FOUR

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

WEDNESDAY, APRIL x, _ 1952

FOUR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 1952


City Elections

(EDITORS' NOTE: This is the first of two ed-
itorials on the issues in Ann Arbor's April 7
election.)
HE APRIL 7 ELECTION, usually a source
of profound disinterest in Ann Arbor,
nevertheless is important this year.
No great harm will come to the city
should either Democrats or Republicans
carry the City Council or the County
Board of Supervisors; most candidates of
both parties are honest men of good will
and it is a safe assumption that none will,
if elected, act to the city's detriment.
The section of the ballot which will have
more important meaning to the voters and
will bear heavily upon their future well-
being is that of the nine referenda.
The first four may be dismissed briefly;
they are mere requests for formal voter ap-
proval of council procedures not specifically
provided for in the City Charter but which
-have been followed for several years with
beneficial effect albeit. without public con-
sent or for that matter, public cognizance.
It should be noted that more than a
few city officials are apprehensive over
placing these procedures on" the ballot
even now. For if the voters should some-
how disapprove the formal statement of
current practices then the authorities
would morally and legally be bound to
desist from them. Faced with a choice be-
tween expedient efficiency and the com-
pliance with democratic principle, city
authorities have chosen the 'latter. The
voters should not disappoint them.
The annexations, of Ann Arbor Hills and'
a subdivision of Huron River Hills, are very
definitely no formality; they are essential to
the continued growth and progress of Ann
Arbor. The city's steady growth has dan-
gerously decreased the amount of available
vacant land within its bounds. And the
prospective influx of thousands more resi-
dents, from the new aircraft plant at Willow
Run and the University's north campus, will
make matters even worse if we do not ac-
quire more room to stretch in.
The initial expense, notably the cost of
installing adequate sewerage in Ann Arbor

Hills, will be heavy. But it is an expense we
must assume as the price of prosperity.
Therefore the voters should approve the
annexations.
The two propositions approving bond is-
sues deserve approval for much the same
reasons. The city needs a new fire sta-
tion to the southeast, has needed it for
some time. To hold off means added ex-
pense to home-owners whose insurance
rates are bound to rise without sufficient
protection against fire. Ann Arbor already
stands tenth among twilve Michigan cit-
ies of comparable size in fire protection
facilities. By the standards of the Nation-
al Board of Fire Underwriters we are sim-
ilarly found wanting. Therefore the pro-
posal to build and equip a fire station
should be put through.
The proposition calling for the purchase
of park lands through the issuing of bonds
is part of a projected buildup of city re-
creational facilities commensurate with an-
ticipated growth of population. The city now
has an opportunity to acquire the Fair-
grounds, a well-developed park tract at an
advantageous price. To postpone planning
for the future may mean considerably more
expense at some later time or a consider-
ably less worthwhile city in years to come.
Therefore, property owners who will vote on
this proposal as well as the fire station
referendum, should give the go-ahead signal
for these bond issues.
As for the final item on the April 7 ballot
and the issue which has made this election
something more than perfunctory-the
amusement tax referendum-the wording of
the proposition is poor and therefore should
be opposed at the present time.
It is a tax designed to hit the low-in-
come citizen, the fellow who can least
stand the bite. It is inequitable, discrim-
inatory and could prove a real threat to
both the public pfirse and to some of our
most worthwhile pastimes.
For the present it should not be passed
and it is up to you to do it.
-Zander Hollander

ON THE
Washington Merry-Go-Round
WITH DREW PEARSON

WASHINGTON - Friends of President
Truman attribute the following reasons
for his historic decision not to run again.
First, the wishes of Mrs. Truman; 2. His
age-he would have been, if elected, the
oldest president ever to take the oath of
office; 3. The advice of party leaders, in.
cluding Speaker Sam Rayburn and Chief
Justice Fred Vinson; 4. The embarrassing
setback given him by Senator Kefauver in
New Hampshire; and finally, the prospect
that he would have to run against his old
friend, General Eisenhower.
For a long time the President has indicat-
ed to members of his family hnd to his
closer friends that he did not want to run.
More recently he intimated to one close in-
timate that the barrage of criticism was get-
ting on his nerves and he wanted to get out.
"There are too many b-----s in this busi-
ness," he said:
Probably only three or four of his
friends really knew how he felt, one of
them being the Chief Justice, whom the
President had urged to be the Democratic
nominee himself.
At one time, approximately nine to twelve
months ago, it was Mr. Truman's plan to
appoint the Chief Justice to a key post in
the administration such as Secretary of
State or Defense Mobilizer in order to give
him a springboard to the presidency. This
was to get around the fact that the Chief
Justice has held a vigorous view that the
court should not be a springboard into poli-
tics and that no ran should step from the
court into an active candidacy for any of-
fice, even the presidency.
This plan was sidetracked in part by
Senator McCarthy of Wisconsin, though
McCarthy to this day probably doesn't re-
alize it. However, the constant barrage of
criticism fired at Dean Acheson made it
imperative in the mind of Mr. Truman,
whose loyalty to his friends is legion, that
Achesen be continued atthe helm of the
State Department.
Later, as time passed, the Chief Justice
felt it was too late for him to step into
another office as a springboard to the presi-
dency. Not enough months remained before
the campaign.
* * *
-TAFT TEMPTED TRUMAN-
JT WAS at this point -- approximately
around December and January -that
President Truman seriously reconsidered
changing his mind about running. This per-
iod coincided with Senator Taft's reputed
gains of delegates and when the Eisen-
hower backers were discouraged', At that
time, it looked as if Taft would be the Re-
publican nominee, and nothing has titillated
Truman's political nostrils more than the
idea of defeating his old critic and enemy,
Bob Taft.
This itching on the President's part to
take on Senator Taft was what caused
some of his most revered political friends,
including Speaker Rayburn and the Chief

Greece and Turkey from communism, in'
putting across the Marshall Plan and in con-
ceiving the North Atlantic Pact for the de-
fense of Western Europe. It would also give
him credit for his courageous stand on civil
rights.
But if he ran again, Truman's friends be-
lieved, the Democratic Party would be torn
asunder, first over the civil-rights issue, also
in part over foreign policy.
The campaign would give the Republi-
eans a chance to attack that foreign pol-
ley as was not done in the 1948 campaign
when Senator Vandenberg was alive. Thus,
it was pointed out, Truman's great mile-
stones against communism might be plow-
ed under.
This advice by Democrats of great stand-
ing in the party is reported to have offset
the importuning of the palace guard that
the President should run again. A few weeks
thereafter came Eisenhower's show of
strength in New Hampshire and the victory
of Senator Kefauver which clinched Mr.
Truman's decision.
--IKE WAS FEARED-.
OF ALL THESE deterrent factors, perhaps
the most important was the probability
that Mr. Truman would have to run against
Eisenhower.
Friends of the President who sat with him
on the "back porch" of the White House in
June 1948 recalled how worried he was over
the prospect that Eisenhower would consent
to have his n1ame entered in the Democratic
convention in Chicago. Truman made no se-
cret r his belief that Ike could take the
Democratic convention by storm, and he
stewed mentally over some means of taking
Eisenhower out of the race.
It was on this particular evening that
George Allen was sent to New York to get
a letter from the General guaranteeing
that he would not run. Simultaneously
another close friend of the President tele-
phoned Milton Eisenhower, the General's
brother, also to get an assurance that Ike
was not a candidate.
Almost four years later, in the late sum-
mer of 1951, Truman again took confidential
steps to make sure he would not face Eisen-
hower as a candidate. He remembered first
a commitment he had made to Ike through
their mutual friend, George Allen, in 1948--
that if Ike wanted to run in '52, he, Truman
would help him. He also doubtless remem-
bered how formidable Ike would be as a
candidate.
Therefore, the President invited George
Alen for cruise on the yacht Williamsburg
in order to talk about their mutual friend in
Paris.
Truman told Allen that he considered
the North Atlantic Pact one of the most
important cornerstones for world peace
and that Eisenhower's leadership was es-
sential to it. He added that he was wor-
ried over Republican statements that Eis-
enhower was available for the GOP nomi-

DORIS FLEESON:
The Master
WASHINGTON-In the brief moments be-
fore they paraded to the dais at the
fateful Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner,
President Truman told Vice-President Bark-
ley, Speaker Rayburn, National Chairman
McKinney and Mrs. India Edwards, na-
tional vice-chairman, that he would make
an important announcement at the end of
his ppeech.
Without exception, they expected him
to say that he would be a candidate for
re-election. So surprised were they when
he didn't, they sat frozen almost into im-
mobility for a few seconds.
The President's decision is popular. All
hands are quoting Henry V's famous epitaph
on Falstaff that nothing in his life so be-
came him as the manner of his leaving it.
Mr. Truman is automatically an elder
statesman. He will be much alone but neith-
er will he be subject to such violent criti-
cism.
For his own part, there should be a great
release of tension. A historically minded
man has cooperated with history instead
of bucking it. Politicians agree that the
primary results thus far indicate that peo-
ple want fresh faces and new tasks; Mr.
Truman has proved again that he under-
stands the politics business.
In one stroke he has released the creative
energies of his party givig it the chance to
rejuvenate itself and has robbed the opposi-
tion of its principal emotional impetus which
was the anti-Truman drive. Now the issues
which do not lend themselves so well to
breast-beating must come to the fore.
President Truman as a candidate had a
vested interest in his mistakes which he was
bound to defend. His principal enemies-
Senator Taft and the Dixiecrats like Sena-
tor Byrd and Governor Byrnes-have erred
in concentrating their fire on him personally.
They will not find it easy to transfer the
emotions they aroused to the other Demo-
cratic aspirants.
By clearing the air in his own party,
Mr. Truman indirectly invites the Repub-
licans to look to the future also. To that,
extent he has hurt Senator Taft.
It is true that Mr. Truman has removed
from the lists one of the best campaigners
and greatest fighters in politics. Some Re-
publicans, in fact, contend that this is a
service to them-even to Mr. Taft.
This argument is impaired by two facts.
One is that the corruption millstone around
Mr. Truman's neck is greatly lightened-
though not removed entirely-for his suc-
cessor as the Democratic standard bearer.
The other is that the primaries show in
both parties a desire for change.
General MacArthur is injured in his am-
bitions by the Truman example of turning
to the future, not the past. So is the Vice-
President. Mr. Barkley, who is 74, will run
for president and he will be a factor. The
day will never come when he will not get a
great hand from Democrats as he did Sat-
urday night. But most of them will be very
polite and non-cooperative.
Senator Kefauver is justified in the pri-
mary fight he has made. He is, practi-
cally speaking, ahead right now in actual
and potential delegate strength.
Senator Russell is weakened as the South's
symbolic scapegoat retires. A great drive to
put him on a ticket headed by Gov. Adlai
Stevenson can be looked for.
Senator Kerr has gained and lost. He
has complained of being hurt by his avowal
that if Mr. Truman ran 'he would support
him. But he had depended on covert White
House help to buck Senator Kefauver. Ap-
parently it won't be forthcoming.
Democratic liberals have the bit in their
teeth since Saturday night and they won't
take Senator Kerr while they can choose
between Governor Stevenson and Senator
Kefauver.
Governor Stevenson will wait until after
the Illinois primary to declare himself. He
is genuinely humble and awed by the op-
portunity now clearly his. A man of char-
acter, he cannot be stampeded. If any-

thing, being an intellectual, he is likely
to see all sides too clearly, weigh all pos-
sibilities too carefully, and wait too long.
Politics is not a science; it is an acci-
dental, human and emotional business. If
Mr. Truman's bombshell proved anything, it
proved that.
Other candidates will swiftly come to the
fore-such as Senator McMahon of Connec-
ticut, who will be proclaimed a favorite son.
Should the Stevenson boom falter, Senator
Douglas of Illinois must be included in.
The psychological effect on General Eis-
enhower is bound to be that he will feel
an urge to come home as he cannot now
depend upon an obvious target for his
campaign.
Washington, on all sides, is in a tre-
mendous ferment. For the first time since
Roosevelt took over 19 years ago, it is not
dominated by the personality of one man.
(Copyright, 1952, by The Beli Syndicate, Inc.)
Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily
are written by members of The Daily staff
and represent the views of the writer only.
This must be noted in all reprints.
NIGHT EDITOR: BARNES CONNABLE
might like to make the nominating speech
himself.
Finally, the President suggested that
George Allen fly to Paris and have a heart-
to-heart talk with Eisenhower.
Allen countered by suggesting that Mr.

Stevenson . .
To the Editor:
SATURDAY night, Harry S. Tru-
man announced that he would
not accept the Democratic nomi-
nation for president. But the
Democratic party is not left with-
out capable leadership. It. is ob-
vious that the man most capable
of leading this country in the at-
tainment of the principles of the
Democratic party is Governor Ad-
lai Stevenson o Illinois.
The main interests in the Demo-
cratic party must now unite in the
support of Alai Stevenson. In local,
national, and international affairs
he has consistently proven his
worth
Serving as assistant Secretary
of State under Stettinius and
Byrnes he was instrumental in
formulating American foreign
policy in our most crucial period.
After participating in the San
Francisco United Nations confer-
ence, he worked with the United
States delegation to the General
Assembly. It was in these posi-
tions that he demonstrated his
keen outlook on foreign affairs.
His first Washington assign-
ment was a special counsel for the
administration of the Agriculture
Adjustment Act. He was later spe-
cial assistant, speech-writer, and
general trouble-shooter to the
Secretary of Navy. He is no
stranger to the ways of Washing-
ton politics.
On the state level, he has proved
himself an able administrator.
combating gambling and political
patronage which had long flour-
ished in Illinois.
In order to initiate an active
campaign on the University of'
Michigan campus, the "Adlai
Stevenson for President Club" is
now in the process of organization.
The first meeting will be an-
nounced shortly.
-John Apple
-Kenneth Recker
* * *
AIM'S Aim . ..
To the Editor:
FIRST LET me state that all
views presented herein are my
own and not those of any organi-
zation to which I belong.
Now I would like to quote from
Article II of A. I. M.'s Constitu-
tion. "Purposes: The A. I. M.
Council has been formed to 1. Give
adequate representation in cam-
pus affairs to all independent
men."
Next I would like to say that in
the opinion of Mr. Mossner, AIM
is out of the crises.
From these two ideas it would
appear to me that A. I. M. has
overcome the obstacles placed in
its path and is again representing
all independent men.
At the last meeting of A. I. M.
eight Residence Halls were
dropped from A. I. M.'s rolls, but
A. I. M. represents all independent
men. Three had either been prev-
iously dropped or never members.
This left a total of 14 houses as
members. At this, they barely
made a quorum of the required
nine houses, still A. I. M. repre-
sents all independent men. This
is approximately 5/12 of the men
in the Residence Halls and not
even close to that fraction of in-
dependent men. And yet A. I. M.
is representing all independent
men.
It only remains to be said that
the gentlemen running A. I. M. are
lucky that they have this sliding
scale so that they will be able
to represent all independent men,
and that I would be happy to
offer my services as a fourth for
bridge when the time arrives.
-Harry Piper
* *n *
Coneto

To the Editors:
I HAVE JUST returned from the
Mid West Young Republican
convention where I was a delegate.
As a self designated "Liberal Re-
publican"; I was completely dis-
gusted with the reactionary spirit
that dominated the entire conven-
tion.
Here are some prize examples
of that extreme conservative
spirit. I was told that: (1) Joe Mc-
Carthy was a "real" gentleman.
(2) Herbert Hoover is our greatest
living American, and (3) Democ-
racy is anti-liberal because it
authorizes lynchings which are
controlled by mobs. Our speakers
were the isolationist Senator Wel-
ker from Idaho and the arch-con-
servative Rep. Clarence Brown
from Ohio. Only token opposition,
mostly from Minnesota, was
offered to the convention platform
which made a farce out of civil
rights and which supported a
"nationalistic" isolationism in the
field of foreign policy.
After three days of this "rattle-
'trap", I was forced to ask myself
the question of whether or not I

day in the person of that great
American, Dwight D. Eisenhower.
3) Only with the nomination of
Eisenhower, or a similar liberal
Republican, can millions of cit-
izens, like myself, regain confi-
dence in the Republican party.
In view of this, I would like to
urge everybody to join me in the
crusare for "IKE".
--Mal Schlusberg
Sec. "Students for Eisenhower"
SRA...
To the Editor:
THE CHAIRMAN of the Uni-
tarian student group made
two statements in his recent let-
ter upon which I should like to
expand. One is that "we . . . view
any attempt to narrow down the
field of SRA's action to that of.
intercultural retreats and discus-
sion groups, again, as an attempt
to narrow gown the definition of
religion to exclude those who dif-
fer in religious beliefs." In the
first place, no one in SRA could
or would forbid any person or
group to carry out themselves
their individual or group ideals;
and certainly it would seem that
the fewer the activities of SRA
as a whole, the more likely they
might be to be agreeable to every-
one. In the second place, to be
considerably more serious, the
limits of SRA's activities must
necessarily be set by all of its mem-
bers. If only one of them finds
a certain action or policy impos-
sible to reconcile with its own
principles, then, as a body of*
people who by their religious com-
mitment, naturalistic or super-
naturalistic, are dedicated to love
and charity toward everyone, SRA
cannot even attempt to force, the
idea down that group's throat.
What is more, the original motion,
couched in the terms of the ref-
erendum on the spring ballot, was
objected to by many if not most of
the council members, not only as
negative rather than positive in
its approach to the problem, but
also as far too political in nature
for a religious group. The present
resolution sought to satisfy both
those who wished SRA to take a
stand on student responsibility for
speakers and those who (believing
that political matters such as re-
strictions during periods of emer-
gency are the concern of the indi-
vidual in his political group, how-
ever he may be motivated by his
religious convictions) felt that
SRA should not take part in the
present political action on the
question. It remains an attempt,
not to narrow the limits of SRA
activity, but to do what is pos-
sible within those limits set up
in the SRA constitution by the
members of the association.
The other is that "we may see
that authoritarianism in church or
social order subverts the purpose
of religion." If religion's purpose
is to help man to better himself,
as the Unitarian student chair-
man says, then authoritarionism
in the church, which in theory at
least is the granting of power to
those who by virtue of their train-
ing and capabilities are expected
to be able to guide wisely the de-
velopment of the less experienced,
does not automatically subvert
that goal.
-Robina Quale
SEA Intercultural Dept.
* * *
Quo Vadis .. .
To the Editor:
IT IS MY opinion, and I'm not
alone, that your staff's critical

MGM should have tried "a little3
harder to find a story . . . worthy
of their effort," isn't a Nobel{
Prize winner good enough? Since
the movie story, to which your
critic may have been referring,
parallels the book almost com-
pletely, it should be worthy ofy
MGM's millions and Mr. Arp's
"ninety-five cents." But, perhaps
he never heard of the book, much1
less read it. Having done so twice,'
I might suggest it.
I agree that the performances
of the actors who played Nero and
Petronius were of note, but I think
there were some others for whom
something could be said. With so
large a cast, it is hardly possible
that every member should give a
star performance, or even that
a large portion of them should.
But the final blow in the analy-
sis is that the Christian beliefs
are "treated with a tongue-in-
cheek attitude," that the Christ-
ians are wrongly portrayed as "the
weakest members of the Roman
society," and that they "often do
rather silly and ridiculous things."
It seems the only "tongue-in-
cheek attitude" is Mr. Arp's if that
is the way he.felt when he watched'
this display of the "martyrdom
and glory of (those) early Christ-'
ians." As for their weakness, they
were very weak in the Roman
society, where the only standard
of strength was physical power ..
I don't say that "Quo Vadis" is
a great movie because I am not
capable of judging that, I do think
it very good, however, and an
accurate screen version of a great
book. That's why I ob:tct to Mr.
Arp's criticism of the story. As to
his remarks about the poor por-
trayal of the Christian beliefs,
they are a difficult thing to por-
tray, possible because half the
effect is an' audience's feeling for
them.
-Barbara Wood
Prejudice -. -
To the Editor:
ONE TAKES such a beating
when one has a letter printed
in the Daily, that one hesitates
to write; however, I feel quite
strongly on the subject of the
audacity of the Wolverine Club
in its sending - rather attempt
to send - a trainload of Mich.
people into the Deep South where
they will be unable to stay on the
same train cars and unable to
room at the same luxurious hotel
with one another. In fact it pleased
me to see that one co-op group
did itsbbest to see that, the trip
would be a failure, and did so in
its own "small"-take it as you
want it-way.
And since I do not find fault
without offering constructive sug-
gestions, I propose to the Wol-
verine Club, which acted only in
forgivable ignorance, that they re-
map the trip and send the group
or try to get a group to send, to
Central Alaska. There will be little
prejudice, or anything else for that
matter, found there, and they tell
me, the Eskimos, that is, that it
is wonderful in Central Alaska now
that spring is here.
I have one further suggestion to
augment the program of brother-
hood of man in this university.
The Vulcans have for too long
been allowed to send special cars
to such towns as New York and
Chicago, towns well known as
breeders of racial, national and
religious bigotry. Moreover, the re-
turn passage which is at a lower
than normal rate to induce us stu-
dents to come-back, is to Ann Ar-

l
1
i
l

... ,Cetteri to the 6k0r..
-0 * -0-

"Wow!!!. . . . . Some platform . . ."

and all the rest who have been
doing such a fine fight in the re-
moval of prejudice from the minds
of us ignorant peoples who cannot.
see through these plots of hate at
first.
-Jim Holway, '53L
* * *
Arab Students . .
To the Editor:
AS CHAIRMAN of the general
planning conference of all the
Arab students in the United States,
I express the gratitude and deep
appreciation of these students for
the encouragement and coopera-
tion of the University of Michigan,
officially represented at the con-
ference by Arthur L. Brandon, di-
rector of University Relations.
I do extend the thanks of the
Arab students for the attendance
and advice of Dr. Esson M. Gale,
director of the International Cen-
ter; Dr. George Cameron, chair-
man of the Department of the
Near Eastern Studies; Dr. Douglas
Crary, assistant professor of geog-
raphy; and Dr. Garland Evans
Hopkins, vice president of the
American Friends of the Middle
East.
It is a great pleasure for the
Arab students in the United States
to hold their first convention of
this kind in Ann Arbor, at the
University of Michigan, which has
offered the use of its wide facilities
to the planning conference and the
general convention.
It was decided by the planning
conference that the general con-
vention will be held here in June
for several hundred Arab students.
The purposes of the convention
will be as follows:
1. To afford an opportunity for
the Arab students in the United
States to get together to discuss
their American experiences and
Arab World problems.
2. To bring about closer co-op-
eration between Arab students and
Americans of Arab origin.
3. To develop and promote a
better understanding =between
Arabs and Americans.
The idea of the convention was
originated by the Arab Club of the
University of Michigan; and the
planning conference was held by
delegates of Arab students from
seventeen universities located
throughout the United States.
-Mounir E-Khatib
* * *
Lecture Committee
To the Editor:
RECENT controversy over the
speaker's ban seems to have
overlooked one pertinent fact. In
1948, at the suggestion of the Fac-
ulty Senate, the Regents deleted
the clause in their by-laws for-
bidding meetings or lectures "on
behalf of a particular candidate,
party, or faction."
It is true that the Regents'
interpretation of the bylaw still
reads "These regulations . . . are
designed to serve the educational
interests of the academic com-
munity rather than the political
interests of any party or candidate.
The Lecture Committee has con-
sistently interpreted this to mean
that, as long as one group does
not try to monopolize time and
space, political speeches should not
only be allowed but encouraged,
The Committee feels that such
speeches are fundamentally of an
educational value. Since 1948 the
Committee has put no restrictions
on political speeches as such.
There is no ban on political
speeches by party members, by
candidates, or by their supporte
-John M. Hale

I

Sixty-Second Year
Edited and managed by students of
the University of Michigan under the
authority of the Board in Control of
Student Publications.
Editorial Staff
Chuck Elliott ........Managing Editor
Bob Keith ..................City Editor
Leonard Greenbaum, Editorial Director
Vern Emerson .......,..Feature Editor
Ron Watts ...........AssociatEditor
Bob Vaughn..........Associate Editor
Ted Papes..............Sports Editor
George Flint ....Associate Sports Editor
Jim Parker .....Associate Sports Editor
Jan James..........Women's Editor
Jo Keteihut, Associate Womren's Editor
Bisterss Staff
Bob Miller..........Busness Manager
Gene Kuthy, Assoc. Business Manager
Charles Cuson ... .Advertising Manager
Milt Goetz........ .Circulation Manager