe. They call people fellow travelers who sug- gest that the Fascist state we support in Greece is as wrong as the Fascist state in Czechoslovakia. The democratic situation for America would be to aide the formation of a truly democratic Greek state, and then back it up, saying "This is how democracy works. This is what it means to Qis. We are ready through the United Nations to see that every country has the right to choose its own government, free from the tyranny of Russia, the United States or the United Kingdom." -Don McNeil. Czechoslovakia soon was "absorbed" into the greater Reich. During the occupation, 250,- 000 Czechs were killed, but underground resistance continued. The Czechs, who had established a free republic, did not take to dictatorships. *i*x * DURING THE WAR, a government in exile was formed and returned with the lib- erating armies. First free elections were held in May, 1946, and the Communists became the strongest party in parliament placing their man, Klement Gottwald, in the post of premier. Czechs rejoiced over their recovered free- dom, and visitors related that the country was one of the freeest spots in Europe: papers from all countries were sold on every stand; visitors were free to come and go as they pleased; Czechs went quietly about their work of rebuilding. * * * ON FEB. 13, 1948, cabinet members pro- tested the appointment of Communists to key police posts by Communist Interior Minister Nosek. Seven days later, after no action had been taken, the non-Communist ministers resigned. They expected the prem- ier to follow suit, as political custom dic- tated. But Premier Gottwald didn't resign. In- stead, party members and workers marched through the streets, police rule was estab- lished and an all-Communist government forcibly put into power. The only open pro- test came from the students, but they were clubbed and dispersed. A purge was set up to remove reactionary elements from all po- litical parties, and the press and radio were placed under strict control. * 4 * IN WESTERN EUROPE a new fear began to spread as the people considered the speed of the whole operation. In Czecho- slovakia, newspapers were no longer read, as the people registered a silent protest against censorship. In America the Czech ambassa- dor resigned to fight in exile. The British, French and American governments issued a statement denouncing the regime as a "disguised dictatorship." And after a hard day quibbling over ap- propriations for Europe, American Con- gressmen went to bed. -Harriett Friedman. Russian Rights ANY AMERICANS condemn Russia to- day for "excessive" reparations in Ger- many. Those who do so are looking forward to an economically independent Germany which will cease to be a drain on American resources. Their eyes are trained hopefully on the restored, democratic German state of the future and they see the Russian policy as an attempt to weaken Germany and ripen it for a Communist putsch. Since they are looking to the future they believe that Russia must be doing so also. It is a sad comment on human nature that only those people who have suffered barbarous treatment are likely to remember it. The spectators are horrified, properly sympathetic and, three years later, com- pletely forgetful. If Russia should strip the Eastern zone of Germany absolutely clean of all rem- nants of Nazi wealth she would not have begun to replace the property that was wantonly destroyed within her borders dur- ing the German occupation! This is not to mention the vastly greater riches which were confiscated and shipped to the Reich as fodder for Hitler's war machine. It is easy enough for us to say that what is past is past, that Russia should rebuild herself without pursuing a policy that threatens to transform Germany to an in- ternational economic sinkhole. But it is not easy for human beings to forget having seen the most productive areas of their country reduced to impotency and their schools, their factories, their dams, fh i . . _ . rn u.._ + r>>i n= il~ A Pledge Hazing (TUDENTS have been calling for more studentgovernment for a long time; for power to legislate, administrate and judge in their own community. So far they've gotten what amounts to nothing in the way of tangible power. They've a good skeleton set-up for perform- ing self-governing functions, but no func- tior sto perform. the fraternities right now have a rare chance to help the student camel to get its head in the tent of student government. The National IFC passed a law against physical hazing of pledges last November. They left enforcement up to the Deans of Students of the various universities wherein the fraternities flourish. However, DeaI Walter, probably recognizing that students know far more about hazing in fraterni- ties than the University could ever find out, turned this enforcement power over to the IFC to act on. The IFC, the" fraternity organization, has proposed a law which will conform to the national regulations. The law outlaws the paddle, and anything that looks or feels like a paddle, and provides for giving the pledge plenty of time for study throughout the semester, which would seriously impair many hell-weeks. The law also provides ex- tremely stiff fines for violations. It's going to be pretty hard for many fraternities to accept. A lot of fraternity spirit has been built around hazing, espe- cially the use of the paddle and the pledge- period-ending hell-week. But d University law against hazing, the alternative to a self-imposed law, would not be effective it the fraternities wanted to get around it. Most pledges don't mind the paddle nearly so much as one would think, realizing that they will have the same privileges in the future. And hell-week is an experience which experience-seeking young men dread, but at the same time look forward to. The fraternities could get along for years violat- ing the University rule. Pledges are in most part more interested in getting into a fra- ternity than in helping the campus cops do their duty. But then consider the self-imposed law. No respectable organization is going to make a law and then refuse to enforce it. Each fraternity would bind itself by a written agreement to enforce this law on itself. The WFC, which would hear about violations long before the University, would be bound to prosecute. It would take years for a University rule to become effective, no time for the IFC's. It is the fraternities, who will be indi- vidually considering this law at their next chapter meeting, who must pass their own laws if the fraternities and the students are going to assume self-government. Such a law would provide a chance for student legislation, student administration and stu- dent judicial power, with few strings at- tached. It's a small segment of student law, but the hardest part is getting the camel's head into the tent. It's a chance that's seldom cffered. It's an opportunity to keep the authorities of this university from saying, as so many college authorities do say: "Student gov- ernment is fine with me but the students just won't assume authority when I offer it to them." -Jim Wimsatt. CURRENT MOVIES II L - -ooMANS MoaJ 00 -a---*~1r+ BILL MAULDIN Letters to the Editor ...I EDITOR'S NOTE: Because The Daily prints every letter to the editor re- ceived (which is signed, 300 words or less in length, and in good taste) we remind our readers that the views expressed in letters are those of the writers only. Letters of more than 300 words are shortened, printed or omitted at the discretion of the edi- torial director. 4 " R Real Christianity To the Editor: 3/z. capr. 148 by Viittd Ftirt Synd;catv. inc. -All r9ihts rescinod lo At the State ... NIGHTMARE ALLEY, Tyrone Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray. Power, TO MR. EMANUEL M. AMIR: "That above everything we are Arabs, we are Arabs before we were Christians." The Son of God said,asrrecorded in Matthew 10: He who loves father and mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." The "Christianity" of a govern- ment is not determined by the number of officials in it who call themselves "Christian," but rather by the way in which that govern- ment acts in the world. Have you forgotten that Christians, that is real Christians, confess that they. have a Savior out of the people of Israel? It is that confession that sent many to their deaths in con- centration camps in Europe, while Ibn Saud was in Berlin, doing what? To Mr. Wadi S. Rumman: "Religion is something which is altogether different from the political situation in Palestine." The Gospel of Jesus Christ has something to say in any situation in which human beings are in- volved, or I miss the point of "Go ye into all the world"-and, I be- lieve, it has something to say as to the way men live, and how they feel toward hungry and oppressed people, of whatever race; and the emphasis on love to fellow men is just as important as the soteri- ological emphasis. -Merle E. Smith, Jr. * * * Russian Intentions To the Editor: THE CONCENSUS of opinion on the campus is that the struggle of the democracies with Russia is one of ideologies. Yet the Russian ideology as preached does not exist. Certainly practical Communism as practiced in Po- land and elsewhere, the breaking of treaties, etc., is not unlike the methods used by Hitler and other tyrants. It was not any philos- ophy that caused about fifteen countries and parts of countries to turn Communistic but the Red Army. (It was Russian troops that entered Czechoslovakia, thus set- ting the stage.) In the past the sword has been used to advance certain dogmatic ideologies but this cannot be the case with Communism because the supposed adherents have nothing like this fictional Communism. That "true" Communism exists only in the minds outside Russia causes one to believe that the sword is first and the ideology merely supplants it. Not even P. T. Barnum was ever so brazen in perpetuating a hoax. At least he invited the public in to see his wonders. The iron curtain reminds us of one of Crisler's secret practices before a big game. Not even the Nazist with all their emphasis on the blitzkreig ever struck from be- hind such an all-inclusive shroud. The Nazis naively used a display of power to frighten friends and enemies into submission, thus giv- ing warning. What reason could Russia have for her secrecy other than that of waging total war? -Charles E. Campbell. * * * Liberalism To the Editor: LIBERALISM' is like an all- purpose face-cream. It can cover the warts of reaction or heighten the beauty of progress. Mr. George Vetter, in a recent letter, decried the assumed asso- ciation of all 'liberals' with the Wallace movement. Those who had joined the third party, he said, were extremists splitting the moderate vote and securing vic- tory reaction. And it rattles on like an oldcar hitting the same ruts. The third party is nothing less than a consolidation of all truly progressive elements who are in- terested in securing world-wide peace, an effective U.N., and a government which will insure the rights of workers and minority groups. Far from extreme, we be- lieve that capitalism can work, but not under the throttling grip of Wall Street monopoly. If any one doubts the existence of these iron ties, let him refer to the TNEC reports, Monograph 24, for a true evaluation of the power of Big Business. We have split no party. The Democratic party is at present in the process of disintegration. Can it reconcile the bigotry of its southern constituents with its promises of civil liberties? Can it claim to favor labor when it helped theRepublicans to pass the Taft-Hartley Bill? Is it for the ordinary consumer, then? Not when it has the abominable rec- ord of scrapping OPA, starting the inflationary spiral by its Little Steel' formula and then calling for 'voluntary' price set-backs. How practical can we become, Mr. Vetter? Be sure that we'll not be deterred by the hackneyed cries of 'pinko' or 'red.' It is those who clasp the weapon of emo- tional propaganda that are fear - ful of reason. I reiterate that our aims are not to seat reaction, but to win with Wallace for progress. Why not at- tend our meetings and hear our views personally? As I recall, Shaw also said that it was the so-called liberal who would have to be ed- ucated. -Hy Bershad, * * Surrender To the Editor: MR. WELLFORD'S letter to the Editor published in- yester- day's Daily certainly surprised me. Mr. Wellford seems to have a certain knowledge of the Pales- tine Problem, but a very super- ficial one indeed. He does not realize the sacrifices mad. by the Jewish Agency in accepting the second partition of the Holy Land,, the first partition having oc- curred in 1922 when the State of Transjordan was erected. The Jews accepted the compromise for the sake of peace while the Arabs refused to change their policy of non-compromise and non co-op- eration. I therefore do not under- stand what is meant by "a com- promise based on minimum rather than maximum Jewish aims." The most surprising part of the letter is its conclusion. "My pur- pose is . . . to urge that a peaceful settlement is to be desired above all." I cannot understand how a college student, who has a re- quired minimum of general knowl- edge, makes such a statement. Has one ever heard of a request to the Courts to help fugitives in their fight against the Police Force? Has ever one heard of motions to have policemen dis- armed when trying to arrest armed bandits? Has ever one heard of peace restored in a trou- bled area by disarming the cit- izens who are defending their property, rights, and lives? Well I never had! What Mr. Wellford is asking is to allow the rebels to take over and thus solving the problem. It is true that such an attitude would solve the problem alright by eliminating "one side of the question," but I do not think that it would be the best way to do it. Well no Mr. Wellford, this will not be a compromise for the sake of peace, it will be an uncondi- tionalasurrender. The right and just way to enforce the partition decision is to help in arming the Jewish army in order to enable then to keep law and order. The only. method to attain those re- sults would be by repealing the arms embargo and to back the Jews in their fight for freedom. -Abraham Lapin. * * * Iron Curtain To the Editor: THE AMERICAN PRESS has rung down the iron curtain of silence on the protests against political arrests of five Commun- ist leaders. These leaders are be- ing held without bail on Ellis Island-a violation of Constitu- tional guarantees. They are at present staging a hunger strike to dramatize for the American peo- ple this evidence of fascist-like political persecution which has en- tered the American scene. Has The Michigan Daily joined the "conspiracy of silence" by ig- noring the birth of Hitler-like concentration camps in the Uni- ted States? it was just such shrugging off of political crisis which permitted Mussolini and Hitler to gain power. The Daily missed the boat on several big news items. Last night the student legislature debated and rejected a resolution protest- ing political arrests. Following the debate, seventeen students, includ- ing fourteen members of the leg- islature, sent a telegram of pro- test to Attorney General Tom Clark. Not a word has been print- ed about the hunger strike, which symbolizes the rejection by the people of the United States of fas- cist tactics. The Daily buried on page five the resolution of the American Association of Univer- sity Professors to support the po- litical freedom of professors, by they Communist or not. Take note, Daily, of writer Stet- son Kennedy's observation that American fascism will not rule di- rectly through a dictator, but through corruption of democratic processes. -Alfred Millstein * * * No Women To the Editor: ON SATURDAY, March 6, the Michigan Union apparently is going all out to throw a large and successful open house. Anyone, by reading the posters advertising it, can see that the program of- fers a large and varied repertoire of events. The Union can be proud of this fine program, but must lower its head in shame at the in- clusion of the allowance it makes women to be able to come in the front door. Women, who in spite of their recognized inferiority have been trying constantly to trans- gress on male rights by attempting to be classified as our equals, seem to have reached the apex of their careers, at least as far as the U. of M. is concerned. Once the U. of M. and the Michigan Union were exclusively for men; then later after the in- vasion of the campus by the "weaker sex" only the front door of the Union was left as symbol of male dominance. Now it seems that even that last stronghold must fall to the lip-sticked, rouged, silly and rather infantile members of our campus; and this with the consent and desire of the Michi- gan Union officers. Since, it seems impossible to convince the poor decadent males who rule the Un- ion to change their policy, f b- seech the women of the college to remember their lesser rank and not be shameful enough to dese- crate this last male stronghold with their long skirts and nylon enclosed legs. I do not wish to be taken as a woman hater, for, whereas I con- sider women a necessary evil and 'all right in their place, their place is definitely not in the Michigan Union via the front door. -Bob Scott The Last Word To the Editor: IN MY LAST LETTER published on Feb. 20 I wrote with a view to presenting some factual view- points about the present situation of China, and not intending to present my statement in a crit- ical sense as to the fact whether the present status of the Chinese government is truly or partly democratic, and I did not antici- pate it would provoke a volley of opposition from Mr. Hy Bershad. I have reasons here for saying that Mr. Bershad drew his con- clusion and gave remarks about China in a mood of "impatience and haste," for they appear too "definitive," and it is a danger for any person to be so .. . Actually the Chinese govern- ment in organization has been and still is in a constant and continu- ing process of improvement. The new Constitution which, adopted and approved by the National Congress, will mark the begin- ning of a new era of China's Con- stitutional Democracy has been in force a very short time; the organization has been going on in a period of transition, and it still needs some years to develop up to the true .sense of democ- racy on account of internal strife. The instances of the corrup- tion of the Chinese government, statements of which Mr. Bershad found on Congressional Records, are recorded in some more sources beyond his knowledge; and I would not be so silly as to avoid admitting it as a fact already commonly known to many people. What I am trying here to point out is this: Stories of corruption through being retold from now and then have gained "additional force" from gross exaggeration; and the more times they are told, the farther they are away from authenticity ... During the present condition owing to the intensification of hostility, it has been imperative on the government to put into force some war-time measures aimed to save the Republic.- measures comparable with those President Lincoln employed dur- ing the Civil War: suspension of habeas corpus, anti-sedition laws, etc. Foreign observers and critics, if having been long in China, may have known that many Chinese colleges and-universities have be- come places of political rivalry: students' demonstrations and strikes sometimes running riot to disturb the public order. We some been familiar with thosetb-t-fl eh Chinese students here, having been familiar with those activ- ities in China, have definite and well-founded proofs for "the in- trigues carried out by the power behind the scene." It seems to most of us the pres- ent is not yet the proper time for anybody to lay down definite crit- icisms, if any. It is our hope that members of the Reading Public, if they care, may write to us c/o Chinese Students' Club for further discussion (friendly and frank). With this letter I wish that the controversy be closed for- ever on this Daily. William Huang. Fifty-Eighth Year I t Golden Days A NEW ERA has dawned on the University campus. But like the earliest rays of the coming dawn, few have realized what was in store for the post-war-weary student. The new, perhaps golden, age of press-agentry, propaganda and organized ballyhoo has come gradually, but now the true rays beat down in the full force of high-noon. It all began last September with the ar- rival of campus comic, Buck Dawson. He revitalized the old huckstering stunts an- nually employed by the Gargoyle and sold 5,500 Student Directories before you could say "Golden Age." That was only the be- ginning. Baby contests, tower tests, high- pressure salesmanship and other crazy stunts were coal added to the fire. The 1948 Michiganensian topped all previous sales records. Does it end here? Buck Dawson graduated. The 'Ensian has gone to the presses. But no! The Golden Age is here to stay. Richard Hitt, Union publicity director, carries on by dropping hundreds of colored balloons onto the campus with free tickets to the Union Open House attached to some. What other stunts Hitt has up his sleeve are left for the reader to conjecture. But if things continue, we can conjecture n rf wa ivaf, ih- .-n-wuofal, rln a, A VALUABLE prerequisite for this picture would be Psychology 31, but even if you're not so educated you'll enjoy it, for it is Tyrone Power's best performance since the war. The movie concerns a low class carnival troupe and the results when Tyrone and his gal break away to put on a big mystification act of their own. Ty is clever and amusing as the shrewd, young trickster who gets involved with a female psychologist and combines his racket with hers. They have great success, but he attempts to carry the act too far, so things start folding. There are moments of suspense and drama and Ty makes you feel sorry for him in the end. All this, plus a good supporting cast, makes the two hours spent a good investment. At the Michiga.. . CHRISTMAS EVE, Ann Harding, George Raft, George Brent, R. Scott. THIS PICTURE has lots of name actors, but not much else to back them up. Miss Harding is a rich old widow who is trying to round up her three sons to help her keep the bad men from taking all her gold. The sons are, of course, Brent, Raft, and Scott. There is a separate plot woven around each son, each of which causes some feeble ex- citement. Randy Scott provides a few laughs as a goofy brone-buster, but most of the cast is strictly for scenery. -A. M. Lindsay. :# 'rI I Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigan under the authority of the Board in Control of Student Publications. Editorial Staff John Campbell......Managing EdIter Dick Maloy...............City Editor Harriett Friedman .. Editorial Director Lida Dailes...........Associate Editor Joan Katz........... Associate Editor Fred Schott.........Associate Editor Dick Kraus............Sports Editor Bob Lent......AssociateSports Editor Joyce Johnson.......Women's Editor Jean Whitney Associate women's Editor Business Staff Nancy Helmick .......General Manxakw' Jeanne Swendeman ......Ad. Manager Edwin Schneider .. Finance Manager Dick Hait....... Circulation Manager Telephone 23-24-1 emberf ni The Associated Press 4t a4 40 A BARNABY .. . \ f All the technical to-do surrounding 1 IfHowverr, 1 ssure yu 'ow -Iffl GapyrgN to N, n..y.ybpnr RM,. Rey U. 5. M. tHi. I y - - 4