THI~fCHIGAVNPAJIL'Y
SU7NDAY,FERAY2,15
_._________________..__________ a.... '4
Reform Movements
The
ity Editor's
WlE NALLY
!CRATCH
By AL BLUMEOSEN
ELL, WE FINALLY met the Regents.
That is, a few of us did. Over coffee
excellent cake in the Union a group
ome fifty students talked about every-
g from the weather to the drinking ban
:i members of our governing board for
ost two hours.
The, general, sentiment of people there
s very favorable. Almost all of the Re-
ats and students said they want to con-
ue the meetings. This is a fine idea.
R EFORM MOVEMENTS are funny things.
They begin mostly with the people. Less
often they begin with thescholars. And
seldom do they begin where they really
should, in the positions of responsibility.
In reform the people are selfish; they
do not move to change a thing unless it
is hurting them, or some one forcibly
points out to them that the thing is hurt-
ing them. And the scholars seem more
content to point out needed changes over
cups of coffee; arguing which are the best
reforms without taking definite action.
The people who know most about back-.
wardness and corruption don't call for
new ways because they fear it will injure
their present position; not since the Re
formation have groups needing progres-
sive action to any extent demanded it
themselves.
This week the executive of a well-sized
Michigan city spoke to a political science
organization. He told them that city em-
ployees working in hand with city officials
can control elections. And he listed Michi-
gan municipalities where this condition now
exists. He did not do this, however, until
he had castda glance at The Daily reporter
present, and warned that he was not to
be quoted.
It has happened before. A member of
the State Welfare Department speaking be-
fore a sociology club threw up his hands
in dismay at rotten conditions existing in
welfare bureaus here and throughout the
rest of the country. "But don.'t put that in
your paper! I have a wife, children "
These men are on the inside. They
know about things that stink which most
people don't smell. They are willing to tell
select academic groups, because they know
their words will not reach the people
or their bosses - from the scholars.
The places that need reform are where
reforms should begin. They must, come
from people with the facts on the political
machines, rotten state institutions, outmod-
ed governmental policies, monopolized busi-
nesses. And they must fearlessly tell their
stories to the public, not the academicians.
--Vernon Emerson
cetinly is easier
Lyu know them.
op into a set of
to work with people
These meetings can
worthwhile sessions.
A .
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And then the Lion said: "But I got a right to be scared
-look what happened to Parnell Thomas."
The Daily welcomes communications from its readers on matters of
general interest, and will publish all letters which are signed by the writer
and in good taste. Letters exceeding 300 words in length, defamatory or
libelous letters, and letters which for any reason are not in good taste will
be condensed, edited, or withheld from publication at the discretion of the
editors. 5
FOR ONE'TkING, a couple of the Regents
came into the room with a firm "no talk
about business" policy. They just wanted
to "have fun" and "get to know us." This
was irksome to me, because I had the idea
that this meeting was suppossed to be the
beginning of a MUTUAL understanding of
the University problems on the part of both
regents and students. Unless you discuss
problems, how can you understand them?
This, it must be added in fairness, does
not apply to) all of the Regents. Some of
them were willing to talk facts.
Some of the more satisfied students said
that we should get to know the Regents
first. I agree, but it would be. nice to be
able to ask pointed questions once in a
while to the whole board.
* * *
ANOTHER UNFORTUNATE aspect of the
affair was' that it was so limited. At a
"coffee hour" you cannot have many more
than the fifty students who were present.
Some of the rest of the 20,000 students here
should have the chance to exchange ideas
with the Regents.
That was the main advantage of the
originally proposed "open forum" type of
meeting. To be sure, it does not give that
sense of personal contact which is im-
portant, but it is also important that as
many students as possible have some con-
tact with the Regents.
Only in this way can the sessions contrib-
ute anything to University life. Otherwise,
they might degenerate into a scheme to
get free coffee out of the Union.
AS A FIRST STEP, the meeting was a
success. Future meetings can develop in-
to a worthwhile set of sessions where any
student can ask his pet question and get a
straight answer.
Such a development will take some out-
spoken effort on. the part of some student
lqaders and fu* agreement-by.t.e Regents
that the University can be run more satis-
factorily if students are allowed to take
part.
Editorials published in The Michigan Daily
are written by members of The Daily staff
and represent the views of the writers only.
NIGHT EDITOR: DOLORES LASCHEVER
v a1
THOMAS L. STOKES:
ADA & Electoral College
DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN
WASHINGTON-At the eleventh hour, so
to speak, liberal political and labor
groups headed up in Americans for Demo-
cratic Action have suddenly joined the op-
position to the proposed Lodge-Gossett con-
stitutional amendment to reform our anti-
quated Electoral College system for electing
our presidents.
The proposed amendment, sponsored
jointly by Senator Lodge (R., Mass.) and
Rep. Gossett (D., Tex.), would retain the
Electoral College in form, but would
modify the system so that the electoral
votes of each state would be divided
among the candidates on the basis of the
percentage of the popular vote that they
received in each state. At present the
whole electoral vote of a state goes to the
candidate who receives a majority of its
popular vote. The proposal represents
an approach to popular election of pres-
idents.
The objection of ADA and allied organiza-
tions is predicted on the assumption that
Bookstores:* A Fact
THE STUDENT LEGISLATORS who are
currently investigating the possibility of
establishing a used book store capable of
handling textbooks used for other courses
than the elementary freshman texts which
the IFC book exchange sells, might be in-
terested in the following facts.
I bought a used book from one of the
Ann Arbor book stores for four dollars.
The book, which costs five dollars new,
had been sold to the store by a person of
my acquaintance. Upon enquiry, I learned
that the book had been sold to the store
by the acquaintance for two dollars a few
days before.
That is approximately a hundred per cent
profit. Not bad, heh?'
At a hundred per cent an SL bookstore
should be more like a fact than a mere pos-
sibilty.
-Rich Thomas
this would reduce the present balance of
power of minority groups, particularly in
big, populous states with large electoral
votes. If such groups are well organized and
disciplined, they are often able to swing
a state by throwing all their votes in one
direction, thus holding power far beyond
their numerical strength.
* * *
THERE IS NO question that the new sys-
tem would reduce such preponderant in-
fluence in particular states of minority and
pressure groups. This was persuasive, it is
known, with southern conservative senators
who saw thereby a diminuation of the in-
fluence of minority and pressure groups in
big eastern and northern states, especially
in urban centers, which they related chiefly
to one issue, civil rights. They envisaged
an increase in their own power, and this
possible result obviously provoked the ADA
and its allies.
But the position of the latter seems
wholly specious and illogical if our elec-
tions are to be truly democratic and the
votes of all citizens are to weigh equally
in the result, without endowing some spe-
cial bloc or blocs of voters with extra-
ordinary power not commensurate with
their actual voting strength.
In all of, his arguments, Senator Lodge
was very frank on this subject. He always
stressed as a particular advantage of his
proposal that it would eliminate concentra-
tion on a few big states and therebywould
reduce the necessity of pouring big cam-
paign funds into such states. This, in itself,
is an invitation to corruption. Also, it would
minimize appeals on the basis of prejudice
to special groups which now make some of
our campaigns so bitter, vituperative, and
often noisesome, and devoid of basic issues.
* * *
THIS, INDEED, would be a happy result,
as anyone who has covered campaigns
in such states can testify.
As for the South, instead of building up
Democratic conservatism he saw in his
proposal, rather, a means of encouraging
the two-party system which, of itself
would vitalize politics there. Since, under
his proposal, the votes of Republicans in
the South would be reflected in electoral
votes and thus, in effect, be counted, this
would give Republicans an incentive for
building a real party there.
Despite this probable effect, a majority of
Senate Republicans, largely conservative,
voted against his proposal. Among them was
Senator Taft of Ohio, who always has main-
tained an effective organization , in the
South. Since his vote, the Ohio senator has
been criticized by some of his Southern
supporters who are active on his behalf for
the 1952 Republican nomination.
THE IDEAL SYSTEM, it would seem,
would be real popular election of our
president, with complete abolition of the
Electoral College system. But small states
are against this, as it would reduce their
influence in national elections.
One of the great progressive leaders of
our times, the late Senator George W.
Norris of Nebraska, was an advocate for
years of a constitutional amendment for
direct popular election of presidents.
In view of his proposal, which would give
equal weight everywhere to all voters, it is
strange to see latter-day progressives of
the ADA taking the position they do i.
respect to this second-best approach to pop-
ular 'elections.
(Copyright, 1950, by United Feature Syndcate, Inc.)
TheBli
"FAITH may be defined briefly as an 'il-
logical belief in the occurence of the
improbable. There is thus a flavor of the
pathological in it; it goes beyond the normal
intellectual process and passes into the
murky domain of transcendental metaphy-
sics.
--___________--.......- _______ ..*---.- I
The Lowdown .. .
To the Editor:
FRESHMAN Meyer Fink, young
Detroit-born writer who wants i
to write a novel some day, is visit-
ing the campus in order to obtain
authentic, documented, true-to-life
material for his next English II
theme.
Questioned by local admirers,
Fink said, "Since I have never
seen much of the University, it
was a logical locale for my next
paper."
Fink's paper will deal with an
earnest but confused young stu-
dent in search of a meaningful set
of English II themes.
The fledgling author will utilize
a subtle but dynamic group of
4 *
t
- \I
1 h
MEYER FINK
..A portrait of the artist as
a young man.
* * *
rhetorical principles in order to
explain, overtly, by means of
motivation, characterization, prose,
and paragraph movement.
"When one of my ideas takes
place on Ann Street," said Fink,
"I want to know what it looks like
and where it is."' --
Fink's present home is in the
writer's colony in Big Beaver,
Michigan.
-T. Ross
-W. Hampton
* * *
'U InIjvidlIalism ...
To the Editor:
ANENT THE RECENT "Voice in
the Land" editorial and the
letters concerning it by some pro-
fessors: I believe that these people
would do well to examine more
critically the conditions with
which they are in intimate con-
tact for signs of "democracy in
action."
The University of which they are
a part has so succeeded in remov-
ing the emphasis from academics
and placing it primarily on grades,
that it has become a twentieth$
century diploma-mill. As a result
of this, students learn soon after
they come here that knowledge
of how to live in today's world as
an individual does NOT count, cx-
BARNABY
aminations do; interest is quickly
lost in the curriculum, and
the diploma becomes the goal. The
only excuse for studying is to pass
examinations; social life's the
thing: "Let's all have a good
time." In order to cover up its in-
adequacies, the Universitytadmin-
istration thereupon finds it neces-
sary to limit these good times by
all sorts of regulations, giving the
somewhat time-worn excuse that
otherwise the students would not
study. This, for some reason,
places the blame directly on the
hapless student, andrdirects all
criticism for his shortcomings on
himself.
As far as "individualism" is con-
cerned, the excuse is given that it
is up to the student to get in there
and compete for the grades, and
that they will reflect what he has
got. An analysis of the basis on
which these grades are handed
out, known as the "fang and claw"
system, quickly shows that this is
not true- . . .
Here, then, we have a picture
of "individualism" and "pioneer-
ing spirit" in the atomic age: the
prize is given to those who manage
to conform the most compulsively;
the university administration tac-
itly admits, by its regulations, that
one cannot be an individual, and
the same is admitted by the facul-
ty in its grade reports. Just what
results this conformity is to get
us are equally easy to see. The
students are led to believe that
when they demonstrate that they
can control themselves, they may
be given control over some of
their activities. This is the "work-
ing within the existing frame-
work" theory, which means that
through greater conformity the
external compulsions to conform
will be reduced, a logical conclu-
sion...
Contemplating the degree of
control over our affairsgwhich
college graduates in the aggregate
assume, our graduates present a
sorry picture of what is to come.
Where is this "individualism" to
come from, if not from the uni-
versities? Perhaps it is to spring
from those inscrutable "masses"
in which we have such great
faith.
I recommend that these afore-
mentioned professors look around
them for the truth of these re-
marks; most of them won't have
to: they know it by their critical
attitude toward the students, and
not toward the university admin-
istration, where their criticism
should rightly be directed. Why
not start here to foster some of
that "pioneering spirit," or is this
too close to home? Why not quit
arguing esoteric questions and get
down to practicalities, or do these
professors feel themselves to be
ineffectual outside the "ivory
tower "
-Richard Quinlan, '50 (?)
Survival of the Fittest
Every time we read of a person
who killed himself playing Rus-
sian roulette, we conclude that
the average intelligence of the
human race has gone up a little
bit.
-St. Louis Star-Times.
(Continued from Page 3)
(1) participation in public per-
formandes' sponsored by student
organizations such as Union Op-
era, Junior- Girls' Play, Glee Club
concerts, Band concerts (except
for students enrolled in the School
of Music), Gilbert and Sullivan,
Student Players, Theatre Guild,
Inter Arts Union.
(2) as required for enrollment
in a course, such as Play Produc-
tion.
(3) staff membersof student
publications such as Michigan
Daily, Gargoyle, Michiganensian,
Michigan Technic.
(4) members and candidates for
membership in student govern-
ment groups such as Student Leg-
islature, Interfraternity, Council,
Intercooperative Council, Panhel-
lenic, Assembly, Judiciary Coun-
cils.
(5) officers in studentorganiza-
tions including house groups, class
officers or candidates for such of-
fice.
(6)committee members for ma-
jor campus projects and dances
such as Michigras, Gulantics, So-
phomore'Cabaret, Senior Ball, As-
sembly Ball, Interfraternity Coun-
cil B a ll.-E
Each applicant for a certificate
of eligibility will be asked to show
his scholastic record as issued by
his schtol or college which must
fulfill the following, requirements:
Second :semester freshmen: 15
hours or more of work completed
with at least a "C" average. EF-
FECTIVE FOR THIS SEM~ESTER
ONLY..
Sophomores, juniors, seniors: 11
hours or more of academic credit
in the preceding semestervwith an
average oil :at least C and at least
a C average for the entire aca-
demic career.
Students on probation or warn-
ing are forbidden to participate in
any extracurricular activity.
University Community Center,
Willow Village
Sun., Feb. 26, Village Church
Fellowship (Interdenominational):
10:45 a.m., Church service and
Sunday' School. 4:30 p.m., Study
and Discussion. 5:30 p.m., Pot-luck
Supper.. m C n
Mon. iFeb. 27, 8 p.m., Coopera-
tive Nursery General Meeting.
Tues., Feb. 28, 8 p.m., Wives'
Club. Program by wives from other
lands. New members welcome.
Wed., Mar. 1, 8 p.m., Ceramics;
Wives' Club Board; Great Books
Group. Plutarch's Lives. New
members welcome; Christian Edu-
cation Committee. Study and dis-
cussion of Ligon's "The Future
Is Now."
Thurs., Mar. 2, 8 pm., Ceramics;
Choir:..
mFri., Mar. 3, 8 p.m., Lenten Serv-
ice. (Interdenominational.)
International Center, Weekly
Calendar:
Sun., Feb. 26, 6:30 p.m., Ger-
man Supper. 8 p.m., World Af-
f airs Roundtable Discussion on
Position of Germany in world to-
day.
Mon., Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m., Rus-
sian Circle.
Wed., Mar. 1, 10 a.m., Ann Ar-
bor Sewing Group. 8 p.m., Danc-
ing Instrubtion; Canasta Instruc-
tion.
Thurs., Mar. 2, 7:30 p.m.,
Polonia Club.
Sat., Mar. 4, 1:30 p.m., Hindi
Classes. 3 p.m., Music Hour. 4 p.m.,
Movies on America.
Academic Notices
Theory of Games Seminar: 7:15
p.m., Mon., Feb. 27, 3001 Angell
Hall. Dr. W. M. Kincaid will
speak. .-
Mathematics Orientation Semi-
nar: 3 p.m., Mon., Feb. 27, 3001
A.H. "Factoring of Polynomials of
More than one Variable." Prof. G.
Y. Rainich.
Physital-Inorganic Chemistry
Seminar: 4:07 p.m., Wed., Mar. 1,
1300 Chemistry. Prof. Q. B. B. M.
Sutherland will discuss "Infrared
Investigations and Chemical Bind-
ing."
Preliminary Examinations for
the Ph.p, in English will be given
from 9 to 12 o'clock, 71 Business
Administration Building, as fol-
lows: Wed., Apr. 19, English Liter-
ature from the Beginnings to
1550; Sat., Apr. 22, English Litera-
ture from 1550 to 1750; Wed., Apr.
26, English Literature from 1750
to 1950; Sat., Apr. 29, American
Literature. Students who plan to
take these examinations must
notify Professor Ogden at once.
Concerts
Program Cancelled. The produc-
tion of "L'Amfiparnasso," by Vec-
chi, previously announced for Sun-
day evening, Feb. 26, under the
joint sponsorship of the Museum
of Art and the Collegium Musicum
of the School of Music, has been
unavoidably postponed. The new
date will be announced later.
Student Recital: Jacqueline Ro-
senblatt, pianist, will be heard in
a recital at 8:30 p.m., Mon., Feb.
27, Rackham Assembly Hall. Pre-
sented in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
Master of Music, it will include
compositions by Bach, Mozart,
Stravinsky, and Brahms. Opento
Fthe public. Miss Rosenblatt is a
pupil of Joseph Brinkman.
Student Recital: Robert Miller,
a student of violin and viola with
Paul Doktor, will be heard in a
program at 4:15 p.m., Tues., Feb.
28, Rackham. Assembly Hal. Com-
positions by Beethoven, Kor-
nauth, Smetana and, Mozart. Pre-
sented in lieu of a thesis for the
Master of Music degree, the re-
cital will be open to the public.
Student Recital: A program of
student soloists with orchestra will
be presented at 8:30 p.m., Tues.,
Feb. 28, Hill Auditorium. Those
participating will be Elaine Bro-
van, Colette Jablonski and Charles
Fisher, pianists; Hary Hammond
and Norma Heyde, sopranos;
Richard Miller, tenor; Edward
Troupin, violinist; and Carlo Car-
taino, flutist. Compositions by
Mozart, Telemann, Chopin, Der
bussy, Ravel, Ponchielli and Liszt
The public is invited.
Events Tovday
Canterbury Club: Holy Comr-
munion, 9 a.m. with breakfastfl-
lowing. 5:30 p.m., supper and
meeting. Cabinet officials will be
elected. Mr DeWitt Baldin will
speak on Summer Service Projects.
Lutheran Student Assoiation:
5:30 pm., supper, Zion Parish
Hall. Speaker: Prof. Paul G
Kauper.
Congregational -Dnsciprles-Evn-
gelial and Reformed: 6 p.m., sup
per at Memorial Christian Church.
;Mrs. Rasa Page Welch, noted
Negro soloist will talk on: "In-
terpreting and. Singing Negro
Spirituals."
Gamma Delta, Lutheran Student
Group: 5:30 p.m., supper and pro-
gram. Discussion: "How to An-
swer Objections to the Christian.
Faith."
Unitarian Student Group: '7
p.m., panel discussion: "Demnocracy
in Education." :Film, on race, re-
lations. Refreshments.
Inter Guild Councl: Meei*g
2:30 p.m., Lane Hall Library1-
I.Z.F.A.-Hillel. Hebitew Circle
meeting, 11 a.m., Hillel Funda
tion. Everyone welcome.'
(Continued on Page 5)
I
4,
.+
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.1
ON THE
a
%h.
Washington Merry- Go-Round
WITH DREW PEARSON
+t
A.
J
WASHINGTON - President Truman has
has definitely decided to send a new
ambassador back to the Vatican replacing
retired Myron Taylor, former chairman of
the U.S. Steel Corporation.
He informed a visiting group of Con-
gressmen of this decision last week, indi-
cating also that it had been a difficult
decision to make.
For some time the White House has been
under strong pressure from Protestants not
to send an ambassador to the Vatican, pres-
sure which increased after Cardinal Spell-
man's attack against Mrs. Roosevelt and
Congressman Barden of North Carolina.
More recently it reached a high point when
American Protestants who had been operat-
ing an orphanage in Castel Gondolfo, site
of the Pope's summer palace, were stoned;
and when a spokesman for the Italian gov-
ernment refused to apologize for the inci-
dent.
At that time, Senator Tom Connally of
Texas, chairman of the powerful Foreign
Relations Committee, expressed the hope to
the White House that a new ambassador
to the Vatican not be appointed.
New Twists
In Atlanta an elephant refused to go to
an X-ray machine, so the vets brought the
President Truman told Congressional
callers that he has been studying the en-
tire matter of diplomatic recognition very
carefully.
William Hassett, one of the White House
staff and hirself a devout Catholic, was
asked to survey the situation. The State
Department also made a survey. It was
found that about 30 countries maintained
diplomatic envoys at the Vatican, though
the United States had been the largest non-
Catholic country. The State Department
also felt that diplomatic information receiv-
ed at the Vatican was more voluminous and
more accurate than that obtainable in most
capitals. This was especially important dur-
ing the war.
* * *
HELPING ACHESON
SOME STATE DEPARTMENT officials al-
so favor sending a new ambassador to
the Vatican because it would take the heatj
off the criticism of Secretary Dean Acheson
following his support of Alger Hiss. Catholic
opposition to Acheson has been especially
vigorous recently.
It was President Roosevelt who decided
to send Myron Taylor as his personal am-
bassador to the Vatican in the early days
of the New Deal. Prior to that the Uni-
ted States had not officially recognized
the Vatican since 1867, the last envoy hav-
ing been Rufus King, who served from
1861-67. He left when Congress cut off
his funds.
Fifty-Ninth Year
Edited and managed by students of
the University of Michigan under the
authority of the Board in Control of
Student Publications.
Editorial Staff
Leon Jaroff.........Managing Editor
Al Blumrosen ................City Editor
Philip Dawson......Editorial Director
Mary Stein..........Associate Editor
Jo Misner...........Associate Editor
George Walker ........ Associate Editor
Don McNeil..........Associate Editor
Wally Barth......Photography Editor
Pres Holmes..........Sports Co-Editor
Merle Levin...........Sports Co-Editor
Roger Goelz. Associate Sports Editor
Lee Kaltenbach....... Women's Editor
Barbara Smith... Associate Women's Ed.
Allan Cdamage...............Librarian
Joyce Clark........Assistant Lbrarian
Business Staff
Roger Wellington.... Business Manager
Dee Nelson.. Associate Business Manager
Jim Dangi.......Advertising Manager
Bernie Aidinoff.......Finance Manager
Bob Daniels ..... Circulation Manager
?Telephone 23-24-1
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Subscription during the regular school
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.p
4<
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:.
Gosh. It's the Radio Pixie.
Ynu mean You were 1
You ADMIT it? Do you realize the
seriousness of the charge? Why
sentries who sleep at their oosts-
O 9c mI hb,,s. Rs1..SU Lpat, pOUJp
-- ----I
And do I have any choice of program?
No! I have to play whatever is tuned
1
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