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THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 1951
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
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IFC Ruishing Rules
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APPEARING ON this page yesterday was
a categorical denunciation of the Inter-
Fraternity Council rushing regulations
which perhaps needs some rebuttal.
The crux of the criticism seemed to be
the fact that the IFC made a farce of its
original rushing registration deadline by
permitting 114 men to sign up late. This,
it is claimed, permitted and even encour-
aged fraternities to hide men till the last
minute, then quickly and quietly sign
them up and pledge them so that other
fraternities could not have a chance to
rush/rthem, thus, contradicting the spirit
of the rushing rules.
However, this analysis overlooks the vital
fact that the IFC's principal function is to
obtain as many fraternity pledges as pos-
sible. After all, the IFC is but an organiza-
tion of fraternities acting for the fraterni-
ties.
Therefore, it follows that, especially in
times like these when many Greek orgapi-
zations are shivering before the spectre of
draft-emptied houses, the IFC is justified
in any little ruses it can use short of out-
right high-jacking, to get men to join up.
Obviously many fraternities went out on
their own and persuaded men not signed up
for rushing to come around and visit them.
Even if other houses were not given a fair
chance at these men, the fact that students
who had not planned to rush were swept
into fraternities was to the advantage of
the' IFC.
The code of rushing rules which have
been drawn up by the IFC were not intend-
ed to, supersede in any way the primary
function of rushing-getting as many men
as possible. These regulations were aimed
only at equalizing as far as possible the at-
tractions of big and small, rich and im-
poverished fraternities. If fraternity A,
composed of Vanderbilts and Rockefellers, is
able to take their rushees to the Detroit
Yacht Club for a rousing get-together, while,
fraternity B is able to offer only stale cook-
ies, an inequitable distribution of pledges is
likely to result. Some restraint upon this is
all that is desired.
In a lesser sense, the IFC was trying to
encourage rushees to see as many houses
as possible, but in the many marginal
cases which might well not rush at all, anj
interpretation of the rules which toler-
ates limited rushing is necessary-i.e., late
rushing registration.
This is not meant to be an impassioned
defensq of the entire rushing system as!
presently constituted. It is far from ideal,
promotes a detestable sort of hearty in-j
sincerity. However, the rules which have
grown up around the existing system make
a good deal of sense if their underlying pur-
pose is kept in mind when they are being in-
terpreted.
-Crawford Young
"How Could You Kids Lose Your Sense Of Values?"
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tettepj TO HE EDITOR
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.
McGee Case .
To the Editor:
I FOR ONE am sick and tired of
hearing some say, "No,
you can't do anything about it,
there's nothing you cando; nope,
you can't help Willie McGee."
Willie McGee is a Negro, and
he lives in Mississippi: you know
what that means. He was accused
of raping a white woman, an all-
white jury found him "guilty" in
2 minutes, and he's been in jail
for 5 years while the State of
Mississippi battled his defense
lawyers and the U.S. Supreme
Court. Now Willie McGee is to
die on March 20.
But we CAN stop the lynchers.
President Truman has the pow-
er to intervene to get a fair trial
for Mr. McGee. But he won't do
it unless the people make him.
Send him letters, send him tele-
grams: I mean every one of you.
A post-card will do; just say, "A
stay of execution for Willie Mc-
Gee! Get him a fair trial!" Tru-
man knows what the score is,but
he won't act unless we make him.
I mean every one of you.
-David R. Luce, Grad.,
* * *
father purchase release from ob-
ligations to his children? Can di-
rect and indirect costs of those
obligations be measured in dol-
lars?
How about ethics? Our profes-
sors of philosophy will agree that
but few ethical codes are formally
stated in writing. Those' codes
are, however, well-recognized in
our heritage and culture. Unethi-
cal engineers use insufficient ce-
ment with concrete aggregate-
or chisel on government contracts
Note this: Mr. Lapham, ia
spite of prolonged verbal examina-
tion, recognized absolutely no ob-
ligation to the United States until
after he was informed of the
grounds for committee action. Yet
the primary function of our uni-
versity is to build character!
Our country is fighting intoler-
able ideologies in. order to permit
world-wide recognition of the
primacy of the individual. It is
the obligation of every citizen
who partakes of the benefits and
protection afforded by his nation
to help preserve the foundations
of its government.
In counseling with Mr. Lapham,
I learned that he claims to be of
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By STEWART ALSOPI
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WASHINGTON-It may seem like cruel
and unusual punishment to keep drag-
ging into discussions of domestic politics
the name of a man who is doing a supreme-
ly important and wholly non-political job.
'Yet it has become downright impossible to
write about American politics without using
the name of Geneial of the Army Dwight
D. Eisenhower. For the very powerful forces
within the Republican party which oppose
Sen. Robert A. Taft are now to all intents
and purposes wholly united behind Eisen-
hower. What is more, the broad outlines of
the strategy for drafting Eisenhower are al-
ready pretty well established.
The key figure in the draft-Eisenhower
movement is likely to be Sen. James Duff
of Pennsylvania rather than Gov. Thomas
E. Dewey of New York. Dewey is of course
publicly on record for Eisenhower. Yet
Dewey is not personally close to Eisen-
hower; Dewey has inevitably made in-
numerable enemies in the national Re-
publican party; and these enemies equally
inevitably suspect him, however unjustly,
of using Eisenhower as a stalking horse.
Duff suffers from none of these disabilities.
Duff is approaching seventy, and he has
no Presidential ambitions. An internation-
ally minded, liberal Republican, he is close
to Eisenhower, both personally and in his
Sidewalk
Supervisors
SPRING CAN BE an excuse for many ideas,
and one which I'll admit needs a defin-
ite excuse of some sort is a better set-up
for the campus sidewalk superintendents.
More and more students with spring fever
are foresaking the sunny front steps of An-
gell Hall and the general library for a bet-
ter view of the literary college addition, and
there's not a single good vantage place which
will handle the crowd. The staircases in
Angell which overlook the job are becoming
so crowded they interfere with between class
crowds.
Several would-be construction supervisors
have complained of this, and it's time the
University or the construction firm did
something. A set of bleachers or a few park
benches from the Plant Department would
fix things up fine.
As a further aid to the enjoyment of
students interested in the growth of the
University, it would be a great help if the
different types of woxkers would wear dif-
ferent colored shirts. This way the onlook-
ers and tax-payers could see just which
men did what. With a scorecard or pro-
gram students could tell the head engi-
neer from the waterboy.
A suggestion box for engineering students
and others who feel obliged to lend their
aid to the construction of the addition would
also be helpful for the growing number of
watchers.
-Harry Reed
On Wit
ON THE WHOLE, a witty person is rarely
a good talker. The wit is a gate-crash-
er, who sits at the edge of a conversation
and throws small bombs at it until he blows
it to blazes. You've got -to start talking about
something else altogether when a wit has
passed, for that conversation is dead-
murdered by him. The real talker is witty
in lightning like tangents from his matter;
but the wit has only a tangent; he has
nothing whatever to say on any subject.
-James Stephens
political thinking. He has made few ene-
mies nationally. Since his crushing defeat
of the Grundy forces, he will control Penn-
sylvania's key delegation at the convention.
Finally, he is all-out for Eisenhower's nom-
ination.
T HUS HE IS a sort of political loadstone,
and the anti-Taft and pro-Eisenhower
forces are already coalescing around him,
in an informal alliance. The immediate ob-
ject of this alliance is to perform a sort of
holding operation - to prevent the Taft
forces from capturing the nomination in
advance during the coming year.,.
The great anti-Taft redoubts,'the states
of New York, Pennsylvania and California
(which Gov. Earl Warren will hold against
Taft) are counted on chiefly for this
purpose. With these states, and others on
the East and West coast acting as anti-
Taft makeweights, the next twelve months
will be devoted to quiet fence-building for
Eisenhower.
Then, according to the dream of the
Eisenhower men, Eisenhower will return
next Spring, his great mission of organizing
the defense of Europe achieved. An Eisen-
hower boom, with Duff its chief spokesman
and organizer, will get under way. His name
will be filed in Republican primaries in
such states as Nebraska and Wisconsin,
where consent of the candidate is not re-
quired. The magic of the name will be con-
clusively demonstrated. The Taft forces will
be beaten back. Eisenhower will be nom-
inated triumphantly.
So much for the dream. Measured against
reality, it contains one obvious possible
flaw. The Eisenhower men profess absolute
confidence that he will consent to run. But
this is essentially because no politician wants
to commit himself to a Presidential candi-
date who may not be a candidate at all.
When pressed, the Eisenhower supporters
admit that Eisenhower has never given any-
thing like a firm commitment to anyone.
And Eisenhower is certainly quite genuine-
ly doubtful about the wisdom of a soldier
becoming involved in politics. In the end,
Eisenhower's decision is very likely to de-
pend to a great extent on none other than
Sen. Robert A. Taft.
** * *
FOR ONE THING, Sen. Taft, after some
hesitations, now appears firmly to have
embraced substantially the "Chicago Trib-
une" version of foreign policy, which is of
course dramatically opposed to everything
Eisenhower stands for. For another thing,
there are plenty of signs, as the "St. Louis
Post-Dispatch" reported in a recent series
of well-documented articles, that Taft has
entered into what the Post-Dispatch calls
"a sinister alliance" with Sen. Joseph Mc-
Carthy.
It may' seem incredible that a man of
Taft's great reputation for high integrity
could ally himself with a McCarthy. Leav-'
ing aside such matters as the Wisconsin
income tax and the $10,000 fee from Lus-
tron, McCarthy's ideas of personal probity
are illustrated by the fact that, according
to an incomplete tabulation by the "Post-
Dispatch," he has spewed forth a total of
seventy distortions and demonstrable false-
hoods on matters affecting the national in-
terest in a short twelve months.
Yet, incredible or not, astute observers
believe that an informal but solid Taft-
McCarthy alliance is in the making.
McCarthy is expected to start the spewing
process soon again, this time from his
strategic position on the Appropriations
subcommittee, to which he was appointed
with Taft's acquiescence. And the Taft
camp in turn relies on McCarthy's "reve-
lations" to fuel the Taft boom.
Eisenhower is now the only man who can
beat Taft for the nomination, and he must
know it. He must also know what the
results are likely to be if a major American
ON THE
Washington Merry-Go-Round
with DREW PEARSON
(Ed. Note: Drew Pearson is on a flying tour of Europe and the
Middle East, surveying the world situation.)
PEC, YUGOSLAVIA-For most of one day I have driven along what
is sometimes called "the little iron curtain"-the border where
Yugoslavia and Albania meet, for Yugoslavia enjoys the unenviable
distinction of being squeezed between two sections of the iron curtain
with Bulgaria and Hungary on one side and Albania on the other.
How tiny, primitive Albania-dhiefly a Mohammedan country-
happened to fall for Russian Communism has always been a myster
to me. I lived on the Albanian border for two years after the first
world war, once crossed it on horseback, and its people at that time
were rugged individualists who hated all governments, including their
own, with the passion of Pennsylvania's high-tariff Joe Grundy.
Perhaps the explanation is that Albania is a nation of extreme poverty
where the people have nothing to lose by trying new experiments plus
the fact that any nation torn by a never-ending series of wars is an
easy mark for Communism.
At any rate, the border between Russianized Albania and
anti-Russian Yugoslavia now is studded with armed guards, and
strangers are not permitted within 20 kilometers (about 12
miles).l
I managed to remember enough of the local language to talk my
way past the first guard in the restricted zone and thereafter man-
aged to talk my way past guards who stopped our jeep every half
hour until we had passed through the old Turkish Albanian city of
Prizerend, the border town of Jakovitza, and Deceny Monastery-
one of the oldest in Serbia. But it now bristles with armament. The
iron curtain here is not of barbed wire as it is around most satellite
countries but consists of a steep mountain range, its base studded
with troops.
M Y PURPOSE -in visiting this isolated, desolate part of the Balkans
was partly sentimental, partly to see whether the United States
is getting credit for its good program, partly to gauge Yugoslav senti-
ment toward Russia and the United States in an area far from the
official blarney handed out by the diplomats in Belgrade.
Regarding the food program, the United States has given the
Yugoslav government $60,000,000 worth of flour with the understand-
ing that they sell it through their regular ration system but making it
clear that the flour comes from us. Its distribution was organized
under Richard Allen of Carmel, Calif., a former Hoover food man who
has also arranged for American inspectors to travel through the coun-
try. I traveled part of the time with one bf these inspectors-efficient
George Trett-as he interviewed local officials and local farmers and
it appears the United States is getting credit.
Regarding Yugoslav feeling toward Russia, it seems similar to
that of the bride who has been jilted at the church and then
watched her fiance marry another woman. Yugoslav papers are
filled with bitter denunciations of Russia, reminding the people
that anyone who deals with Russia always gets double-crossed and
even playing up the Russian double-cross history back to 1700 as
if it were hot first-page news today.
Later, I heard Marshal Pijade, considered the father of Yugo-
slav Communism, address 50,000 people in one of the bitterest attacks
I have ever heard against Russia. Pijade was jailed for 14 years by
King Alexander, at which time he taught Marxism to other Yugoslav
leaders but now Moscow calls him "the hideous hunchback of Bel-
grade." When I heard him he quoted Thomas Dewey, Walter Lipp-
mann and Ernest Bevin as proof that Russia is a brutal nation and
that the United States and England are vigorously supporting Yugo-
slavia., i
THIRTY YEARS AGO I had charge of 100 Bulgar prisoners in a
diminutive Serbian village called Dobro Do, which means good
valley-but the valley wasn't good, because it had been burned out by
the Bulgarian army and my job was to rebuild the homes of Serbian
widows, using Bulgarian prisoners for labor. We also had a transport
company of 100 mules and 100 conscripted Albanian- mule drivers wh
every night sat around campfires-the Albanians, the Bulgar prison-
ers and their Serbian guards discussing war and what caused war.
That was in 1919 and they recalled that in 1912 Serbia and
Greece had fought Turkey, then in 1913 Bulgaria had fought Serbia
and Greece, and in 1914 the world war started. Thus for six long
years the Balkans were plunged in war-war which neither the Ser-
bian guards nor their Bulgarian prisoners nor the Albanian con-
scripts wanted. Their hope, they said, was Woodrow Wilson-he was
going to proclaim a new world in which there would be eternal peace
Well, the years have come and gone since then. Woodrow Wilson
tried and failed,, and Dobro Do since then once again was ravished-
this time by the Germans, later by the Italians-and then liberated by
the Russians, who, at times,, acted more like conquerors than liberators
This is the history of a typical Balkan village and when you
look around at the poverty which always follows in the wake of
war you understand why there is communism in the Balkans, for
the people who are poor, who are bled white, who have nothing to
lose, turn in their desperation to desperate remedies.
This also may be a lesson for the United States for, if we get in
volved in war, its aftermath may.find us nearer the communism which
we are fighting so hard to avoid.
(Copyright, 1951, by the Bell Syndicate, Inc.)
NROTC Contracts.* 'a Gandhi-type persuasion, ad-
To the Editor: justed to the so-called Christian
0UR- DEMOCRACY h a s for teaching. Mr. Laphamalso be-
vvnearly tin years been in a lieves that following his princi-
e ary Jus reen our ples alone will defeat Stalin!
state of war. Just recently our It is earnestly recommended'
President re-declared a national Itat members of his cult right now
emergency. It would thereforebthtm bes S.cultrghnow
appear fitting to clarify your rec- abe sentass vthresstan taskorce
ord of the Lapham case. for peace May they succeed!I
Your March 1st story was both would personally much rather
fair and objective. But it did con- earn my living digging ditches in
tamn two minor inaccuracies. First,
our Federal TIreasury, not the Michigan than foxhles in Korea
Navy, operatesaa conscience or Western Europe.
W. B. McKean
fund" for those citizens who have Colonel, U.S. MarineCorps
evaded taxes, abused mailing pri- Professor of NavalSciene
vileges, or otherwise escaped their P
obligations. Second, I recommend-
ed the expulsion of Mr. Lapham Glass Houses ..
not as a "prerogative" of the To the Editor:
NROTC regulations but in line of HE QUESTION in Mr. Lap-
duty as a servant of our nation. ham's caseI one of morals.
Your March 2nd editorial is To change one's mind is immoral
harsh with the Engineering Col- Tocagon'midsimrl
lege.s itr tha nynschoo when it involves the breaking of
. I trust that anniversity would expel a stu- a contract, by definition of the
de unvecommitted similar acts. University. How about raising the
dent whoc evitemilys dormitory rates after the student
May we review them briefly?
Mr. Lapham, with his parents' has signed a contract for the ori-
consent, executed five -separate ginal rate, and then declaring the
contracts with the Secretary of room deposit forfeit if the student
the Navy for and on behalf of the refuses to accept the (now more
United States. Three were effec- expensive) accomodations? Ap-
tive when he repudiated them. parently the University affirms
His considerations in the first for itself the right to meet chang-
were: full tuition, books, all equip- ing conditions, but denies it to its
ment (less supplies), non-refund- students. Personally, I doubt that
able fees, uniforms, transporta- Mr. Lapham is a coward . . . he
tion, and $600 annual retainer most probably realizes that, whe-
pay. In return he agreed to: en- ther he is enrolled in NROTC or
ter upon and continue NROTC not, he will have to serve in the
training until its completion; ac- armed forces. Further, his offer
cept a commission, if offered; of repayment to NROTC is, to my
serve as a regular or reserve offi- mind at least, a gesture of si-
cer not less than six years; re- cerity. There's an old proverb
main unmarried until commis- about not throwing stones if one
sioned. lives in a glass house.
In consideration for deferment -Arthur Freedman
from call by selective service, he
agreed in the second contract to
Sserve on active duty for not less U
than two years.
His third contract, in consider-
ation for enjoying the privileges
of an American citizen, was a sol-
emn oath of office: "to support
and defend the constitution of
the United States against all en-
emies, foreign and domestic .
to bear true faith and allegiance
to the same . . . to well and faith- r
fully perform the duties" of his t
roffice.
The significance of each con- t
tract was carefully explained to
Mr. Lapham. The first academic Sixty-First Year I
year he spent five hours a week Edited and managed by students of
I becoming familiar with the Navy. the University of Michigan under the
Then he made a summer cruise in authority of the Board in Control of
USS HELENA. There followed __Student__ublications.
another academic year with five Editorial Staff
hours a week of naval science, Jim Brown..........Managing Editor
learning how to use the instru- Paul Brentinger.........City Editor
ments of war. At the end of that Roma Lipsky~....... Editoria irector
time he still might have resigned Dave Thomas..........eature Editor
t Janet Watts...... .. ....Assclate Ei~tor
Jwithout prejudice. Nancy Byan.......... Asocate Editor
This is permitted because our ' James Gregory ....... .Associate lFditor
Navy attempts to be realistic' Bill Connolly..,.......sports Editor
about changing attitudes in young Bob Sandell.. .Associate Sports Editor
men. On the other hand, NROTC Bill Brenton. ..Associate Sports Editor
the the han, NOTCBarbara .ans........Wmen's Editor
is not a philanthropic Federal Pat Brownson Associate Women's Editor
scholarship. It is designed as an
extension of the Naval Academy Business Staff
to train career officers. How long Bob Daniels........Business Manager
would the taxpayer tolerate allo- Water Shapero Assoc. Business Manager
catin offunds to this program Paul Schaible... . Advertising Manager
cation of Bob Mersereau...... Finance Manager
were midshipmen permitted to re- Bob Miller........Circulation Manager
sign upon graduation after receiv-'
ing a fully-subsidized college edu- Telephone 23-24-1
cation?
. Mr. Lapham refused in writing Member of The Associated Press
"to participate in war or military The Associated Press Is exclusively
preparedness of any sort." This entitled to the use for republication
was complete, unilateral repudia- of all news dispatches creditea to it or
otherwise credited to this newspaper.
tion of his contracts. All rights of republication of all other
Now, may we consider monetary matters herein are also reserved.
- values? Never in its history has Entered at the Post office at Ann
1 the United States Navy permitted Arbor, Michigan as second-class mail
"buyng ut" f a oblgaton nr "ater.
"buying out" of an obligation nor Subscription during regular school
hiring a substitute. Could any year: by carrier, $6.00; by mail, $7.00.
4%,
BARNABY
let me get this...Your imaginary
Mr. O'Malley flew to Washington
on his pink wings? Because some
What's imaginary? The Supreme Court?J
I
Yes...That's what fieep telling
Mr. O'Malley, my Fairy Godfather-
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