I PAGE TWO THE MICHIGAN DAILY FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1948 4 Modern Inquisition THE SPIRIT OF the Spanish Inquisition has never died out-at least not here in America. In some respects the actual tor- ture practices of the medieval secular au- thorities are still employed in the United States by the Ku Klux Klan. Three thoutsand hooded Klan members recently gathered around a huge fiery cross on Stone Mountain, Georgia, forming a spectacle which certainly reminds one more of the flaming torture cells of Toledo, than the undemocratic institutions of modern America. Following an "inspiring" address by Grand Dragon Samuel Green who prom- ised that "blood would flow in the streets" if civil rights for Negroes were enforced in the South, 700 new initiates were wel- comed into the spectral ranks. Editorials published in The Michigan Daily are written by members of The Daily staff and represent the views of the writers only. NIGHT EDITOR: LIDA DAILES For years democratically minded Amer- ican citizens have been stunned by the mere existence of an organization which has pledged itself to, "white supremacy in the South and a militant Protestantism, exclud- ing Negroes, Jews, Roman Catholics and all foreign born." It seems unbelievable that such a group has been allowed to carry on its program of murder and terror under a con- stitution which states that "All men are created equal." And yet the Klan has not only been allowed to exist, it has been allowed to control Southern law enforcement and coerce the rights of millions of Negroes, Jews and "foreigners." During the war it carried on a very noble fight to withhold the benefits of the USO from these mi- nority groups. When Grand Hokus-Pokus Green prom- ises that blood will flow in the streets, he is promising more than the fact that hun- dreds of helpless Negroes will be murdered -he is promising that the principles of American democracy are decaying. We can always return to the Inquisition. --Jim Brown. MATTER OF FACT: Sense About Security By JOSEPH and STEWART ALSOP W ASHINGTON-The thing to remember about Representative J. Parnell Thomas is that his name is not, or at least was not, Thomas. He has magically evolved from Feeney, the Irish Catholic son of a Democratic city politician, to Thomas, the Methodist Republican New Jersey squire, with a houseful of ostentatiously early American objects. He belongs, in short, to the curious, twist- ed group of men who hold that a name like Thomas is more respectably "100 per cent American" than Feeney or Karpowicz or, one supposes, Stuyvesant or Van Rensselaer. He is engaged in a great impersonation of a male member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. And the hue and cry which he has so long been raising is no more than an episode in this sordid little tragi-comedy. In the present atmosphere it is ap- propriate to begin any discussion of American security with these facts, if only to place the current doings on Capitol - Hill in their correct perspective. The plain truth is that there can be no honest de- fense of the investigation of vital security questions by such groups as the House Committee on Un-American Activities, which are' dominated by the intellectual standards disclosed by Thomas' great im- personation, and primarily interested ii a sordid headline hunt. This much having been said, it must immediately be added that a very grave and important security problem undoubtedly exists in this country. Probably the most shocking and harmful breaches of security in the past twenty years were "The Chi- cago Tribune's" revelations, both of Amer- ica's war plan just before Pearl Harbor, and of the Navy's success in breaking the Japanese codes. No items of information such as these are likely to' have passed through the espionage nets described by Miss Elizabeth Bentley and Mr. J. Whittaker Chambers.. On the other hand, sensible investigating officials believe that the Bentley and Cham- bers stories are, in the main, true. The charges against certain individuals, like Al- ger Hiss, have thus far been discredited by all responsible officials, after the most ex- tensive inquiries. So far as is known, the only solid evidence against Hiss, to take his example, is that he once joined a rather solemn group organized to study Marxist doctrine, which is evidence of intellectual inquisitiveness but not of treason. The fact remains, however, that the espionage nets described by Chambers and Miss Bentley are thought to have existed, in broad outline, as they have been represented. There are other crucial facts to consider also. The Bentley story was laboriously sifted by a grand jury, the story of Cham- bers was thoroughly checked by the FBI as soon as he brought it to Adolphe A. Berle Jr. Yet the FBI brought no charges against the persons implicated by Cham- bers, and the grand jury brought in no indictment against the persons named by Miss Bentley. Equally, "The Chicago Tribune" went scot-free in the cases above mentioned. The "Amerasia" case was dis- missed despite the proven presence of un- authorized top secret documents in the magazine's editorial offices. And every in- formed Washingtonian knows of other instances of really serious leaks being stopped by the simple dismissal of the person who was selling or giving away highly secret information. The reasons for this state of affairs are what Representative Thomas ought to be in- vestigating, if he really cared much about national security. Some reasons are obvious. The existing espionage act, for example, is' so loosely drawn that most prosecuting authorities consider convictions almost im- possible to obtain. Other reasons can only be suggested. The suspicion arises, for instance, that a good many investigating officials must be singu- larly ignorant and stupid, when the tem- porary government appointment of a man like Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. is held up for weeks on security grounds. The young his- torian of "The Age of Jackson" happens to be one of the leading anti-Communists among American liberals. Any one capable of charging him with actual membership in the Communist party, as he was recently charged, must believe that all us citizens except the friends of Representative Thomas carry concealed party cards. And this must make fruitful investigation a trifle diffi- cult. No subject is more delicate than this subject of security, which involves the fun- damental liberties of Americans. Under the circumstances there is merit in an idea long played with by Secretary of Defense James V. Forrestal. Forrestal has in fact proposed a Presidential Commission, com- posed of such men as Justice Owen Roberts and Judge Learned Hand, and charged with examining the problem in all its many as- pects, and recommending both the reform of day by day security methods and the needed revision of permanent legislation. By such a device, we might even get results, not headlines. (Copyright, 1948, New York Herald Tribune, Inc.) MATTER OF FACT: Political lMerit By SAMUEL GRAFTON O FAR I HAVE NOT picked a candidate, and this position, while thoroughly rep- rehensible, does have certain advantages. For one, it makes you realize that the parties now engaged in the election contest are perhaps better at criticizing each other than at solving the American or world prob- lem. Suddenly you feel that a complete dem- onstration on the part of the Republicans that Truman is inept by no means consti- tutes a proof that the Republicans are ept, so to say. If everyone who could find fault. with Truman were, by that fact, rendered fit to run the country, we would be em- barrassed by a wealth of statesmanship. Now there is nothing the hot partisan believes more completely than that to score a point off the other side is to score a point for one's own side, that the other fellow's faults are reflections, nay proofs, of one's own virtues. It is a belief which holds that if merit has disappeared from among the Democrats, why, then, it must have turned up among the Republicans, or among the Progressives, or at least, for goodness' sakes, somewhere. This belief might even be given a name; it could be called The Theory of the Indestructibility of Merit, from its re- semblance to somewhat old-fashioned theories about the indestructibility of matter, and of energy. A little later on, when and if I pick a candidate, I shall probably believe in this theory, too, ard I promise then to be as unreasonable as anybody could expect. But in the curiously pleasant meantime, I do not accept this idea at all; I do not believe that political merit is like a bas- ketball, which, if it has slipped out of the possession of one side, must then be in the control of the other. I find it -impossible to believe that Truman is lead- ing us to peace and prosperity, but no more can I believe that the Republicans would steer us any better, or that, on the other hand, a future of bliss and seren- ity would await us if Wallace won the election. Isn't that disgraceful? Conversely, it even seems to me, in this age of polarization of politics, that each party has got hold of a shred of the truth, but only a shred; that the Republicans are quite justified in fearing that the whole character of the world may suddenly change, that Truman is quite right in his morose feeling that Russia may do very unex- pected things, and that the Wallace party certainly has ,something when it says that this type of sentiment might lead to war. I know it is extremely cynical of me to suggest that there is some validity in all the parties. Your citizenof really high faith and lofty mind would never believe any such thing. But I can only say, in my depraved way, that in this age of extreme positions, the idea that one must necessarily be a hot partisan during an election campaign is a mere piece of nostalgic sentimentalism, like any other. There is plenty of room for the independent who may try, without total commitment to any party, to pick out a short course that could be of the most use to the most people. And now I know why it has seemed to me that, in a curious way, each of the parties fails to acquire political merit for itself merely by proving that another is without it. It is because each operates along only a limited are of the circle of truth, and the passionate negative descrip- tions it makes of the others do not affirm- atively extend its own dimensions. The Republicans d not prove that you can stop all change when they show that Truman is not a genius. Truman does not prove that we can have a practical mix- ture of social progress plus preparation for war when he ticks off the Republicans. The Wallace party does not justify its un- critical approach to Russia by its often very sound criticism of the major par- ties. Political merit is no longer a fixed quan- tity, which slips from the hands of one party into those of another. It has become scattered and diffuse. It is, like energy itself in our day, not indestructible; it can disappear and not turn up somewhere else. Truman can lose it without anybody else acquiring it, (Copyright, 1948, New York Post Corporation) WHAT S HAPPENED 'R 1> WE CAN dET USED TO MOST ANYTHING Al I _ & e e e e TOUR DREAMGIRL ,f DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN Letters to the Editor... The Daily accords its readers the privilege of submitting letters for publication in this column. Subject to space limitations, the general pl- icy is to publish in the order in which they are received all letters bearing the writer's signature and address. Letters exceeding 300 words, repeti- tious letters and letters of a defama- tory character or such letters which for any other reason are not in good taste will not be published. The editors reserve the privilege of con- densing letters. ,, * CP and Progressives To the Editor: The Communists have joined the Progressive Party. However, they agree with the Progressive Party Platform only in so far as it reects the present administra- tion policies. It is not surprising that the Communists make some valid criticisms of our adminis- tration. The average American would certainly give a. good ac- count of himself when criticizing Russian Communism. On August 3rd at the Commu- nist Convention, Eugene Dennis, general secretary of the Commu- nist Party in America, said: "We (Communists) are the party of socialism and repudiate all na- tions of a 'progressive capital- ism'." The Communists thus joined the Progressives because they felt it the least objectionable of the major capitolistic parties. I now turn to my attitude, as a Progressive, toward the Commu- nist support of the Progressive Party. I've talked to perhaps half a dozen Communists here and at the Philadelphia Convention. tion. Their attitude is as destruc- tive to world friendship and peace as is the average Americans-no more. no less. The average Ameri- can believes that Russia is in- capable of justifiable action in this will not constitute a commit- ment at the present time. All women are eligible to live in a language house provided they have the initial ability to speak the language and provided they wish to improve their fluency. Summer Hopwood Contests-All manuscripts to be entered in the summer Hopwood contests must be in the Hopwood Room, 3227 Angell Hall, by 4:30 p.m. Fri., Au- gust 6. Approved student sponsored So- cial events Alpha Sigma Phi, Congrega- tional ,Disciples Guild, Robert Owen Coop, Sigma Alpha Epsian. Lectures The seventh lecture in the spe- cial lecture series sponsored by the Department of Engineering Mechanics will be presented by J. E. Dorn, Professor of Physical Metallurgy, University of Cali- fornia. Professor Dorn will speak on "Failures of the Isotropic Theories of Plasticity," Fri., Au- gust 6, 3 p.m., Room 445 W. Eng. Bldg Sat., Aug. 7, 11 a.m., Room 445 W. Eng. Bldg. Professor Dorn will discuss, "The Effect of Ther- momechanical History on the Plastic Properties of Metals." Academic Notices Doctoral Examination for Alva Leroy Davis, English; Thesis: "A World Atlas of the Great Lakes Re- gion," Fri., Aug. 6, West Confer- ence Room, Rackham Building, at 2 p.m. Chairman, Hans Karuth. Doctoral Examination for Jane Smiley Cronin, Mathematics; Thesis: "Branch of Solutions of Equations in Banach Stace," Fri., Aug. 6, East Conference Room, Concerts Student Recital: Keith Lusted, organist, will present a program in partial fulfillment of the re- quirements for the degree of Bachelor of Music at 8 p.m. Sun., August 8, in Hill Auditorium. His recital will include compositions by Louis, Francois, and Armand Louis Couperin, Bach, Edward Barnes, Haydn, Dupre, Vierne, and Sonata I, written by Mr. Lusted. He is a pupil of Charles Vogan, and his program will be open to the public. Events Today The fifth Fresh Air Camp Clinic will be held on Fri., August 6, 1948. Discussions begin at 8 p.m. in the Main Lodge of the Fresh Air Camp located on Patterson Lake. Any University students interested in problems of individual and group therapy are invited to attend. The discussant will be Mrs. Selma Fraiberg, Psychiatric Social Work- er. (Continued on Page 3) foreign affairs and that America is incapable of action that is not justifiable. The Communists be- lieve just the opposite. In other words both Communist and aver- age American substitute patriot- ism for logic. This is a very dan- gerous substitution. It is also evident in high office, radio, and the press in both countries, and is responsible for the "cold war." The Communists and the Pro- gressives do not agree on the vir- tues of Russia's actions but what's more important, since our politi- cal action can only affect our own administration, they do agree about many of thefaults of the present administration of this country and that the two old par- ties, which are equally responsi- ble for the present bipartisan ad- ministration, must go. --Larry Banghart Spy Hearings To the Editor: With supreme contempt for the security, the liberties and the in- telligence of Americans, the U.S. press during the past week has force-fed its readers a sensational drama of "spies," "conspirators" and "traitors" without a hint of interpreation or context. The drama has proceded not from in- vestigation a n d constitutional trial, but as an original campaign of character assassination. Stu- dents want to know what meaning this fantastic affair has. Its meaning is crystal clear. Bi- partisanism, having set the stage for imperialist expansion and war, through the Truman-Vandenberg Doctrine of hate and domestic militarization, has now taken the next imperative step in this pro- gram-a broadside attack on the people's liberties, with the initial blows falling on Communist lead- ers and individuals labelled as Communists. The methodisethe "legal" frame-up. So precisely,. step by step, does this follow the classic pattern of Hitler, Mussolini and Franco that its fascist content cannot possibly be mistaken. Frame-up? The purpose of the Communist indictments and the hackneyed Bentley-Budenz "ex- poses" is to hang a charge of treasonous conspiracy on Com- munists. Yet the program and in- ner workings of the Communist Part; have been an open book both to the public and to FBI sleuths for 28 years. Moreover, the nation's highest court has already rejected -this accusation. Soon Americans will begin be- ing readied for the next step in the Nazi pattern, and the Uni- versity's students would do well to take a long, hard look at the cycle of events which -followed the Reichstag fire trials. When they do, they will find that the next victims of reaction are labor un- ions and students. -Ernest Ellis Student Director Michigan Communist Party ., f r- Publication in The Daily Official Bulletin is constructive notice to all members of the University. Notices for the Bulletin should be sent in typewritten form to the office of the Assistant to the President, Room' 1021 Angell Hall, by 3:00 p.m. on the day preceding publication ( 1:09 a.m. Saturdays). * * * Notices FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1948 VOL. LVIII, No. 201 Attention August Graduates: College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, School of Education, School of Music, School of Public Health: Students are advised not to re- quest grades of I or X in August. When such grades are absolutely imperative, the work must be made up in time to allow your instrnctor to report the make-up grade not later than 11 a.m., Au- gust 23. Grades received after that time may defer the student's grad- uation until a later date. Recommendations for Depart- mental Honors: Teaching depart- ments wishing to recommend ten- tative August graduates from the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and the School of Edu- cation for departmental honors should recommend such students in a letter, sent to the Registrar's Office, Room 4, University Hall by 11 a.m., August 23. Master's Degree Candidates in the Graduate School who expect their degrees at the conclusion of the Summer Session must have completed the GraduateRecord Examination or the Graduate Ap- titude examination or the degree will not be awarded. Students who have not taken either of these ex- aminations should report immedi- ately to the Recorder, 1014 Rack- ham Building, for instructions. Faculty, College of Engineering: There will be a meeting of the Faculty of this College on Tues- day, August 10, at 4:15 p.m. in Room 348, West Engineering Building. All Public Law 16 veterans who have not notified their Training Officers of their educational in- tentions following the eight weeks summer session must do so piror to August 14, 1948. Veterans who fail to comply with this announce- ment risk the possibility of hav- ing their training discontinued by the Veterans Administration. All students receiving their Master's Degree at the close of the Summer Session are invited to a breakfast, Sun., August 8, 9 a.m., Michigan League Ballroom. Secure your tickets at 1213 Angell Hall before 4:30 Fri., August 6. If you wish to bring a guest you may secure a guest ticket for one dol- lar and. ten cents each. Conference on School Vocal Music, Ballroom, Michigan League, 8:45 to 9:30 a.m. Address, Con- cerning Ethics and Ideals for Music Eduators, Erik Leidzen, New York City; 9:45 to 11 a.m., A Demonstration of Choral Re- hearsal Techniques by Peter Wil- housky, New York City, famous choral director for the Toscanini Broadcasts; 11:15 a.m. to 12, Pro- gram of Choral Music by the Sum- mer Session Choir, Helen Hos- mer, Conductor; 1 to 2 p.m. Dem- onstration in Teaching Music Reading, by Howard Hinga, As- sistant Supervisor of Music, Rochester, New York; 2 to 2:45, Necessary Skills in School Oper- etta Production, by Henry Austin, N.B.;C. and Mutual Broadcasts, New York; 2:45 to 3:30, A Second Choral Demonstration by Peter Wilhousky, New York; 3:30 to 4:30, Quiz Session led by Maynard Klein, Roxy Cowin and E. J. Schultz. Women students on campus this summer who are interested in liv- ing in a French or Spanish House during the summer session of 1949 may leave their names at the Of- fice of the Dean of Women now. Plans for the organization of foreign language houses will de- pend in part upon the number of requests for this type of residence. Women who wish to list their names at the present time will be assured of receiving further in- formation before next summer but ;. . Fi f y-Eighth Year *I + MUsIC + o A t Lydia Mendelssohn... LA SERVA PADRONA, with Masako Ono and Robert Sill. DOWN IN THE VALLEY, with Howard Kellogg and Norma Heyde. YESTERDAY EVENING two fine produc- tions of a double bill of opera opened a four day run at Lydia Mendelssohn The- atre. A capacity house was present, got its money's worth, and said so by way of thun- derous applause at each work's conclusion. In the twe operas on the evening's pro- gram, one notes a very curious parallel. Both works were, and are, in a sense, reactions against contemporary or near contemporary practices. Pergolesi's buffa and the inter- mezzi from which it arose, were reactions against the stilted antiquarian plots of the 18th century "zopf" opera. Musical values were again injected into what had become - --l - - A -.------...-- - :nn A- and humor were enjoyable and fresh. Those who felt that "Dido and Aeneas" was a museum piece, certainly could not voice a similar objection to this work. Its sparkling overture set the note for what was a great performance. Masako Ono, as Serbina the maid, did a fine job in her singing, and was extraordinarily successful in her characteri- zation of the petite scheming maid. Espe- cially effective was her rendition of the lyric aria "May the Blessings of Heaven Be Granted to You." Robert Sill as Doctor Pandolfo, displayed a large well-trained voice. His Pandolfo made a splendid foil for Serbina. James Drummon was effective in the comic mute role that completed the cast, After the intermission, the program con- cluded with an ingenious production of Kurt Weill's "Down in the Valley." Despite its ingenuity and native interest, this work seemed somewhat less successful than Per- golesi's work of 1733. In this production, Norma Heyde, Howard Kellogg, and Dale Current Movies I At the State . . TO THE VICTORS, ,with Viveca Lindfors and Dennis Morgan. W HAT DENNIS MORGAN is doing in this otherwise well cast picture is a matter for conjecture. The story doesn't call for an Irish tenor. It calls for an actor who can portray an ex-GI operating in the post- war Parisian black market, an actor who can stand beside a rusty landing craft on Omaha Beach and describe the hell that was D-Day-- -an actor, in short, who is no only proficient brat flexible. Morgan is neither. Viveca Lindfors, on the other hand. is most, effective as the Nazi collaborator who Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigan under the authority of the Board in Control of Student Publications. Editorial Stafi Lida Dailes ..........Managing Editor Kenneth Lowe ........Associate Editor Joseph R. Walsh, Jr. ....Sports Editor Business Staff Robert James .......Business Manager Harry Berg .......Advertising Manager Ernest Mayerfeld .Circulation Manager Telephone 23-24-1 Member of The Associated Press The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for re-publication of all1news dispatches credited to it or otherwise credited in this newspaper. All rights of re-publication of all other matters herein are also reserved. Entered at the Post Office at Ann Arbor, Michigan, as second-class mail matter. Subscription during the regular, school year by carrier, $5.00, by mail, $6.00. Member Associated Collegiate Press 1947-48 'A BARINABY i