University Daily Kansan
Tuesday, Dec. 1, 1953
Page 2
Take Manners Along in Your Car
Bad manners killed over 26,000 Americans in 1952—or nearly 3,000 more than have been killed in three years of war in Korea. Too, nearly a million and a half Americans were injured in that single year—or half a million more than were wounded in three years of Korean fighting.
Sounds unbelievable, doesn't it? But insurance statistics show that 92 per cent of all motor accidents in 1952 were directly due to discourtesy—reckless driving, excessive speed, driving on the wrong side of the road, bulling through without the right-of-way, cutting in ahead, passing on curves or hills, passing on the wrong side, failing to signal, or signalling improperly.
In other words, accidents don't "just happen"—accidents are caused. You're the driver who causes accidents, if you're a driver who leaves your manners on the sidewalk when you get into your car.
The man who wouldn't think of standing in a line at a theater bellowing at the top of his voice because the line doesn't move faster—is the same man who leans on his horn, fraying all tempers within earshot, and putting other drivers into accident-causing mood.
And that same man will belligerently expect his car to respond to every emergency, even when not kept in top operating condition. The man who handles the make of car you drive can keep it in perfect operating shape—if you ask him to—but only you can keep your driving manners polished.—The Okeechobee (Fla.) News.
Benson Just Can't Win As The Farmers Rebel
The farmers of the nation are rebelling against Ezra T. Benson's failure as secretary of agriculture to do anything to get them more money for their crops and livestock.
A short time ago, the farmers and farm-supporters in Wisconsin's Ninth district sent Lester Johnson, Democrat, to Washington. It was the first time that a Democrat had been elected as a congressman over a Republican in that district.
It shows that farmers are getting fed up with the present administration's seeming lack of interest in them.
Defeated cannulate Arthur L. Padrutt said after the election: "The results show very clearly that the farmer and the laboring man do not like the present administration's policies and took this opportunity to show their displeasure."
The farmers have been disturbed at Mr. Benson's lack of interest in price supports. With skidding farm prices and rising cost of living, the farmers are feeling the pinch and blame the Republican administration.
The Secretary has finally gotten to work, having appointed somewhere between 30 and 40 committees to work on various subjects. His wheat and corn committees met in Chicago and agreed on a plan which may become part of the party's future policy. The plan com-
cerns a 2-price program under which bushels of wheat used each year for food in this country would be supported at full parity while the excess would be sold at free-market prices for export or feed.
Under this set-up the farmer can not lose. If his crops did not bring in the money equal to the standard, he would just collect his parity. If he could sell his crops above the standard his profits would, of course, be his.
It is politically a good idea—in other words, it helps the Republicans to be assured of the farm vote.
But at the same time, taxes would have to be higher to meet the parity which the farm votes would demand. The higher taxes would lose a good part of the labor vote for Mr. Eisenhower.
Unfortunately there are no cut-and-dried solutions to the problem. If there were, anyone could be secretary of agriculture and could do a good job.
As it now stands, a good many of the farmers in the nation will probably be all for another solution—get rid of Benson.
—Ed Howard.
The student body, at least a large portion of the student body, answered the question by forming the Jayhawk brotherhood. They organized to work against the segregation problem as it concerns the students.
In the meetings leading up to the organization of the group there was a lot of discussion as to purpose of the group. It has been said that there was too much talk and not enough action.
That is not so! How much easier the task when one understands the exact goal and the capabilities necessary to attain that goal. How much better for individuals to put the facts straight in their own minds and to be able to devote their efforts completely because of this understanding.
In all of this talking and discussion one very significant statement was made. It was made by a person most interested in the movement, a Negro student.
Earlier this semester the Kansas printed several editorials criticizing the student body for the inaction about the segregation problem in the campus area.
The simple question was asked "What is to be done?"
Rv Ken Cov
He said that a person who wants to fight discrimination must surely have a feeling welling up within him, a true desire to overcome the injustice.
Without this feeling the cause loses all reality, the goal becomes uncertain.
On the other hand, he said we should consider the feelings of the other persons. Remember, he said, those persons who believe in discrimination have a strong feeling in their minds also.
They act as they do because they are going in the right direction.
This is certainly a commendable attitude toward the problem. And more important it comes from an individual who could be bitter about
It is in effect a clear analysis of a touchy problem. It is this kind of thinking that will lead to an understanding of the basic causes of the problem.
This attitude could be not just someone going out to fight something, but a process of understand-
Farmers Union Liberal For 'Family Farm' Basis
Member of the Kansas Press Assn., National Editorial Assn., Inland Daily Press Assn., Associated Collegiate Press Assn., University Press Association, Service. 240 Madison Avenue, N.Y. City. Mail Subscription rates: $3 a semester or $4.50 year (add a $1 a semester if in early afternoon during the University year except Saturdays and Sundays, University holidays and examination period Entered second class matter Post Office
at Lawrence, Kali. Post under act of March 3. 1879.
(Editor's note: This is the last in a series of three articles on U.S. farm organizations.)
The union was established in 1902 in Texas as the successor to the Farmers' Alliance and the Farmers' Educational and Cooperative union. The strength of the organization still lies in the Western and Southern states.
Membership in the Farmers' union is much smaller than in either the Grange or the Farm Bureau, but the Union has achieved national prominence because of its militant and progressive policies and its sharp differences with other farm organizations on fundamental matters.
The union program is the least conservative of the farm organizations. Its program is based on cooperatives and encouraging government aid to agriculture.
Basis of the organization is the small and often marginal farmer, as contrasted with the more prosperous farmers and those engaged in commercialized agriculture. The union seeks a guaranteed return for the farmer equal to his cost of production. Considerable attention is given to developing an agricultural program for low-income farmers.
An elaborate plan of rural county agricultural committees is proposed comprised of farmers freely elected under the safeguards contained under the National Labor Relations
It is a start. Perhaps elements of any such group as has been the case for most far-seeing people, will have to be burdened with the jeers and catcalls of others but their day will come.
ing and re-education for the students on the campus, and even the people of the world.
Steps have been made in the past few years but only the surface has been touched. The real work remains to be done within each of our minds.
act. To each committee is to be submitted, annually, a farm plan for the area.
The state committee would be selected from the county groups to coordinate local plans with national policies. In addition, members of the county committee would choose a national price committee to negotiate with the national government and to help establish support prices fair to the producer and the consumers.
The goal of the union is to place all farms ultimately on an economic-size family farm basis and provide all farmers with an opportunity for "full-time year-round, remunerative employment." Employment would be offered through continuous nationwide conservation-works programs.
The organization was in favor of retaining post-war price controls and subsidies and also favors full-employment legislation.
It advocates government acquisition of large farms for subdivision to small farmers.
The federal government has been asked to step up its farm ownership, loan, and rural rehabilitation policies; to enact legislation to improve rental contracts and land-tenure policies, and grant an extension of collective bargaining to farm workers.
It is small wonder that the older and more conservative farm groups fear the left-wing ideas of the Farmers' union, which threatens to upset the status of cooperative farming and cheap farm labor.
-Elizabeth Wohlgemuth
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS by Dick Bibler
"Your paper is obviously worth an 'A' but that would suggest no room for improvement—so I feel you should have a 'B'—Follow me?"
EI