Page 2 University Daily Kansan Monday, January 10, 1955
African Tensions Grounded in Past
A passionate nation-wide violence can come only from the emotional outgrowths of a nation's past.
The controversies which today rock the Commonwealth nation of the Union of South Africa are such outgrowths. The emotions originate with the founding of the nation at the Cape of Good Hope April 17, 1652.
An early policy of prohibiting immigration is reflected in the present-day Boer or Afrikaner population which has been notably unchanged by outside influence.
A decision made by these people in 1717 is also revered to this day. In that year a council of Boer governors decided that the White man should rule the area forever, relegating the native inhabitants to the position of "hewers of wood and drawers of water." But, finding the natives ill-adapted to this position, the White men began importing coolies from the rice paddies of Ceylon and India. Today the Indians, many of them merchants and business men, number about 300,000, and their presence has created a seething caldron of racial problems.
In the latter part of the 18th century the coastal Boers met a life-long foe—the British—who captured the Cape of Good Hope. The first British occupation didn't last, but in 1814 Britain bought the Cape colony from the Netherlands.
The liberal policies of the British toward the Hottentots and Bushmen infuriated the original European settlers and the Boers began what is now called "The Great Trek" into the lands beyond the Great Fish river.
In these new lands, the Boer farmers set up their culture as it exists today. Each man isolated himself and his family from other Afrikaners. Each Afrikaner dominated his own valley in the rolling farmlands of the veldt.
Immigration of British, German, and other nationalities of fortune hunters into the Transvaal and Orange after Diamonds were discovered there in 1867 heightened the Boer animosity toward Britain. After a series of border crises, the Boers attacked the English colonies, starting the Boer wars which raged through the Boer republics until 1902.
The war was ended by the extremely liberal Peace of Vereeniging in May of 1902. But the Boer republics had become colonies of Great Britain.
Full and responsible colonial government was granted to the former republics within five years, and in 1909 a convention to frame a constitution for a new nation was called.
It was found impossible to devise a uniform scheme of voting franchise, so the existing rights of Natives and Coloreds (of mixed White and Native parentage) in the Cape were retained, but the other colonies restricted suffrage to Whites only. This last clause in what became the constitution of the Union has become a hotbed of controversy with the 1952 restriction by the present government of Colored franchise.
In the first stormy days of nationhood the leader of the Boers, J.B.M. Hertzog, refused to compromise the traditional Boer policies of anti-British sentiment and White supremacy, so Gen. Louis Botha, prime minister, was forced into an alliance with the pro-British leader Jan Christian Smuts.
The parliamentary nation was controlled until 1939 by this same pro-British alliance. In that year the Smuts party was weakened by the loss of several political blocks and the general made an alliance with a new party formed by Gen. Hertzog, who had since relaxed some of his anti-British ferver.
The opposition to the Hertzog-Smuts coalition was led by Dr. Daniel F. Malan, leader of the Nationalist party (an extreme right wing of the Boers) and the Afrikaner party of N. C. Havenga (a slightly more liberal group). And in 1948, with the Afrikaner and Nationalist parties working together, the first coalition representing a majority of the Boer population came to power. The coalition continued in power in the general elections of 1953, and the present leader and prime minister is an extreme racialist and nationalist, J. G. Strydom
Since coming to power the country's government has carried out the stormy racist, anti-British, and unyielding traditions of the Boer, pitching the country into such a stew of controversy and emotion that some doubt if it can survive as a nation.
Ron Grandon
Security Curbs VS. Free Speech Perennial Issue
The nation's security today is one of the most vital issues of American politics. The public's acceptance of the need to impose censorship to obtain this security has been widespread. During World War II people sensed an overwhelming need for unity in a conflict with a common foe, and they realized the necessity of suppressing information of value to the enemy.
By World War II the civil liberties situation had improved. The Espionage act was enforced with greater concern, and an effort was made to distinguish between thoughtless utterances and willful utterances causing serious results. Fewer than 150 were charged with morale-impairing crimes. No effort was made to suppress the criticism of government, the concentration being on war security.
To answer the public's demands many pressures have been exerted to impose extreme measures against individuals and minorities classed as disloyal or "in league with the enemy."
On Sept. 6, 1939, through the presidential directive law, enforcement agencies were required to turn information on espionage and subversive activities to the federal agency. Careful adherence to the Federal Bureau of Investigation sought to insure the internal security through "preventive measures" and vigilance rather than persecution.
However, at first there was much disagreement as to how far the censorship should go in blacking out information, discussion, and criticism. In the first world war many restrictions existed on freedom of speech and the press and particularly on public criticism of the government and its policies.
After World War II the Federal Alien Registration act of 1940 extended the provisions of the wartime Espionage act to peacetime utterances and included a peacetime sedition act.
The struggle between the West and Communist world has focused the attention of the free nations of the world on their own security, accentuating peacetime censorship. Supporters of severe censorship contend that the subversive character of Communists and other disloyal persons necessitates restrictions to preserve the nation's institutions. Opponents to censorship, particularly peacetime, fear that the tendency toward authoritarianism and conformity in government and society will result in the destruction of democracy, honesty and originality in the expression of ideas.
—Nancy Neville
New Diet Tried Bv UCLA Coeds
For Those Who Are Tired of Union Food Department.
It's reliably reported that six UC-LA coeds are on a daily diet of one muffin, capsules of minerals, vitamins and amino acids, butterscotch pudding and a handful of gumdrops, now and then washed down by a bottle of soda water. It's all part of an experiment being run by the school's home economics department.
The six girls, who lived on a similar diet last semester, neither lost nor gained weight. Their energy level remained high and they had no difficulty keeping up with busy college schedules.
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS by Dick Bibler
"You're flanking Math 412 because the next term offering of Math 412 doesn't have enough student enrollment."
'Across College Campuses'
College Editors Support Free Debate of Issues
College newspapers across the country reflect the current controversy over recent action by the U.S. Military Academies to prohibit debate on the 1954-55 national debate topic: "Resolved, that the United States should extend diplomatic recognition to the Communist government of China."
The University of North Carolina "Daily Tail Heel" carried a Herb Block cartoon on its editorial page—picturing a fat, domineering admiral in full dress uniform and labeled "Defense Department" telling a surprised middy. "You're not here to think." Mister.
Commented the traditionally liberal "Tar Heel." "The Defense Department will someday, we hope, be brought to the realization that a service in which vigorous thinking is discouraged (and in this case, even prohibited) will attract only the most mediocre of mediocrities. We fail to see the 'security' in that."
The University of Minnesota, another campus where academic freedom is jealously guarded, not only will debate the controversial topic, the "Minnesota Daily" had a couple front page stories the other day which speak well for the healthy atmosphere at Minneapolis. The first piece quoted debate coach John Bystrom that he's "rather surprised at all the fuss. We are treating the question in the same way as any other controversial issue and will continue to debate it."
The other story reported the action of dean of students E. G. Williamson who approved the appearance of a controversial speaker at Minnesota's Socialist Club. The speaker who was also approved by the school's Senate committee on student affairs was Mrs. Helen Sobell, wife of Morton Sobell, who was convicted on a charge of conspiracy
to commit espionage and imprisoned with executed atomic spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
UCLA has found a solution to their campus parking problem, according to "The Daily Trojan." It seems Bermudas are bringing bicycles to the Trojan campus.
"Many colleges have already turned to this stylish means of transportation, including Stanford and Cal." Dr. William Stratford, UCLA interfraternity coordinator said. "It is not in only with the current Bermuda trend, but is an easy and convenient way to get from one place to another . . . Racks will be built in convenient locations around campus where students can park their bikes." he said.
University of Alaska students hunt wild game to pass idle hours on their campus. The "Daily News Miner," Fairbanks, reports that the university's Wildlife Club annual banquet last month featured morsels of caribou, moose, buffalo, Dall sheep, mountain goat, rabbit, squirrel, ruffed, spruce, and sharptail grouse, bear, seal, whale blubber, whitefish, wolf, fox, coyote, lynx and raven.
UNIVERSITY
Daily Hansan
University of Kansas Student Newspaper News Room, KU 251 Ad Room, KU 376 Member of the Inland Daily Press association. Associated Collegete Press association. Postmaster/vertising service, 420 Madison Avenue, N.Y. Mail subscription rates: $3 a semester or $4.50 a year (add $1 a semester if in London). Awrence, Kan., every afternoon during the awrence,iversity year except Saturdays and Sundays University holidays and examination periods. Entered as second class student by 1792. post office under act of March 3, 1879.
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editorial Editor Letty Lemon
Editorial Assistants
BUSINESS STAFF
Business Mgr. Bill Taggart
Advertiser David Riley
Advert. Mgr. Caelm Callaghan
Circulation Mgr. Kenneth Winston
Classified Leonard Jurden
Advisor Adviser
NEWS STAFF
Executive Editor. Elizabeth Wohlgemuth
Managing Editor. John Herrington,
Bishop of St. Mary's Church.
Nancy Neville
News Editor...Ron Granahan
Assistant News Editor...Gretchen Guinn
Mountain Loyna
Wire Editor...Dana Lebman
Society Editor...La Verte Yates
Feature Editor...Mary Bess Stephens
Feature Editor...Karen Hilmer
News-Editor Advisor
Barrison Review
Calder M. Pickett