._._____ _____.....,_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
-U .

Vital Election Date

ITALY'S ALL-IMPORTANT general elec-
tion is only six weeks away and the fev-
erish political activity reported from that
urlhappy land indicates that no ordinary
issues are at stake.
The Italian voters must make a vitally
important decision, the result of which will
affect not only Italy, but the world, for years
to come. They see the world being split
into two armed camps and must decide
with which camp they will cast their lot.
Ratler than deciding between the Chris-
tian Democratic and Communist parties,
they will act ually decide bet ween the United
States and Rlussi , .
The electoral race will be largely re-
stricted to two groups. The Communists,
1#ft-Wing Socialists, and a few other
minor parties have banded together to
form what is known as the "People's
Rlock," while their only effective opposi-
tion is the Christian Democratic party.
As evidence of the international aspect of
this.election, the Marshall Plan has played
the largest roll in the political slugfest so
far. The Communists accuse Premier De
GC.speri of selling out Italy to the United
States and blame all of Italy's ills on the
government's refusal to string along with
Russia.
The Christian Democrats strike back by
pointing.out that it has been America and
America only which has kept Italy from
Editorials published in The Michigan Daily
-re written by members of The Daily staff
and represent the views of the writers only.
NIGHT EDITORS: MALOY and SCHOTT

starving, and that only under tie \1:aImIl
Plan will any furt.her aid be forthcoming.
Municipal elect ions alread ywid s l ViIow .h
great strength of the "People's Block But,
the anti-Communist side has been strength-
ened recently by the attitude of the Catholic
Church which has come out strongly for
the Christian Democrats. The Pope himself
reminded Catholies tHitit, was tleir duty
to vote against parties lt, wer- enemies
of, religion. Furthermore, the Card ma Arch-
bishop of Milan istruoed prw.s to deny
sacrament., to i mnbmr of II he Coitnuwisft
party. All of t b iS P1 f f t uoi i Cr:uc h
will certainly brinn out a oi :ex o it i-Com-
munist vote.
But fear has been ('Xptesst'd that the
Communists may attempt a coup d'etat in
Italy before the genera] election just as they
did in Czechoslovakia. Action of that kind
is possible, but astute political observers
say that it is not very probable. In Czecho-
slovakia there was strong doubt, that the
Communists would fare well in the election.
In Italy, however, they have been conceded
a good chance to obtain a clear majority
and the consequent control of the govern-
ment.
Gaining control of the government
legally would be a feather in the Corn-
munist hat and might influence othcer
weak governments favorably. But a seiz-
ure of power through force or trickery
would cause a violent wave of reaction
in countries which have not as yet aligned
themselves with the East or the West. In
the long rin, it might do the Communist
movement more harm than good.
Mark April 18 down on your calendar.
Italy's decision on that day will go a long
way in determining the fateofn urope.
--Leon. Jarofi'.

Dascola Trial Tactics

DASCOLA SAID he "didn't know how."
And he kept repeating the phrase con-
stantly-his only excuse for refusing to cut
the hair of William Grier, a Negro medical
student.
A poor excuse is better than none, the
barber must have thought, because Oette
Marney, himself a barber, testified in court
yesterday that a Negro's hair is cut just
like the hair of anyone else and with the
same equipment. But Dominic Dascola ra-
tionalized, he "didn't know how." He just,
hasn't had the experience.
If cutting a Negro's hair was no different
than cutting a white person's hair, or East
Indian hair or Japanese hair, Dascola was
not aware of it-and claimed that he could
scarcely be expected to undertake cutting
a Negro's hair. His reputation would suffer
if he did a poor job of it.
Still, Dascola did a poor job if he wished
to convince reasonable people. For reasons
known to himself, he was unable to identify
this allegedly different type of hair, which
his inexperience did not allow him to cut.
When supplied with a microscope, Dascola
was embarrassed, for he could still detect
no difference. He needed to be confronted
by the individual who wanted his hair cut.
He needed to see the color of the skin under
the hair as a criterion for judgment.
Nor was Dascola's attorney, John Conlin,
more rational. He repeatedly tried to appeal
to what he thought were the prejudices of
the jury. In his summary he submitted that
witnesses for the prosecution were all stu-
dents or faculty members, implying that
their testimony was open to question. At the
same time he declared that the persecuted
Dascola is a long time resident of Ann
Arbor. Presumably, this would render his
testimony unimpeachable.
When Oette Marney testified, Mr. Conlin
thought it somehow pertinent that Mar-
ney's employer was languishing in jail. And
when Carroll Little testified Conlin called
him a "trouble-maker" and a "home-
breaker.
Earlier, Conhin had attempted to trace
At Patten gill Auditorium
THEY KNEW WHAT THEY WANTED,
wth the Student Players.
THE STUDENT PLAYERS made their
campus debut last night and it was a
very promising one. Their initial vehicle
was Sidney Howard's warm and lively com-
edy, "They Knew What They Wanted,"
which, according to all reports, had had a
highly successful run at West Lodge. I see no
reason why it shouldn't be received with
the same degree of enthusiasm here.
"They Knew What They Wanted" is a
diverting plea for the simple life, which is
generously spiced with some very fine hu-
mor. Its pivotal character is an uninhibited
Italian farmer in California's grape belt.
This role has the good fortune of being filled
by A. Michael Ceta, who handles it with
zeal, animation and a pretty convincing
Latin accent. He is capably assisted
throughout by Ben Dziengielewski, as the
foreman, and Jane Bevan, as his wife.
It is a pleasure to have this new group on
r*ampus and I should like to take this oppor-

the entire "Operation Haircut" to campus
groups which he could. identify with the
Communist Party. When he failed in this
he fell back on the fact that Dascola didn't
know how," and therefore it was really
too much to charge pre.judice and discrim-
ination.
But somehow we were unimpressed, and
think Mr. Dascola had not a moral leg to
stand on.
-Al Blumrosen.
-Jake Hurwitz.
-Craig Wilson.
P------d
Pefq
RIDING HIGH on its latest "un-American"
front page break--the expose of "sub-
versive" atomic scientist, Dr. Edward Con-
don-the Thomas Committee is going to
pull another 'fast one on the American pub-
lic. Chairman J. Parnell Thomas is currently
requesting $200,000 dollars to carry on the
work of his committee, twice as much as his
1947 appropriation.
Just what did the Thomas Committee do
last year that merits an increase in its
present appropriation, or for that matter,
a continuation?
The outstanding feat of the 1947 House
Un-American Committee was to expose
ten Hollywood writers as "subversive."
One can easily imagine the objective
members of the committee spending a fat
slice of the appropriation attending the
fabulous Hollywood parties conscientiously
collecting the word-of-mouth evidence
against the ten men at their hearings.
Result-indictments for contempt against
10 writers and directors now jobless and
awaiting trial because they refused to say
whether or not they were ever members of
the Communist Party.
Firing the opening gun of its 1948 sea-
son, the Un-American activities committee
charged Dr. Condon with association with
alleged Communist spies and described him
as "one of the weakest links in our atomic
security."
Fellow scientists flocked to Condon't de-
fense, vouching for his loyalty and integ-
rity. The American Committee of Atomic
scientists headed by Alfred Einstein, Dr.
Harold C. Urey and Dr. Henry .D. Smyth
accused the Thomas Committee of "render-
ing a disservice to the interests of the
United States," and added, "Unsubstantiated
and unwarranted attacks on distinguished
scientists in government service can have
but one result: To make it increasingly dif-
ficult for the U.S. government to obtain the
services of able scientists."
Meanwhile, Thomas acknowledged that
his report was incomplete in that it
omitted a statement by FBI Director J.
Edgar Hoover to the effect that there was
no evidence that Condon was disloyal
in allegedly associating with an alleged
Russian spy-unidentified. What hap-
pened, according to Thomas, was that
his committee investigators copied only
part of the Hoover letter and when the
report was drawn up every available word
was included.
Despite the record of the Thomas Com-
mittee's activities, Kal M. LeCompte. chair-

"D RATHER BE RIGHT:
11yv5.AMU14', G R A FiN
PRACTICAL POITICS: The art of com-
puting how many county chairmen are
on your side, at a time when the voters ob-
viously want an Eisenhower or someone else
who wouldn't know a county chairman if
he saw one.
ThE HEALTHY SOCIETY: We are told
by those who dislike is very much. that
Amerieam society is sick, deep in ihe lte
stagSo : lMcngi'< nf dresi '; ic. A lica iii
society, we are informed, is a daring society
one which runs risks and takes chances.
But it would be bard to find any other
society which has taken greateir risks than
we have, as for example, in asking for
inflation, by killing price control at a time'
when we were doing so well. The cool in-
souciance of that choice, the nerve and
hardihood displayed, are almost unmatched
in the annals of audacity. Then, too, there
is the fact that we have quite willingly
lived through three years of the word's
worst crisis, with only Mr. Truman between
ourselves and the fearful face of fate. In
later years they will perhaps exclaim over
us, and say how intrepid we were. We do
have guts. Of course, there are some who
say we should go further, and starting next.
year, name someone like the rightwing Mr.
Taft as the man to set an unhappy world
aright. But there are more sober heads
who feel we have already proved our courage
sufficiently, and tfhat additional gestures
are uncalled for.
SECPET DIPLOMACY: A praoess uno-
der which great questions are negotiated
between nations in closed meetings, while
the reporters stay outside.
OPEN DIPLOMACY: A process under
which the President stays outside with the
reporters, and there aren't any meetings.
* *i *
DEFLATION: The downbeat of a major
economic cycle. On the way up, which is
called inflation, the moment you scrape
together ten thousand dollars to buy a
house, the price rises to fifteeen. When, by
stopping the childrens' allowances, switch-
ing to a pipe and eating chop meat, you
managed to accumulate fifteen, the price
goes to twenty. During deflation, contrari-
wise, when the price drops to fifteen you
find you only have ten left, and when it hits
ten you only have five. This ballet-like for-
ward and backward movement of yourself
and your object, forever near and forever
out of reach, is one of the most graceful
plotions in nature, and has been compared
to the ebb and flow of the tides. On -the
way up, duing inflation, it is customary
to pray that production will rise to a level
sufficient to meet demand, and thus force
prices down. When this happens, however,
a curious form of displeasure breaks out
among the very same men who have been
predicting this outcome. Every decline in
prices is greeted with groans, and it
becomes the correct thing to look for more
shortages, and to predict with great satis-
faction that they will continue. Some au-
thorities believe this to be a survival of
primitive magic, an effort to deceive the
evil eye about the existence of plenty by,
talking volubly about our lacks. Other au-
thorities discount the magic theory and
consider that the whole attitude is based
on a vulgar desire to make money.
* * *
VINDICATION AT THE POLLS: That
which you get from the voters because your
principles are right, your candidate is at-
tractive and the other side is split.
(Copyright, 1948, New York Post Corportlon)

IT S
HAPPENS .
* Revelation
Subversive Scandal
THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS of the
various and sundry Un-American Activ-
ities Committees are always a source of in-
terest, if not amusement.
The latest result from the gold coast,
according to New Republic's report, rivals
the Dies Committee accusation that Shirley
Temple was a Communist.
State Senator Jack Tenney, head of the
California Un-American Activities Commit-
tee has revealed that the Hollywood actors
laboratory has produced two plays by a
Russian named Anton Chekov.
Angell Hall Gossip
WE WERE CASUALLY glancing through
key-hole of a classroom the other day,
when the postures of the inhabitants froze
us to the spot.
A young man was waving his finger under
the nose of his professor, and we could
just hear him say: "I've been warned about
you; you're a cynic!"

HILT, MAUTIN

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 diseretion of the edi-
torial director.
* S *
If erieat Stand
To the Editor:
IN THE LEFT-RIGHT political
scale, where does America stand
today? Left of Center? By no
means. Instead we are a long way
right of center, not yet quite so
far as Franco and Peron, Hitler
and Mussolini, but pretty well
along in \that general direction.
If you don'tbelieve it, look at this
sit ,w n l il' American wind:
Against w om are all "un-Amer-
ican" probes directed? Against
Communists, of course, not
against Fascists. Again, it is li-
belous to call a man a Communist,
but not to call him a Fascist. Some
Americans even openly call them-
selves Fascists.
Our Fascist friends will reply,
"So what? Is it bad to be a Fas-
cist?" Liberals think so. But that
fact would scarcely impress the
Fascist. However, here is an argu-
ment which should impress him:
China in one important respect,
America strikingly resembles
China in one important respect,
namely that more Communists
are being created in America, as
in China, by the intransigence of
"'v(onolmli( royalists" in both coun-
tries, than by all the Russian
propaganida iis the world. It seems
abundantly clear that it is the
short-sighted selfishness of men
in high places in both countries
who make Russia a genuine threat
to America and China, and will,
if they keep on, enable Russia to
continue infiltrating and annex-
ing until she has the whole world
in tow.
If we care anything about pre-
serving our country from domina-
tion by foreigners whose cruelty
has been amply shown, we would
do ell to sit humbly at the feet
of countries like Britain, which
has infuriated Russia by stealing
much of her best thunder. Amer-
ica would be well-advised to steal
some of that same thunder.
We could likewise infuriate
Russia by treating our racial mi-
norities with a whole lot more
consideration than we are doing
today. If the South is still too
illiterate to read the handwriting
on the wvall they may yet drag us
down the path that Poland has
trod. It is time the South woke
up and learned what the score is.
At present, white-supremacy
Southerners (and Northerners)
and economic royalists everywhere
are making glad the heart of
Russia. Russia could well afford
to have them on her party pay-
r'oll. But she doesn't need to: They
work for Russia free of charge.
-Bayard Lyon.
* * *
Editor Unmasked
To the Editor:
M Y HAT IS off to you Miss
Friedman, you are a credit to
your convictions, a master of your
art-propaganda that is! You are

also adepted in creating titles for
your editorials which honestly la-
bel what is contained within-
"Distortion and Venon."
In your delightful treatise on a
great American, you run the prop-
aganda gauntlet from namecall-
ing and card-stacking with ver-
biage to space.
It is unfair to Mr. Thomas to
insinuate that his only motives in
bringing to light the Condon issue
is his hatred of liberals and his
desire to see his name in print. I
suppose I could remark that Wal-
lace is waging his losing battle
only to keep his name on the front
page, but I won't! You quote cer-
tain passages from Mr. Thomas'
statement that supports your for-
mer inference, but allow me to
quote another passage of t he same
statement: "The committee has no
evidence that Dr. Condon is dis-
loyal, but there is ample evidence
that he has been at least indiscreet
in a position in which indiscretion
could have serious consequences."
This puts a different light on the
so-called Thomas "witch hunt."
I "might conjecture "a little bit
on" your motives, "and jot down
the following:"
1. Your ardent support of Wal-
lace?
2. Parnell Thomas is a Repub-
lican?
3. Your emphatic dislike of the
"Hollywood Clean-up?"
4. The expose of Gerhardt Eis-
ler and the controversy raised con-
cerning his Ann Arbor appear-
ance was distasteful to you?
Yes, Thomas and the members
of his committee are elected by
us and are also supported by funds
appropriated by men elected by
until you, Miss Friedman, prove
that he and the other committee-
men are incompetent and biased (I
fail to see where it is so obvious,
as you suggest) we will continue
to sanction their activities. Per-
sons of your convictions forced
Dies, a Democrat, from office, so
let us fervently pray that Mr.
Thomas has the courage to hold
out against your prejudiced "dis-
tortions and venoms."
-Harold E. Evans
Musical Views
To the Editor:
IN THE MIDDLE ages the Cath-
olic Church was the supreme
political force in the Western
world. In th territory it didn't di-
rectly govern, it levied taxes and
directed the policies of kings and
empires, and the thought of all
people.
There arose in the early six-
teenth century a revolt against
this political and spiritual domin-
ion. Martin Luther led this re-
volt and attracted many follow-
ers to his cause, a cause which in
the following century or two blos-
somed into a great revolution, a
turmoil which toppled kings and
dynasties anddin its culmination
impoverished all Europe.
Luther knew that a movement
such as his could not last long on
an intellectual plane. No revolu-
tion requiring the allegiance of
large masses of people could; it
must also have an emotional ap-


X \t
Copr. 140 by Unted F,.tur, Sydcate; Lqt.
--- l ighs es ierv .d
"Officer, this man is molesting me!"
Letters to the Editor ..

peal if it i to engender spiritual
unity,
Being a mnusiian o tno mean
parts, lie could appreciate the part
that music could be made to play
InI furl I ering his cause. Ire not
only Comm~issionedl some of the
most famous musicians of his day
to write his theme music, but
took a hand himself in what lie
considered so imortant 'a part of
his struggle.
It was not long before ie organ
was the great attraction of the Lu-
theran Church, It is almost, un-
believable today how many Ge-
mans of the sixteenth century
learned the elements of music un-
der~ this imipetus, to what lengths
they saver their pennies to buy
organs; for their churches.
There is no doubt that the new
Protestant music was a great uni-
fying factor in the Reformation.
It was a jealous possession of the
Lutherans-something that dis-
tinguished them from the Outside
-something they would as son
part with as their Wittenburg
Theses.
A prune example of this music
is the chorale, Ein Feste Burg Ist
Inser Gott, written by Luther in
about 1528. The performance of
this hymn, though its words are
in large part but a paraphrase of
a familiar Psalm, was once pro-
hibited on pain of death, in some
parts of Catholic Europe.
Why was it so important and so
dangerous? Surely not because of
the thought, which was fairly in-
nocuous. It was because the gran-
deur of that music had become as-
sociated with the Lutheran strug-
gle, had become identified with
the glorious Lutheran martyrs,
and in short, the whole1 evolution-
ary complex.
Even today, on hearing Bach's
magnificent transcription of this
music, one is moved in the spirit,
and can appreciate well the in-
tensity of that great struggle of so
long ago.
--Ralph A. Raimi
* * *
Justice
To the Editor:
Re: Palestine Issue
Mr. Welford is interested in
justice.
Is it justice to have Arab war-
riors cross the Palestine borders
unchallenged when Jews are rot-
ting on Cyprus and in European
D.P. camps?
Is it justice that Arabs are re-
ceiving arms under "existing
agreements" when the Jews are
being systematically disarmed?
Is it justice that Jews are con-
sidered unreasonable when they
want to defend 1/7 of the area
allotted them by the League of
Nations at a time when 40 times
that area was conceded to sur-
rounding Arab peoples?
What do you call minimum de-
mands, Mr. Wellford, when a
patch of ground half the size of
Vermont is maximum demands?
Won't you please look at a map!
And be sure to use a large map.
Otherwise you will never find the
proposed Jewish State even with
a microscope. And the 2,000,000
square miles all around that little
dot, that's the Arab World.
Why don't people exert their
energy to convince the Arabs of
the obvious fact that co-operation
with the Jewish people will bene-
fit them and everybody else, in-
stead of accusingthe Jews of un-
reasonableness.
Who is unreasonable?
-John Ilofman
New Information
To the Editor:

MAY I 'USE your column to an-
swer Emanuel M. Amir and
Wadi S. Rumman?
'As an ex-member of the USAAF
Intelligence in the Middle East, I
am in a position to call to the at-
tention of the Daily's readers that
(quote):
"The people of Lebanon are
Christian in majority. They have
been dragged in the Arab League
by the pressure exerted on them
by the Arab powers and the Brit-
ish. (We are familiar wtih this
kind of pressure.) We, the Chris-
tians of Lebanon, will support
Zionism which will bring in the
Middle East a force of progress."
Signed.
Monseigneur Arida, Patriarch
(Head of the Lebanese Christian
Church)
Again I would like to refer to
the two and three millions of Cop-
tics (Christians) that live in Egypt
and with whom I was quite in con-
tact during my stay there. Govern-
ment positions are closed to both
Jews and Coptics; the Egyptian
Christian is in the way of experi-
encing the same trouble as the
Egyptian Jew. After this state-
ment I will expect Mr. Mohamed
of the Arab Club to answer with a
list of names of persons having
"leading positions" in the gov-
ernment offices with Mr. Makram


BARNABY.. .

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