THE MICHIGAN DAILY WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 1952 'ORIS FLEESON: AmericanProsperity WASH1NGTON-The most important po- litical story of the year was printed last week in the New York Times though prob- ably not one person read it for a thousand that eagerly followed the flood of human in- terest copy about the primary in little New Hampshire. Will Lissner pulled together an analysis of income distribution in this country since the last Republican president left the White House in 1933 and discussed its meaning. His sources are experts asso- ciated with the government departments, the universities, the Conference on Income and Wealth and the National Bureau of Economic Research. The result is a thrilling story of the con- quest of poverty in the United States. To politicians its vital significance lies in the fact of its bearing on the pocketbook vote of the inarticulate millions who do not own publications, sound off at country clubs or talk back to their employers. Of course, there are people subject to persuasion on the subject of the foreign pol- icy which puts their sons in Korea and Eur- ope. They support the Sunday schools which teach them to hate corruption and bad moi- als. They know the adage that a new broom sweeps clean-or cleaner at least. Nevertheless, they naturally tend to vote for their own economic interest, as nearly as they can perceive it, when the curtains of the polling booth close and they are all, all alone. Their view is apt to be a short range one; economic questions are hard to understand and their probable consequen- ces not easily seen. A factor that also enters into the picture is the late depression. The majority of those voting up to now know the effects of that depression; there is hardly an American fa- mily that did not in some way feel it directly and keenly. This is a major democratic asset. Perhaps it may not be such in the upcoming genera- tion of voters. It could be that the war and today's seemingly permanent crisis will influ- ence that group toward the Republicans though the polls do not now make it appear so. Briefly summarized, Lissner's major find-. ings were that: 1. The United States has undergone aI social revolution with the "forgotten man" the greatest beneficiary of the gains in national income. These gains were sub- stantially greater than the pre-Korean output. 2. The United States has gone half the way toward eliminating inequities in per- sonal income. But it has done it-and this is its marvelous triumph over the Soviet sys- tem-by leveling up, not down. 3. The very poor are fewer by two-thirds than in 1939 and they are better off. In 1939, three out of four families earned less than $2,000 a year; now it is only one in three. 4. There are more well-to-do and rich al- though the very rich have become poorer. One family in 50 had $5,000 a year or over in the late 'thirties; one out of 100 had $10,000 annually. In the late 'forties one family in six was in the $5,000 and more class; one out of 20 had $10,000 or over an- nually. 5. The decline in property values which accompanied the rise in labor incomes is the chief reason given for the situation of the very rich. The topmost 1 per cent in the income bracket has seen its total in- come decline in 35 years from 16 per cent to 9 per cent. This record, Lissner writes, has been ap- proached only by the other English-speaking democracies and the Scandinavian democra- cies. The fact that Americans rarely turn out an administration in prosperity was pointed out in 1948 by Dr. William I. Myers of Cor- nell among others. (Copyright, 1952, by The Bell Syndicate, Inc.) A nother, Meeting THERE SEEM to have been two Civil Lib- erties Committee meetings last Thursday night. The meeting that Bernie Backhaut de- nounced in his editorial yesterday bore little resemblance to the one I attended that same night. Mr. Backhaut described the meeting as being "thrown into confu- sion," the spirit of its constitution being violated, 95% of the time being spent on procedural matters. The editorial also as- serted that meetings such as this one "canw well be the cause of the apathy that most, students show toward campus> organiza- tions." The meeting I attended impressed me as being one of the most lively and truly demo- cratic gatherings possible on campus. The jam packed assemblage, representing differ- ing and often conflicting points of view, came to a definite decision after lengthy debate which brought out these views. The meeting met to either adopt or reject one of two proposed amendments to the consti- tution concerning eligibility of membership. And through democratic, though often heat. ed procedure the group adopted ope of the amendments. With more than 90 persons present, an unusual amount of attention must be paid to parliamentary procedure, so that discus- sion will be fairly distributed. The parlia- mentarians Mr. Backhaut claimed domin- ated the meeting, were merely attempting to see this accomplished and aided rather than deterred from the orderliness of the group. The only objection to the meeting touch- es upon a point which the editorial made no mention of-the fact that, the 56 peo- ple who voted on major measures were not the original Civil Liberties Committee. About half of them had come down to the meeting, never previously having at- tended CLC. Thus there is the question as to whether the amendment was placed into the constitution by the CLC or a packed meeting. The answer to this hinges on whether those new members will con- tinue to be active in the organization. If more clubs would be conducted in the "slipshod manner" that this one is, all apathy toward campus organizations will quietly disappear. --Jan Winn MATTER OF FACT By JOSEPH afd STEWART ALSOP WHY TAFT IS WINNING THE SOUTH W ASHINGTON-Despite Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's enormous and acknowledg- ed popularity in the South, the great ma- jority of the South's 192 delegate votes will probably go to Sen. Robert A. Taft. Here is a significant and rather mysterious political phenomenon, which badly needs explaining, One place to look for the explanation is right here in Washington, D.C. For Wash- ington, besides being the national capitol, is also the biggest of southern cities. And the process which will almost certainly send six Taft delegates from Washington to the Chicago convention is exactly like that in a whole series of southern cities. Washington's Republican party, like Re- publican organizations almost everywhere else in the South, is a tiny, exclusive club, kept tiny and exclusive by a three-man dy- nasty which has ruled the club for going on 32 years. The dynasty consists of three law- years, Edward F. Colladay, who has been in the driver's seat since the early twenties, James C. Wilkes,'party chairman in 1948, and Joseph MGarraghy, a law partner of Wilkes, who has now taken over the chair- manship. This tight little triumvirate has its counterpart all over the South. And vir- tually all southern Republican bosses fol- low a simple cardinal rule-the fewer Re- publicans the better. This makes for ease of control, and what is more, for fat slices of the patronage pie when the great day of Republican national victory comes. How well the Washington triumvirate has fol- lowed this rule is suggested by the fact that in 1948, less than 500 Republicans out of Washington's politically conscious population of more than 800,000 registered at the single designted polling place. This low registration, which is achieved partly by exceedingly inconspicuous and dul- ly worded pre-polling advertising, is itself insurance against the machine's losing its grip. But there is plenty of reinsurance. In order to have any voice, a Washington Re- publican must first prove he is a Republican, and register. He must then attend a meeting of his precinct, one of 43 which elects dele- gates to a local convention. This local con- vention in turn elects delegates to the na- tional convention. IT IS NO simple matter to prove you are a Republican in Washington. One of the 'criteria of orthodox Republicanism, laid down by an organization leader here, is the ques- tion, "Has he ever given money to the par- ty?" Those considered unreliable by the or- ganization can be quite simply "screened out" in this way. And this is by no means all. The precinct leaders are easily kept in an obedieni frame of mind, since the organization can shift precincts about as the boss wishes. And the docile precinct captains are pro- vided with "official enrollment sheets," which they carry in their pockets, and use to register at will voters considered reli- able. In 1948, there were more than 1,400 so registered, three times as many as regis- tered at the designated polling place. The precinct leaders also display a cer- tain reticence about the date and location of the precinct meeti1)gs which elect dele- gates to the local convention. These meet- ings are ordinarily convivial but exceedingly private gatherings of a half dozen or so of the trusted faithful. And if the worst comes to the worst, and a serious revolt threatens, the organization can simply "go under- ground and elect convention delegates at private teas and dinner parties," as one Re- publican leader who tried to buck the ma- chine in 1948 described the process. * * * THERE IS REALLY no way to attack this airtight system. Delegates to the local con- vention elected at "rump" precinct meetings are simply'tossed out on their ear by the or- ganization-controlled credentials committee. Washington's Eisenhower backers tried a frontal assault, with a proposal for a well- advertised general primary, with a secret ballot. But4Joseph McGarraghy stomped out of the meeting called to discuss this pro- posal, exclaiming angrily that the whole idea was "perfectly ridiculous." The walkout was accompanied by cries of "Gromyko" and "Malik," but there was really nothing any- one could do. So there is not much question how Washington's six delegates will vote in Chicago. McGarraghy himself is main- taining an above-the-battle attitude in public. But his mentor, Colladay, made the position clear when he announced that he was "all out" for Sen. Taft. Washington's six delegates may not seem to matter very much. But precisely the same process is at work in most southern cities-McGar- raghy's Gromyko act, for example, has been duplicated with variations in such cities as New Orleans, Memphis, and Richmond. And the 192 southern delegates, delivere& by overwhelmingly Taft-minded southern "regulars" using the techniques described above, may very well determine the identity of the next American president. This curious phenomenon of southern Republicanism thus hnc amr mAnnina n-ndi+tmuilhacm n--, CLC Packing . . To the Editor: IN A RECENT letter, an indig- nant member of the Civil Lib- erties Committee said that the new constitutional amendment was not adopted by the Civil Lib- erties Committee. He charged that the meeting was "packed." And so it was. It was packed with peo- ple who had always been sincere- ly interested in the need for a Civil Liberties Committee on cam- pus, and who had always followed the committee's action carefully, if passively. When the direction CLC was taking became apparent to the whole campus, these passive sup- porters realized that their active participation was necessary to form a Civil Liberties Committee which stood for the ideals and practices sith a group must up- hold. They joined the committee. And I, realizing that their ac- tive participation is necessary if CLC is to survive, join with Mr. Reader in hoping they will all return to use their membership and the committee in the wisest possible manner. --Leah Marks ** Contribution . . . To the Editor: I WOULD LIKE to make a con- tribution to the present discus- sion of civil liberties and freedom of speech on the campus. My contentions may be sum- marized thus: (i) subversion is a. real problem for almost any group, society, or nation, and is a prob- lem of importance in American so- ciety. (ii) The present methods for dealing with the problem, such as the methods of the House Un- American Activities Committee, are inappropriate and ineffective in getting at the roots of the prob- lem, confuse the real issues, and are themselves subversive of many of the values which our society cherishes. (iii) Serious inquiry and research into the nature and meaning of subversion, its place in a healthy society, and the ap- propriate methods for dealing with it is much needed. - "Subvert" means literally "un- derturn". It connotes an attempt to change the basic values of a society by methods which are secret, underhanded, and treach- erous. It is deeply disturbing and corrupting'to any group faced with it. In this sense there can be no doubt that communists are "sub- versive" in American society, They seek to change its basic values, and they work through methods of secret manipulation rather than open discussion. In thinking about how to deal with this problem, however, two errors should be avoided. One is+ to suppose that in the defense of basic values, as well as in the at- tack on them, the end justifies the means, no holds are barred,l and the basic values themselves may be violated in order to defend+ them. If a society violates its basic+ values-for instance, constitution- alism, respect for differences, due+ process of law, open discussion,+ and so on, in the attempt to de- fend them, clearly it is not de-+ fending them! The other error- into which relatively few of us in these days are likely to fall-is1 to suppose that there is no real1 problem, and that the basic values of a society or group can be left to look after themselves. The remedy for subversion, therefore, is not self-subversion, but "superversion"-the bringing] of the challenge out into the open,+ and answering it openly. I am my- self, I hope, a superversive. There. are many aspects, even basic val- ues, of current American society which I seek to change-our racial discrimination, our faith in vio- ij -'--7 lence, our lack of confidence in the basic principles of our own revo- lution and constitution. The chal- lefige to our existing way of life, however, must be made openly, frankly, and honestly. The "super- versive" works in the light; the subversive in the darkness. Someone has said that Ameri- can society is in danger of com- mitting suicide to avoid being murdered. One cannot help feel- ing that the present campaign against the communists veers towards this danger. The cam- paign of the Department of Jus-' tice to deport a handful of foreign born communists is petty and un- worthy of a great nation devoted to liberty. It is true that many who speak in defense of these piti- ful and misguided people are themselves pharisees and hypo- crites, attacking the mote in the eye of their own country while be- ing oblivious to the beam in the eye of Russia, straining at the gnat of a few hundred American expellees while they swallow the camel of the millions of refugees created by Soviet tyranny. It is al- so true that motes and gnats can be very irritating, and it is also hypocritical to pretend that the gross sins of others excuse us in peccadilloes. It is the mark of a great nation to be generous and merciful rather than to be pettily just. This letter is already very long, and I cannot adequately deal with the many problems raised by the activities of the House Un-Ameri- can Activities Committee. It faces a real problem, and I believe its intentions are honorable. It has, however, had results which are probably quite different from its intentions. It has created fear and confusion, not so much among the communists themselves., but among many who are honestly concerned with the betterment of our society. Its worst result is that it has diverted attention from communism to communists; it has not thrown light on the sources of communism, or on what it is in the experience of an individual that makes him a communist. This however, is the real question. It needs careful scientific study, which it is not receiving. Finally, on the question of uni- versity censorship of speakers; here again I feel that the method defeats its own ends, and that a revision of university policy is needed. I believe the way to deal with subversion is to bring it out into the open, and to promote as much talk about it as possible.' Suppressing speakers actually en- . 1 courages subversion, and I think the University should have the courage to say so, even in the face of popular hysteria. One cannot say that no lines should ever be drawn-rabble rousers and people who create civil commotions ob- viously should be confined to semi- nar rooms where they can be han- dled. But we are in real danger of self-subversion, and the students who are pressing for a liberaliza- tion of University policy have my full support. --Kenneth Boulding Prof. of Economics Red Accusations . . To the Editor: IT IS exactly the kind of hysteria. and irrational outburst gener- ated by David R. Luce in his letter to the editor of March 7. blasting the editorial "The Speak- ers and the Committee," which Barnes Connable must have had in mind when he condemned those who in the name of defending civil liberties add assmuch hysteria to the national scene as those who flagrantly advocate abridge- ment of civil liberties, in his edi- torial of a few days ago. Although I disagree with the reasoning used in "The Speakers and the Committee," the writers of the editorial, nevertheless, have the right to state their opinions without having these opinions labeled as ... whitesupremacist, slanderous apologetics :. ." Luce's statement is McCarthyism t its worst. Nowhere in the article did the writer raise the race ques- tion. Another example of an ill- devised statement in Mr. Luce's letter is "The editors are in ef- fect, justifying the rule of the Ku-Kluxers in Mississippi, and smearing all struggles against lynch justice." This wholesale glossing over of complexities and insinuation smacks of the same stuff used by those, who, for in- stance, label one a "Red" if he stands up for civil liberties today. In another statement made by Luce ". ..(and the editors too) know full well that Mr. McPhaul is not "subversive," he is accusing the writers of "The Speakers and the Committee" of insincerity and purposeful misrepresentation. If the criteria used by Mr. Luce in his judgment of the writers were to be employed in consideration of his statements, then one could accuse Mr. Luce also of being in- sincere and purposefully mis- representative. The defense of zivil liberties to- "Look Away! Look Away! Look Away! Dixie Land" day is a tryingrand difficult thing. It calls for reason and logical argument. There is not just roo for hysterical polemics from both sides; one can offer some very logical and well-reasoned argu- ments concerning civil liberties. The McCarthyism of David Luce sheds no real light on the subject, and what is worse, weakens the defense of civil liberties today. -Leonard Sandweiss * * * Modern Art... To the Editor: THE pieces that have appeared in the Daily concerning the show, "Advancing French Art," have shown considerable confusion as to how a critic should approach "modern art." In the letter in Sunday's Daily, it was suggested that the proper approach is to consider three questions: "What has the painter tried to do? Has he accomplished it? Was it worth accomplishing?" Actually these questions have little bearing on the critic's main task, since they only obliquely refer to the work of art itself. Whether an artist has achieved what he intended is certainly important to the artist but not the gallery goer or art critic. The latter are concerned not with the intent of the art* which they often have no wayt knowing, but with the content of' his work. If this were not so, the natural artist might find his work damned, simply because he was unaware of the formal reasons behind it, that is, because creation did not go hand in hand with analysis. A critic is poor if he dismisses things of value simply as "not consciously intended." The same issue arises in Sieg- fried Feller's review when he asks, "How much credit for aesthetic creativity can be assigned to the workings of the unconscious?" A critic should ask himself not "What did the artist intend to do?" and 'Was it worth doing?" but rather "What has the artist done?" and "If this, what canI find of value?" If our critics would worry less about "assigning credit" and think more about what they see, they would be of moae use to their readers. Such an ap- proach would not prejudge the is- sue, but it would certainly avoid a morass of confusing side issues. -Jamie Ross * * * Search for a Date... To the Editor: HAVE been at the University for some time and I have been able to understand most of the theories of my under-classman status but there has been one thing that has come to my atten- tion in the past few months that has perplexed me no .ed. I just have to know'who this person who calls himself "Kabrilarich Frat inski" is. I believe there must be some one on campus that just might know who this anonymous person is. I don't think that I am the only person that has been. called in search of a date, but a great nun ber of other innocent co-eds like myself. I would like a date with this person, whoever he is, but I am so frightened because of the doubt in me just who thisperson really is. He may even be a Senior Medical Student ... I do believe that this is of very great impor- tance to many of the Co-eds that have been called. Please Mr. Frag- inski tell us all just who you are, Please!!! -Annie Waterman '52 x CteriSto the61or . . t / Late Hours THE UNIVERSITY has recently corected a curious anomaly in women's hours by permitting men to remain in women's resi- dences until 1:25 a.m. on late permission evenings. But there seems to be another side of the picture which is equally inconsistent. The Student Affairs Committee has a rul- ing which permits only major campus func- tions to be considered for one o'clock per- mission. University regulations define these major events as: a) the annual functions sponsored by the campus wide independent and affiliated men's and women's associa- tions; b) the annual function of a school or college; c) all-campus dances sponsored by representative groups for philanthropic purposes. However, closed social events, "those sponsored by student organizations for mem- bers and invited guests only," can end no later than twelve even if they coincide in date with one of the enumerated campus functions. Late permissions were first accorded to the major functions in 'order to make them more THROUGH March 24th, the Nackham Galleries will bear the artistic fruit of Ann Arbor's youth, under the auspices of the Ann Arbor Art Association. Every age group, from tiny tot to late teen-ager, is well, represented by paintings and, to a les- ser extent, by sculpture, collage, and other endeavors. At every level, the quality is fairly uni- form, with a few outstanding exceptions. There are more outstandingly good ex- amples among the lowest age groups, and more bad ones as the age increases. The reason for this change is fairly obvious. As ic it h. exvneetecd if i a ha..rnciaaA attractive. The added popularity which this privilege gave them enabled them to meet their high expenses. If all approved parties received the same advantage, the major functions would prob- ably go out of existence after a few years spent on the red side of the ledger. The administration is therefore justified in protecting affairs of general campus interest, e.g. Senior Ball and Paul Bunyan Formal. But there are a certain number of evenings each year devoted to professional school dances, such as Odonto, Slide Rule, and Caduceus Balls. These functions appeal only to a very restricted number of students leaving the vast majority of students free to attend other parties which are not detri- mental to the attendance of the late per- mission dance. There are at least six evenings when late permission could be granted to closed affairs -as well as eligible major campus functions. Although the competition among residence halls and fraternities would be terrifically keen for approved affairs on these weekends, the change would be warmly appreciated. -Barbara Goldblum I DAILY OFCILBULLETIN RT + ism becomes diluted with attempted realism. Realism is manually a much more ambitious undertaking, and efforts along these lines result first, at the intermediate level, in a style roughly approximating Rousseau's primitivism. Finally, at the high school level, al- though the painters generally retain their love of color per se, they do their utmost to imitate the world of which they have become physically (and in at least one case, socially) aware. Since their tech- nical skill has not developed sufficiently to overcome the deficit caused by the by now pronounced imaginative restraints, th-a -u-g-c a,..- .: v a-s a- aw -T (Continued from Page 2). U-M Student Players: General mem- bership meeting, 7:30 p.m., Ann Arbor Room, League, to discuss constitutional amendments and forthcoming produc- tion of "Brigadoon." Congregational-Disciples Guild: Sup- per Discussion Groups, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Guild House. Second study group on "Fundamentals of the Christian Faith," 7:15 to 8:15 p.m., Guild House. Gilbert and Sullivan Society. Import- ant all-chorus rehearsal, 7:15 p.m., Un- ion' Hillel: Petitions for Hillel Council are due at Lane Hall by 1 p.m. Le Cercle Francais: Meeting, 8 p.m. in the League, featuring a Parody on Carmen. Registration for tutoring. New members welcome. SL Candidates Open Houses: Presi- dents of student housina groups are volunteer Naval Research Reserve Theories: Art as Expression,", "Losses," Unit 9-3. Meeting, 7:3v p.m., Thurs., apid "The Difficult Resolution." Mime- March 13, 2082 Natural Science Bldg. ographed copies of these poems are Subject: Tentative meeting with re- available in the English Department of- cruitment team representing Naval Re- fice. A collection of Jarrell's works is search Labs. Also administrative meet- on reserve in Angell Hall Study Hall. ing; bring all training duty and appro- Everyone is welcome. priate duty orders covering entire time since assignment to unit. Canterbury club: Morning Prayer and the Litany, 7:30 a.m., Thurs., March 13. Student Marketing Club. Open meet- ing, 4 p.m., Thurs., March 13, 131 Business Administration Bldg. Guest speaker: Mr. Basil Livingston. "Devel- oping American Markets for British Products." Everyone is welcome. International Center Weekly Tea for foreign students and American friends, 4:30-6 p.m., Thurs., March 13. Deutsche Kaffeestande: German Cof- fee Hour. 3 to; 4:30 n.m. tomorrow in Student Science Society: Meeting, Thurs., March 13, 7:30 p.m., 2308 Chem- istry Bldg. Prof. K. Fajans will speak on "What Makes Mica Split." (slides). Re- freshments. Assembly Newspaper. Staff meeting, Thurs., March 13, 4 p.m., Ann Arbor Room, League. Attendance important. U. of M. Sailing Club. Meeting, 7:30 p.m., Thurs., March 13, 311 W. Engineer- ing. Organization of spring sailing. University Oratorical Contest. Pre- liminaries for the contest will be held Fri., March 14, 4 p.m., Room 4203, An- gell Hall. A five minute talk .on the topic of the proposed oration will be Sixty-Second Year Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigan under the authority of the Board of Control of Student Publications. Editorial Staff Chuck Elliott.......Managing Editor Bob Keith...............City Editor Leonard Greenbaum. Editorial Director Vern Emerson........ .Feature Editor Ron Watts...........Associate Editor Bob Vaughn............Associate Editor Ted Papes ................Sports Editor George Flint ....Associate Sports Editor Jim Parker .. .. .Associate Sports Editor Jan James ............ Women's Editor Jo Ketelhut, Associate women's Editor Business Staff Bob Miller.........Business Manager Gene Kuthy, Assoc. Business Manager Charles Cuson ....Advertising Manager Milt Goetz........Circulation Manager I