FOUR THE MICHIGAN D AILY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1951 E I - IN POLITICAL BACKROOMS and social parlors they have long said that Harry S. Truman is too stubbornly partisan; too in- terested in protecting the names of any of his buddies that may get themselves in trouble. The President has said that any criti- cism of his policies-domestic, foreign or partisan-"roll off me like water off a duck.' Generally this has been true. Tru- man has developed a knack of either ig- noring, smashing or laughing at his cri- tics. Since his election in 1948 he has in- creasingly taken on an air of "I am right." Often he has survived the strongest at- tacks merely by announcing his stand and waiting for the public to decide that he was right. President Truman has, however, gone ov- erboard in his order giving government agencies the right to censor their news re- leases. As before, the attack on Truman's action is most loudly led by political oppo- nents. The President, however, is also run- ning into a brick wall of protests from the press and his own party members. Though fully recognizing that there is a need for security in government affairs the Associated Press Managing Editors Associa- tion has still launched a full attack on the move. The editors point out that the order does not establish any classification system for the government offices. Nor does it of- fer any real appeal from censorship, or pub- lic participation in setting up a system of classification, if it is set up. It "leaves great discretion about censoring any information in the hands of the civilian department heads. Even in the hardest days of World War II, the Office of War Information acted as an appeal board in case of information cen- sorship. The present, order makes no pro- vision for such a board. What the President's motives in issuing his information restriction order wereare not discernable. Perhaps, as Congressional critics say, Truman is becoming fearful of what newsmen, and investigating com- mittees are digging up in his administra- tion. Again, he may be concerned about vital defense information that is being in- discreetly broadcast about by the same Congressmen and correspondents. This is his claim. Nevertheless, the order as it now stands is incomplete and could lead to great abuses by government officials. If the President will not admit that he is wrong about his action and rescind it, he should make it a regulated function of government that will not de- prive the press and the people of one of their greatest freedoms.r v -Vernon Emerson Library Shutdown OUR LIBRARY DOORS will slam shut Saturday not to be unbarred until Mon- day morning. This situation results from a new library policy eliminating Friday evening and Sunday hours. Incongruous as it may seem the University, an institution primarily dedicated to education, finds it necessary to discourage rather than encourage study. The explanation given by library officials for the closing is that their budget was bad- ly cut. Leonard Wilcox, president of SL dis- cussed the situation with the officials in- volved and was told that the weekend facili- ties were discontinued because they weren't used enough. ' If this is true then there is great room for argument, for anyone who used the library on Sundays last year knows that there were few vacant chairs. But more important, if the library's budget has been cut so grossly that it necessitates removing an important student facility then neither the library of- ficials nor the students can afford to accept the cut passively. To some students the need for a place to study on Sundays is not particularly ur- gent, but for a great number who participate seriously in outside activities Sunday is the one day which can be devoted to concen- trated study. And the study facilities offered as an alternative are woefully inadequate if not ridiculous particularly from the female point of view. Suggested were the Pendle- ton library, open only to men and study rooms in the Union open to females if ac- companied by members of the opposite sex. The morgue-like atmosphere of the league library is also available for co-eds who wish to study under depressing conditions. If we want our library open on Sundays then it is up to us, the students who are af- fected by the shut down, to let our wants be known. Write directly to Warner G. Rice, Director of Libraries, and convince him that Sunday library hours are vitally needed. -Paula Edelman " . Tt's A Lo vng, High Fly To Center Field, .And ... " -- ,%° -' ( Iette4' TO T H E 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. Football Scene . . . To the Editor: IT IS GETTING rather monoton- ous reading the letters in The Daily following each loss our team suffers about how football or the football personnel at U. of M. should be changed. In The Daily of Oct. 2, there were two such letters. One was short and undoubtedly meant to be witty while the other is longer. The shorter letter needs no com- ment, but as for Leo Vichules' let- ter it is sadistic. We recommend he read Vic Bloom's letter in the same issue. Vic's letter probably represents the view of a great ma- jority of the fans at Saturday's game. ' Our team has lost one football game and has eight left to play. This was not even a conference contest and as far as anyone knows we may again repeat as "Champions of the West." Mr. Vichules suggests we de-emphasize football and what does he sug- gest we do with-the largest college- owned football stadium in the United States-not to mention the 97,239 persons who paid to see th game. any elderly ladies at home, for Heaven's sake, keep them away from the pictures! -Albert Gilman * * * Young Republicans .. . To the Editor: It HAVE now been accused of making exaggerated statements t of the situation that exists in the Y. R. Club and also of having, as Floyd Thomas says, some major inconsistencies in my arguments. My answer to these charges is that either Mr. Thomas was ig- norant of the facts which he dis- cussed or by omission he has mis- represented them-I would prefer the former theory because Floyd is what I consider to be a very honorable and honest person. He was, however, completely incor- rect in several of his statements in his letter to the Daily. IT 'S EMS TO ME ][ E By DON NEUCHTERLEIN ' HILE ESCORTING a group of Japanese Diet members through Michigan this summer, I obtained their views on several problems in the Far East, problems in which Americans have a vital interest but about which we unfortunately know very little. The first question concerned MacArthur. They seemed unanimous in the opinion that MacArthur had done a remarkable job of getting Japan back on its feet and they said there is no doubt that the Japanese people were deeply disturbed when he was relieved of his command. They thought that Ridgway also is a good man but said that he does not impress the Japanese the way MacArthur did. Apparent- ly MacArthur's aloofness was effective in Japan. As to what the political situation in Japan might be after the signing of a peace treaty, the group was divided. Some believed that everything would go smoothly; but others contended that there would be turmoil for some years because the Japanese people are not accustomed to democracy and therefore might not meet difficult situations in the same way as Americans. I asked whether the fact that the Japan- ese have not had more experience with democracy in the last six years might be due to MacArthur's policy of ruling by decree, irrespective of what the Diet wanted. Most members of this group reluctantly admitted that MacArthur never gave the Japanese Diet real responsiblity and that this might prove a serious problem when the Diet is given full authority after the peace treaty. It was a common joke in Japan, they said, that one could not understand the Japanese Constitution unless he read English, the in- ference being that Supreme Headquarters drew up the document and subnitted it to the Diet for ratification. What about China?" The whole group said that Chiang Kal-f shek is "dead," that he will never again get the support of the Chinese people. But they expressed the same opinion about the Com- munists, that they will not be able to keep their hold on China indefinitely. They seem- ed to feel that some new leader would arise out of the chaos. In any case, they said, China must have peace and a chance to rebuild. Most of these Japanese felt that Mao Tse- tung is "using" Stalin in the Far East, and not the other way around. They argued that the Chinese Communists have come to pow- er entirely through their own efforts and that Mao feels no obligation to Stalin. The Chinese, they contend, cannot stop the fighting in Korea without losing "face" throughout the Far East and that they want to continue the war regardless of the cost. But Stalin, they say, does not want World War III now and is afraid that Korea might bring it on if things are not settled soon. Therefore, say these Japanese, Mao is threatening an open break with Moscow unless Stalin gives him more support in Korea. As for Korea itself, they say that our troops never should have been pulled out, that the Koreans after years and years of subjugation by foreign powers are in no po- sition to run their own government. The final and most important point is that these Japanese believe Americans know too little about the Far East and its problems. They feel that if America ever expects to gain the support of the Asians we must first demonstrate that we will champion the right of the Asiatic people to self-determination. They think that America too often backs individuals or causes in the Far East which have little popular support. This they con- tend is one of our most serious problems. ON THE Washington MEerry-Go-Round with DREW PEARSON J e s+ c is A k s: d a C g f L 0 n I] MUSIC V ICTORIA ce los Angeles, a newcomer last year to the American concert and oper- atic stage, opened the current Choral Union Series in Hill auditorium last night. A small audience responded warmly to the Spanish soprano, who appears to be one of the hap- pier recent vocal finds. Despite her Ann Arbor billing, I feel quite certain that Miss de los Angeles is not a soprano. Her range, vocal quality and gen- eral style mark her definitely as a mezzo- soprano. She has a beautiful, full-bodied voice, but extreme inequality of sonority and control; the low register is magnificent, the middle notes uneven, and the high tones poorly produced and strained in sound. Miss de los Angeles is young, and, although the voice should be equal by now, youth is in her favor. The voice is a promising one; it is to be hoped that she will work constantly toward vocal equalization, for only in this direction can her present promise become a future fulfillment. From the standpoints of style, sense of line and interpretive taste, Miss de los Angeles is more than satisfactory. And, although she did not impress me as a gen- uinely great singer or musician, she is naturally musical, basically intelligent in approach and possessed of some artistic sensitivity. There is a need today for singers who have just these qualities, and they are sufficient reason for hoping to hear more from last night's soloist. Miss de los Angeles handled all of her program better than the lieder. The very taxing opening group was well compassed, but the three Schumann songs which fol- lowed were a disappointment. Miss de los Angeles' voice could be right for lieder, but her vocal style and musical concept could not. She proved to be in much closer sympathy with the spirit of the concluding French and Spanish grpups. Her vocal texture, lan- guage inclination and general musical feel- ing 'are naturally better adapted to such numbers. There can be no question concern- ing the authority and deftness with which the Spanish group was rendered. The accompanist, Paul Berle, seems to know very little about playing the piano, and less about accompanying a singer. His ac- companiments consistently detracted from the otherwise favorable impression made by the recital. While Miss de los Angeles' return +o tho .Ct SYP n - -;+- tar rm nt 'n +- t DORIS FLEESON: U .S. Airpowr WJASHINGTON-Several times in the past twelve months Secretary of State Acheson has told President Truman it might be expedient7 for him to resign. Each time the President l1as vigorously objected. Today, however, Acheson has changed his mind. He is planning to stay on as Secretary of State for the remainder of Truman's term. He has even talked privately to friends about joining the Presi- dent in a political campaign-if the Republicans nominate Taft. Acheson says he's ready to hit every whistle stop in the country to tell the voters what Taft's election would mean to American foreign policy -especially the chaos it would bring to our Atlantic Pact defenses against Communism. Acheson's more buoyant frame of mind is due of course to the avalanche of praise resulting from San Francisco; also the fact that the American public had a chance to see him on television and realize he was an adroit master of difficult diplomatic parley, not a stuffed shirt. The barrage of past criticism, however, has made Acheson sensi- tive, sometimes lonely. At the Ottawa Conference, someone told him that while he may not be popular in the United States, he lias 14,000,- 000 votes in Canada-Canada having a population of 14,000,000. "Sometimes I think," replied the Secretary of State with a touch of sadness, "that all my support comes from outside the United States." -ARGENTINE ELECTIONS- PRIOR TO THE RECENT alleged Argentine army revolt, Argentine Federal Police Chief, Gen. Arturo Bertolio, had received orders from boss-man Peron to force the opposition Radical Party candi- dates for president and vice-president to flee to Uruguay. Ricardo Balbin, former Radical congressional leader, now candidate for president against Peron, has already spent nine months in jail (1949-50) for "disrespect" to Peron, which made him a popular martyr. The glib Gaucho doesn't want that to hap- pen again-but neither does he want Balbin and his vice-presi- dential running mate, Arturo Frondizi, campaigning openly against him--even thouph they have no radio time and no newspaper except "La Nacion" which dares report their speeches. The Peronists' avowed goal for the November election is a mini- mum 80 per cent majority for the Peron ticket, in "free" balloting. They figure this can be accomplished if the' opposition leaders are obliged to go abroad, so that all their campaigning may be smeared as "foreign interference." As a result Police Chief Bertolio has obediently begun to harass and intimidate Balbin's and Frondizi's relatives. * * * * -BORDER TROUBLE- 'OLOMBIAN-PERUVIAN relations, already strained, have taken a turn for the worse. On top of the long-standing dispute over Peru's famous political refugee, Victor Haya De La Torre, holed up for the past two years in the Colombian Embassy at Lima, there have been reports of new bor- der incidents btween Ecuadorian and Peruvian troops. When these reached Bogota, every newspaper in the Colombian capital gave sharp editorial comment-which roused no reaction in Peru until Colom- bian President Laureano Gomez' own daily, the conservative "El Sig- lo," joined the chorus with a stern denunciation of "imperialist tac- tics." This brought an outraged yelp from the Peruvians. Their of- ficial protest to the Colombian government was coolly rejected, however, on the grounds that the administration exercised "no editorial control" over any newspaper, even the president's. (Ac- tually, the Colombian press has been under strict censorship of domestic news for 18 months, but is free to publish international copy as it sees fit). Meanwhile, a conference between the United States, Brazil, Chile and Argentina to consider the dispute was called at Ecuadorian re- quest. It marks the first successful step in President Galo Plaza's cam- paign to win modification of the hastily drawn 1942 Rio Protocol, which was supposed to define the Colombian-Peruvian border. m * , ,* -IOWA GOVERNOR'S TAXES- IT'S UNHEARD OF for a governor not to be defended by congressmen of his own state and party if he is attacked on the floor of Con- gress by a member of the opposite party. However, though the state of Iowa has sone able and voluble re- presentatives in its all-Republican house delegation, not one opened his mouth when Democratic Congressman Wayne Hays of Ohio re- cently denounced the income-tax "amnesia" of Iowa's GOP Governor William Beardsley. The Iowa Republicans turned a deaf ear as Hays told the House: "The people of our country deserve the best in their elected officials, regardless of party. Anyone who is paying $13,000 in back taxes is either a poor keeper of his own accounts or has violated the laws of his country.- (Copyright, 1951, by The Bell Syndicate, Inc.) 'Mama's Boy' F ONTAINEBLEAU-Exactly as Lieut. Gen. Manton S. Eddy's G.I.s on the eastern frontier confront Western Europe with tang- ible evidence of America's spiritual deter- mination, her justly feared and famed know- how leaps at the allies from a chain of air bases which shrink those of World War II to horse-and-buggy status. Almost literally these bases shout power and punishment to aggressors. Yet the difficulties encountered in per- suading some of our allies, including France, to provide sites for these bases, find the top American airman at Supreme Headquarters-Lieut. Gen. Lauris Nors- tad-singularly calm, even sympathetic. Perhaps fortunately, in his obviously Scan- dinavian descent, he symbolizes in person the dividends the old world is reaping from the pioneers it sent to develop the new'. In any case, General Norstad talks with A Poaund ofW-isdom THE REPORT from Germany that books are being priced according to their weight, a flat rate of two marks per pound (40 cents in American money) being charged for the classics, recent fiction or travel lit- erature, has roused some question as to the validity of this method of judging the liter- ary value of a book. The same scale which has been accurate- ly setting the price of fish for ages would, using the reported rates, set the value of the Jonesey Report ("From Here to Eternity") at a flat rate of four marks or $1.20. This figure places a rate of $.00001 per four-letter word on this weighty best seller, heralded for its variety of four letter words. Such lesser volumes as W. H. Auden's