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University Daily Kansan Wednesday, Feb. 24, 1954
A Capital Offense?
We do a lot of talking about constitutional rights and freedoms of speech, and religion, and conviction. Lots of different kinds of people talk—those that really believe in them and those that just want to hide behind them while they attempt to destroy them. Maybe that's where our trouble comes in—we're scared to death our freedoms are going to be used to destroy freedom.
Gov. Allan Shivers has recommended that a law be passed making it possible for a jury to recommend the death penalty for a man convicted of membership in the Communist Party.
Freedom of thought and expression of that thought is probably the most basic of all freedoms, because without it, all other freedoms are empty and meaningless terms. And we all believe in that freedom. But we are scared, and become willing to cut off the freedoms of some to protect freedoms of others.
Gov. Shivers says that membership in the Communist party is worse than murder. If it is true that all members of the party are dedicated to the overthrow of the American government by force and violence, he may be right. Certainly if they all get out with machine guns and start mowing us down, it's worse than murder. But they haven't. And we can't know that they ever will. But the likelihood of that is really beside the point.
As things stand now, a person's having membership in the Communist party might mean one of several things: that he sincerely believes in the goals of communism and would like to see those goals applied to our government; that he has been duped and deceived into joining; that he advocates the violent overthrow of the government.
For the last we have recourse in our present laws of treason
For the second we have recourse in education.
And for the first any group which really believes in any set of principles of government and strives in legal ways to put them into effect must be tolerated. For only in allowing expression of every kind of belief and toleration of every kind of ideology can we preserve the freedom of thought, speech, and conviction which are the cornerstones of our way of life.
If a man can be punished by death for sincerely believing in any particular set of political views, then the door is opened for any political conviction to be condemned as a crime. And then our democracy would be dead. —Reprinted from the Daily Texan
Tax Money Shouldn't Pay For Advice on Dishwashing
If you're single and have no dependents the government will politely grab about 15 per cent of your 1953 income if you made more than $800—but where will those dollars be used to the best advantage by the federal government?
Perhaps your money will be used to help defray the printing and mailing cost of a government pamphlet entitled "Tools for Food Preparation and Dishwashing." This 32-page booklet gives tips to house-wives on the selection of dishpans, draining racks, and other utensils.
One tip tells homemakers "You'll want a pan large enough to accommodate your dishes, but it must also fit into your sink, if that is where you use it." Another advises the edge of the dishpan "should be
broad enough to afford a good finger grip and if you hang the pan on a hook for storage it should have a hole for that purpose."
President Eisenhower in a campaign speech said this pamphlet was an example of "the absurdity of the situation in Washington," but it still is being published and distributed—in fact, requests for the handy kitchen guide have increased since Mr. Eisenhower took office.
Dishwashing and its problems
"O man, He has told you what is
used."
ThoughtfortheDay ReligiousEmphasisWeek
good;
What does the Eternal ask from you
But to be just and Kind
And to lie in quiet fellowship with
and to live in quiet fellowship with
your God?"** *—Mitcha 6:8
Letters
"The ASC knows best." This is the sarcastic statement of Tom Stewart, editor of the Sour Owl, in the recent issue of that magazine about the refusal of the All Student Council to grant subsidies for Trend and Ubstream.
What refusal? For the information of Mr. Stewart and the misled readers of the Sour Owl the ASC voted the subsidies for the magazine in question at the meeting of Feb. 9. At that meeting Trend received $250, and Upstream received $150.
In an early meeting of the finance committee of the ASC Trend requested $285. The committee requires any organization requesting money to submit books and a budget. The representative must indicate that the approximated that actually needed a loan of about $200 to pay back printers costs and a subsidy of about $100.
He estimated that each issue of Trend had an income of $187 which had not been considered when making out the request. However, the members of the ASC agreed, sur- tioned by a representative zeine of creative writing had a place on the campus and voted them $250—no strings attached.
Upstream representatives did not appear at the first meeting of the committee. Therefore both subsidations were held up until they did so. When they appeared with their books and budget their request was approved by the committee, and at the meeting on the 9th, they received their $150.
So now it appears that these publications will not fold as direly forecast by Stewart, but will con-
fer with others only two organs of creative writing.
However it is not with the printing of creative writing that I hold argument. It is the accusations of the editor of the "Owl." The ridiculing statement about the ASC is unfounded. If there were more students who would delive into the actualities of the All Student Council, instead of ridiculing it with inaccuracies, they would find the ASC not the sham legislature that they now contend it to be.
Bob Worcester.
It's lucky for the United States that the Revolutionary War wasn't decided on the merits of English and American movie comedies. We wouldn't have had a chance.
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS by Dick Bibler
"Did you get an A Too?"
can be left up to our housewives—the manpower of our Agriculture department could better be used upon subjects of conservation and price supports.
—Stan Hamilton.
Member of the Kansas Press Assn., National Editor Assn., Inland Daily Press Association, Represented by the National Advertising Service, 420 Madison Avenue, N.Y. City. Subscription rates: $3 a semester or $4.50 per month (renewance). Published in Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon during the University of Kansas holiday; Saturday and Sunday admission periods. Entered second class matter Sept. 17, 1910, at Lawrence, Kan., Post Office under act
Daily Hansan
University of Kansas Student Newspaper News Room KU 251 Ad Room KU 376
NEWS STAFF
Betz, Veima Guston, E. Howard
News editor
Assistant
Sports editor
Ken Bronson
Dana Dale
Society editor
Elizabeth Wohlgemuth
Assistant
Karen Hilmer
Telegraph editor
Stan Hamilton
News editor
Ethan Elkader
Executive editor Shirley Patt
Managing editors Tom Stewart, Mary
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editorial editor ... Chuck Morelock
Assistants ... Sam Teaford, Don Tice
BUSINESS STAFF
Business mgr... Jane Megaflan
Advertising mgr... Ann Alnworth
Nat. adv. mgr... Susanne Berry
Citiefield ad. mgr... Wendell Sulvain
Circulation mgr... Rachel Doe
Promotion mgr... Ed Bartlett
Advertising adviser... Gene Bratton
Strong National Feeling Led ToIndonesian Independence
Editor's Note: This is the second of two informative articles on Indonesia. The first, dealing with the economic situation, appeared yesterday.
A nationalist movement began shortly after the turn of this century but was a failure for lack of support until about 1940. The movement began with the organization of the Sarekat Islam, a commercial and social group primarily concerned with the prevention of Chinese encroachment. By 1920 it had two and one-half million members and was strongly political in nature. This nationalist movement, which has been mainly a Moslem one, became infiltrated by Communists in about half of the local chapters.
The Republic of Indonesia, formerly the Dutch East Indies, is barely three and one-half years old, and is currently undergoing a period of political crisis and decision.
A puppet government was organized in the 1940's with Japan's approval. The people had gained a lot of experience under the preceding Japanese occupation, and had an entirely new feeling of self-confidence.
After the defeat of Japan, the Dutch again attempted to move in, but they now found an entirely different situation from the one they had left. The people had declared their independence, were maintaining an army, and a strong nationalistic feeling dominated society. Guerrilla bands were springing up all over the islands if it became necessary to fight the Dutch. Revolution ensued, and the Dutch lost the battle.
Dr. Achmed Sukarno, now president of the Republic, became prominent in the late 1920's when he organized his own nationalist party. He was exiled by the Dutch at an early stage of his political career.
The Netherlands granted full independence to the people in the famous Round Table agreement of 1949. By August of 1950 the parliaments of all the Indonesian states had voted to consolidate, and the Republic of the United States of Indonesia was born.
Indonesian nationalism is more of a negative than a positive movement, being constituted mainly by an anti-foreign feeling. The positive aspects of this nationalism are embodied in the Pantjasila (five principles). They are populism, humanitarianism, social justice, prosperity, and belief in God—all vague terms with many varying implications.
Indonesia's foreign policy is one of complete neutralism. The new nation wants to avoid, at almost any cost, any political ties with either the Soviet Union or the West. Anti-Western feeling is very strong, a reaction of traditional Javanese culture.
There are more Moslems in Indonesia than in any other country in the world, and they are the driving force behind the strong nationalistic feeling. The Moslem religion has no hierarchy of authority, so there is no church organization. Moslems are very strongly and outspokenly against communism.
Communism is a growing movement in Indonesia. Although it is still considered a minor threat, it is getting support from laborers and farmers, and the Communist-Moslem struggle is constantly increasing in intensity.
Christianity is quite strong in the western parts of Indonesia. There are also many Chinese in the country. About half of them turned down Indonesian citizenship, choosing instead to remain loyal to Communist China.
The economic situation is difficult to analyze, as it zig-zags and varies to a great degree. Trade is carried on extensively with both the East and the West. The current financial crisis of the new nation forces it to be constantly in search of new markets for its products.
—Court Ernst