THE MICHIGAN DATLY FRIDAY, JULY 15,1949 Picketing ACCORDING TO THE posters the big three-ring circus is supposed to be in Detroit. Last night it seems that the clowns took a bus-man's holiday and frolicked about the Rackham Building. They hoote and they howled, they flipped and they dipped. And they carried signs which dem- onstrated beyond a doubt that they learned their school lessons well-none of the words were misspelled. Yes, indeed, the Young Progressives were out in boorish force to greet Governor Williams and to caterwaul an adieu. As is their wont they heaped upon one man's shoulders the responsibility for every polit- ioal, economic, social, ethical etc., evil in Christendom-and Marxdom. Their antics can only operate to help bury liberal measures. Every time the YP begins to bubble and decides to come out for some idea, that idea has one more big, muddy ditch to hurdle before it can cap- ture the people's mind. Unfortunately the mental process most employed in political issues is that of la- beling, pigeon-holing, and forgetting. When the Progressives put their stamp onto something, the red flag is run up, and to many individuals the issue is as dead as the great prophet himself. The remarkable record of the Progressive Party in following the policies of that par- adise on earth, the Soviet Union, is enough to explain this. It's kind of a conditioned reflex (discov- ered, of course, by a Russian) and it takes heroic efforts to "de-condition" the people about a sound liberal policy after the stamp of approval or kiss of death or stab in the back. Some ulterior motive lurks behind most of their endorsements, and this is im- puted to the measure itself-or so popular belief would have it. Popular belief is not always wrong. Only the most significant issues can es- cape relatively unsullied after the YP en- dorsement. It is the other lesser known issues that start gasping for air in the YP embrace. Though they may be deserving-though they may be important, too often the pure noise of the YP is all that identifies them in the popular mind and so the liberals these sad days must not only fight off the narrow- mindedness of the groups ranged on the right, but also the bear in sheep's clothing ... they work, paw in trunk. -George Vetter. CINIEMA A STAR IS BORN, with Fredric March, Janet Gaynor, Adolphe Menjou, Andy De- vine, May Hobson and Edgar Kennedy. In Color. MAYBE A STAR was born once, but it's kind of old now. Thirteen years is a long time. And this movie has not stood time well. Its biggest value is historical, and people who like to reminisce nostalgically over the good old times should enjoy it. That is not to say that others can't enjoy it, but the soap-opera quality of the story, the world- out sound track and the primitive color photography are handicaps. Fortunately, as a sort of compensation, the story is told in a reasonable way and rather simple, just as it might have hap- pened (it couldn't!!). There are nof lash- backs, big fade-outs, and thep resenta- tion is no more schmaltzy than Max Stein- er's musical score. The story is probably too well known to discuss in detail. Janet Gaynor, a sweet am- bitious young farm girl, goes to Hollywood where she quietly starves until movie star Norman Maine- played by Fredric March- comes along and opens her way to stardom, which seems to come very quickly to her. Meanwhile'Maine's name nas vecome mud around the studios and around the country because of his antics and his Lost-Weekend behavior. But Vicki Lester-as the new star is named-marries him, and remains a loyal and faithful wife even after his death which is caused by drowning. Some of the comedy, I'm afraid, has gone very stale, and even the late Edgar Kennedy and Adolphe Menjou cannot create the gaiety that is supposed to be found in the picture. The few jokes and the satire may have been very funny once, but so many pictures along the same lines have been filmed since, and audiences have become more sophisticated. The most memorable character is the pub- licity agent, played by Lionel Stander. Maine's downfall is caused chiefly by chronic alcoholism and suppressed jealousy over his wife's phenomenal success, but the press; agent is enough to drive anyone out to sea. But what Maine does not realize is taht he's simply getting too old for romantic parts, and that if audiences want Vicki Lester, it's because she has youth and s-e-x. For my money, Fredric March is still the star, as far as acting is concerned. He makes the best of a tough role. -John Neufeld. Devil---Deep Blue Sea HARRY TRUMAN is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. The devil is the impending walkout of the steel workers. The deep blue sea is the in- junction provision of the Taft-Hartley law. After trying so hard to please labor by attempting to get rid of the injunction in the new labor bill, the President would certainly be embarrassed if he used that very same provision to halt this strike. And yet he must realize that now, just as our economy is settling down, another round of wage increases would start the spiral up again. Similarly, an extended steel strike would slow down our mass production machinery almost as soon as it stopped worrying about where and when its next ton of steel was coming from. Frankly, Mr. President, I wouldn't like to be in your shoes. But if I were, I would not try to eliminate the one way we can control strikes in the basic industries. The havoc in Australia is but one ex- ample of what no control means. That country, which is now in mid-winter, is without coal due to a long strike. Indus- tries have shut down and people are shiv- ering in their heatless homes. It is true that the use of an injunction means curtailment of personal freedom. But in the past, in all national emergencies, it has been necessary for the government to step in in the interest of the public wel- fare. Strikes in the basic industries at any time, and particularly in a critical point of our dynamic economy constitutes a national emergency. The discriminant use of the injunction will avoid such situations. All politicking aside, Mr. President, don't we need the injunction? -Don Sigman. "C r T' i'ng1 We Cani Switch To Ini Case Of A Thaw?" Letters to the Editor- r" Mice Will Play WHEN THE CAT'S AWAY, the mice will play! This seems to be the case in light of the position to ban fraternities, sororities and other student buildings from single family residential zones (Double A) which has re- cently been submitted to the Ann Arbor City Council. Last February, after a bitter fight, the City Council defeated a similar measure on zoning student buildings by a six to five vote. But now that most fraternities and other student organizations are in- active for the summer, it appears as if another effort is being made to pass this zoning law. Perhaps, with campus resistance low, cer- tain factions are again trying to put some- thing over. But fortunately, the City Coun- cil has, for the time being, referred the peti- tion to committee without debate. Now what's behind a measure that would make 129 families out of the 136 who com- pose the Double A (single family residential) zone ask for a law to limit student building in their area. Fraternity and sorority houses, as well as other buildings which house students can at times be quite noisy. But this seems a minor complaint. A group of students walking home after a big evening can also be "quite noisy." Per- haps some other group of local citizens would like to suggest closing up the Ann Arbor streets at ten o'clock by imposing an early curfew on the entire student body. However, this petition, which primarily is aimed at preventing the expansion of stu- dent building has one very strange clause. The 129 Ann Arbor families have also re- quested the banning of "organizations where the accessory or secondary use thereof is re- ligious in character." With a few religious organizations planning expansion in the near future, could this clause be aimed at keeping the zone free of "undesirable" influences. Of course, this implication may be entirely erroneous, but such a proposal appears to be aimed at something deeper than preserva- tion of noise or any effect that these organi- zations might have on property values. If another battle about banning student buildings from certain areas is to ensue, let's hope the City Council acts fairly and waits until the fall before taking up the zoning measure. After all, students are a part of Ann Arbor too! -Herb Kravitz. u RvIE_ At the State... BIG JACK, with Wallace Beery, Marjorie Main, Richard Conte and Edward Arnold. LUDICROUS FARCE and complete serious- ness are combined in this film in such a way that the patron hardly knows how to take it. The mixture is so unique that it actually creates a certain amount of interest during the course of the action. A complete surrender to the forces of farce would have been more desirable, I think, than the resulting hodge-podge. Wallace Beery and Marjorie MNin cavort- ed through the film as an old-tiae frontier gangster and his moll. Needless say hese two had no trouble supplying the farce, and they did a very good job of it. Seriousness reared its ugly head in the form of Richard Conte, who played the role of a brilliant, dashing young doctor who was burning with the desire to bring SCIENCE to backwoods medicine. Conte's complete seriousness of pur- pose, his lack of humor, and his use of big words made him appear completely ridiculous before the backwopds bandit Beery and his crew, whos eemed reason- ably realistic. The doctor stole corpses from graves in order to carry on his scientific experiments. He became entangled with Beery's mob, and suffered a delay in his research. Needless to say, virtue, and medical science as learned from the stolen corpses tri- umphed in the end. The doctor saved the life of the heroine's sister, thanks to the help of bad-man-turned-good Beery. An excellent March of Time on the traffic problem, a hackneyed and sticky cartoon, and a militaristic newsreel rounded out the program. -Paul Brentlinger. At the Michigna... MORNING BECOMES ELECTRA, with Rosalind Russell, Michael Redgrave, Ray- mond Massey, Katina Paxinou, Leo Genn, Kirk Douglas; from a play by Eugene O'Neill. A STAR-STUDDED cast and a potentially great story have been combined here to produce one of the worst movies in a long, long time. The intention apparently was to tell a deeply tragic story of a family consumed by hatred that reproduces itself in one form or another until it has destroyed every mem- ber of the family. In a Civil War setting, the Freudian sym- bols of Electra and Oedipus are used to ex- plain the hatred between daughter Rosalind Russell and mother Katina Paxinou, and the abnormal devotion of the son, Michael Redgrave, to his mother. The sinister emo- tional relationships also involve the father, of the Mannon family, Raymond Massey, and Leo Genn, whose arrival on the scene digs up an old family skeleton. Soon the various loves and hates lead to overt crime, and from that point on the family is doomed. This could have been a moving and a memorable story. Instead, it has been ruined somewhere in the process of translation from idea to film. The sustained note of high tragedy is at best unusual movie fare. Here it has been pushed over the borderline into farce by the exaggerated, flowery dialogue and the melo- dramatic posturing of the actors. One and all, they overplay their parts. Drama becomes melodrama as they gasp, hide their faces in their hands, and faint dead away at crucial points. The dialogue is so violent, so outspoken as to be absolutely unrealistic. A breath of normalcy is introduced into these theatrical goings-on by Kirk Douglas, who very convincingly plays Miss Russell's suitor, a sane, sensible young man com- pletely confused by the incredible happen- ings around him. Douglas' performance is not enough, how- ever, to counteract the flow of violent emo- tion and violent action which became tedious to the audience long before the end of this r' ' r a-- DREW PEARSON ON y l h WASHINGTON ____EY6O-ROUND WASHINGTON-A bill vitally affecting small-business men came within a hair's breadth of being passed in Congress the other day. The law was so technical that it was difficult for Senators and Rep- resentatives to catch its full significance-let alone the poor public. Also, some Congressmen were thrown off guard by the fact that two trusted liberals fronted for the bill. They were: Sen. Joe O'Mahoney of Wyoming and Rep. Emmanuel Celler of New York, Democrats. However, two alert freshman Senators and one sophomore Rep- resentative intervened. Their amendments should save small bus- iness from legalized cuttthroat competition by which the big trusts could bleed them to death. The three interveners were Kefauver of Tennessee, Long of Louisiana (son of the famed Huey), with Rep. John Carroll of Denver-all Democrats. Chain of Events--Here are the facts in the complicated legislative battle which might have wrecked many small-business men. For two decades and more, certain well-organized groups, such as the cement and steel industries, sold under the basing-point system. This meant that the price of cement was the same in every part of the U.S.A. A cement company in Allentown, Pa., for instance, could absorb the freight costs in shipping to New Orleans, thus selling in Louisiana for the same price it sold in Pennsylvania. Finally the Supreme Court intervened, decreed the basing-point system illegal. The cement and other industries could not absorb freight rates in order to fix a standard price in all parts of the country, the Supreme Court ruled. RESPECTED JOE MAHONEY At this point, two former champions of little business appeared to reverse themselves. Champion No. 1-One of the most respected members of the U.S. Senate is sandy-haired, blue-eyed Joe O'Mahoney of Wyoming. Beginning as secretary to the late Senator Kendrick of Wyoming, Joe got to know government backward and forward, usually fights for the little fellow-except when it comes to wool. And on wool Joe does an A-1 job for the big sheepmen of his state. Back in the New Deal days, O'Mahoney was the trust-busting chairman of the temporary National Economic Committee which had this to say: "Extensive hearings on basing-point systems showed that they are used in many industries as an effective device for eliminating price competition . . . We therefore recommend that the Congress enact legislation declaring such price systems to be illegal." This was in 1941. Seven years later the U.S. Supreme Court caught up with Joe O'Mahoney and followed his advice. Whereupon, in 1949, Joe turned around and introduced a bill which partly nullified the Supreme Court. Senator O'Mahoney explained that his bill was only clarifying the law. Admittedly the law needed clarifying. For, under the new Supreme Court ruling, a cement company in Birmingham, Ala., could not absorb freight rates to compete in such an earby market as New Orleans. But tucked away in O'Mahoney's bill were these little noticed, but highly significant words: That it should be legal "to absorb freight to meet the equally low price of a competitor in good faith." Note-Joe's Senate colleagues say he has been under terrific pressure from the sugar-beet interests back home to legalize the basing-point system, with the Wyco Trona Development Co., of Green River, Wyo. ,especially on his neck. CONGRESSMAN'S LAW FIRM Old Champion No. 2-Another former champion of little business has been Rep. "Manny" Celler, vigorous New York Democrat, now head of the potent House Judiciary Committee, which processed the new O'Mahoney basing-point bill on the House side of Congress. Celler is also a member of the Manhattan law firm of Weisman, Celler, Quinn, Allan and Spett. This firm handles accident cases for the giant A&P chain grocery stores. A&P is one of the chains hit by the Supreme Court decision. In fact, A & P was specifically mentioned in the Morton Salt case, where it was shown that A&P was actually able to sell salt retail for less than the neighborhood grocers could buy it wholesale. Thus the independent grocer didn't have a chance of competing. Whatever Manny Celler's motives, he acted strangely out of character in regard to the basing-point bill. New Champions of Little Business-Realizing what the O'Mahoney basing-point bill meant to little business, Kefauver in the Senate and Carroll in the House tacked on amendments aimed to prevent further price-fixing. But this got no support from Rep. Celler. To the New York Journal of Commerce he warned that he hoped to change the wording of the Carroll Amendment when the bill came before him in judiciary conference. Later, Manny denied this statement; also got his dander up when this columnist challenged his position. "Never have I been opposed to the Carroll and Kefauver Amend- ments," he fumed. "I have been for them." Later, the Congressional Record was read to the Congressman over the telephone to remind him of what he had said to his DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN The Daily accords its readers the privilege of submitting letters for publication In this column. Subject to space limitations, the general pol- 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 suchletters which for any other reason are not in good taste will not be published. The editors reserve the privilege of con- densing letters. Carnival . . To the Editors: We have worked very hard. The little ice cream social Guild we're going to put on to raise money for a displaced person has somehow grown into an all-campus Carni- val with square dancing and the works, starting at seven o'clock, lasting five solid hours, and run- ning not only Friday night, but Saturday night too. That "some- how grown" is composed in equal parts of sweat, blood and tears. Perhaps that is why we are a lit- tle touchy on this subject of dis- placed persons. It was the little man who came by while we were working on the banner for State Street who did it. The others hadn'tbeen so bad. They had just said "Don't be suck- ers." They were so crude somehow that they hardly seemed to make an impression. But the little man with the black hat was different. There was something about the way he wore it that made you think he was trying to cover up a pair of horns. Strange how easily you get to thinking things. Well anyway he said he hated to see young people putting in .so much misdirected effort. Waste- ful he said. If we could only see it from his more mature viewpoint -of course it was too bad about Europe-oh yes, no onehwas more painfully aware than he of the bad time over there, but we should let those D.P.'s gain the strength of soul that comes from working out their own problems - facing aardships is education in the class- room of life. We really do those D.P.'s very little good by spoon feeding them. Just then something snapped. I am afraid we said some unkind words. The little man has not come back. We are very sorry. I spent last summer with a p. D.P. roommate in Paris where he was earning just enough for room and potatoes. I ate with him un- til I got sick from it. He didn't have a prayer of going to school without some sort of help from outside. Nice future. He had a girl . . . of course he could prom- ise to provide for her with love I suppose. Funny, but it looked kind of black to me. I guess I haven't had enough education in the class- room of life. Probably have a pretty twisted point of view. We have a feeling there are some other people with twisted points of view too-lots of them. We'll see when the Carnival opens Fri- day night. -Wym Price, Secretary Congregational Disciples Guild Cool Lydia . .. To the Editor: The large crowds attending the Department of Speech's Summer plays are a fitting tribute to the high quality of the productions which the University community has had the privilege of attend- ing this summer. That the playgoers return on succeeding weeks in spite of the fact that the temperature inside of the theatre during the hot weather was at least several de- grees above the sweltering temp- erature outside should be consid- ered an additional commendation. Certainly we can agree that what is a "good" performance to the fellow with a moist shirt, wilt- ing collar and a mind that wan- ders to the far-off coke machine would be an "extraordinary" per- formance to one in a more com- fortable situation. This hotbox situation is un- fortunate and perhaps unneces- sary. I understand on very reliable authority that the Lydia Mendel- ssohn Theatre has in the past been cooled considerably by the rela- tively simple expedient of putting cakes of ice in the air ventilating system. If the weather gets very warm again I suggest that re-instituting this would be a most valuable pub- lic service. * * * (On the political scene, I prom- ise my Republican critics an an- swer next week.) -Tom Walsh Color Hunt .. . To the Editor: W E ARE RAPIDLYhentering the final stage of the color hunt (red, pink, flesh-color, etc.). The last vestiges of the much vaunted "American Individualism" are go- ing by the board without as much as a chirp of dismay from the us- ual protagonists of this philosophy. The most recent attempt to stifle any non-conformist thought has been made by Detroit Mayor Van Antwerp, who, like the fabu- lous Hitler of 1933, ordered an attack on "suspected" Communists in the Civil Service. The Mayor also requested the Governor to outlaw the Communist Party in this state. In exactly this same way Rep. Nixon (that staunch American Defender who voted "NO" on anti- discriminatory housing) declared that legal technicalities should not hinder actions such as the outlaw- ing of a legal party. We can well imagine what would happen if the jury in NYC found the 11 Com- munist leaders "Not Guilty," mere- ly from observing the reaction to the Hiss Trial. As in the Hiss trial, the FBI would probably investigate the jurors who voted for acquittal and condemn them all as tools of international plotters. Even the poor judge, trying his best to aid the prosecution, would probably be censured. How long are men like Nixon and Antwerp going to revere and eulogize July 4, 1776, while re- questing the complete destruction of trial by jury and a democratic way of life that was born on that day. -Hy Bershad. I J (Continued from Page 3) Hall. Weekdays, 9-5, Sundays, 2-5. The public is invited. Events Today Come and get your DP Dip at the Ice Cream Carnival sponsored by the Congregational-Disciples and E&R Guild! All benefits go toward the sponsoring of our DP at Michigan. Cowe join the fun and fellowship on the Congrega- tional Church lawn, State and William Street, from 7 to 12 Fri- day and Saturday. Square dancing for everybody! Canterbury Club, 218 N. Div. St. 4-6 p.m. Tea and open house for all students and their friends. Lutheran Student A~soc ation Party-Friday evening at 8:00 at the Student Center, 1304 Hill St. Classical Studies: The regular weekly coffee-hour will be held on Friday, July 15, at 4:00 p.m. in the West Conference Room of he Rackham Building. Professor Ward will speak informally. German Coffee Hour: Friday, 3:00-4:30 p.m., Russian Tea Rm. All interested students and fac- ulty members are invited. "The Glass Menagerie," Ten- nessee Williams' remarkable "memory play" will have only two more performances at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, tonight and Saturday. Curtain time is 8 o'clock. Tickets are on sale at the Theatre box office from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Coming Events U. of Mich. Hostel Club Square dancing every Saturday evening from 8:00-11:00 at Women's Ath- letic Building. Refreshments and intermission entertainment. Spon- sored by the Hostel Club for every- one who likes square dancing. Pi Lambda Theta will meet Monday evening, July 18, at 7:30 in the East Conference Room at Rackham. Edith Kovach will show slides and speak about her summer in Rome. The Graduate Outing Club will meet jointly with the A.V.C. 2:15 Sunday, July 17, at the Northwest Entrance of the Rackham Build- ing, for swimming, baseball and a steak roast. All those planning to attend must sign list at the Rack- PERHAPS it is good that the principles of freedom are assailed from time to time. The attacks always bring brilliant defenders to the support of liberty. -St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Editorials published in The Michigan Daily are written by members of The Daily staff and represent the views of the writers only. NIGHT EDITOR: B. S. BROWN 1 I -E over-long picture. "A nutty show," left the theatre. someone remarked as he -Virginia Von Schon. ,.. Fifty-Ninth Year Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigyn uder the authority of the Board in Cantrol of Student Publications. Editorial Staff B. S. Brown ......Co-Managing Editor Craig Wilson .Co-Managing Editor Merle Levin...........Sports Editor Mariyn one....... women's Editor Bess Young.................Librarian BARNABY Run and ask your mother if I may use her kitchen. We'll have a nice clam bisque. . And roast a few in the oven. Mrs. Van Ess doesn't like to be alone. She's very +' Y49 .Cx'n[ .k. N I. t'Sf Pa, ,IlI.. I I said Mrs. Van Ess is very nervous- I r