Cold Potato—
Page 2 University Daily Kansan Tuesday, Sept. 29, 1957
Group Gone-Not Forgotten
There is an old saying that elephants and farmers never forget debts or abuses. This does not seem to apply to college students or the committees they form.
In May 1952 several campus organizations, including the University Daily Kansan, undertook a campaign to limit racial discrimination in the University area.
Here is one instance where they certainly forgot:
They based their refusal largely on two points: (1) Their customers would object and they would therefore lose business. (2) There were too few Negro students to necessitate "breaking the standing rules."
There were many attacks on the organization and the Kansan. In the meantime, what has happened?
Four privately owned cafes serving the students bore the brunt of the attack. They depended almost entirely on the students for business but they refused to serve Negro students.
Nothing!
In answer to the first point, the Kansan made a spot check of 100 students. Of the 100 students, 97 were against discrimination.
No claim was made that this poll was all-conclusive because, it involved only a small part of the student body.
However, the margin was so one-sided as to give a very strong indication of student opinion. In another move a campus organization organized a petition which was presented to the cafe owners. They had 1,269 signers. The only reply from the owners was a charge that the petition contained "duplications."
So you can say, "We sure gave it a whirl for a while." But Negro students still can't be served.
The second argument rules itself out. In this democracy of ours the discomfort of the minority is just as important as that of the majority.
Perhaps the businessmen have heaved a sigh of relief that the matter has been forgotten but we have not forgotten and we would like to ask a simple question.
Unfortunately, school closed just as the drive was beginning to make progress. A committee was organized to continue the action in the next school year.
(This reporter couldn't find any of the committee members still around and no trace of any action taken.)
"What happened to all of those good proposals and actions started in May 1952?"
—Ken Cov
European Examines Power of U.S. Press
(The following article was written by Nello Giannessi, special graduate student from Italy.)
Some peculiarities exist in the American press which are not present in the European press.
I think the American paper principally has the great advantage of being very close to the mass of its readers, even dealing with the minor details of their lives. This is made possible by two factors: financial capacity of each reader to buy the paper, and the great size of the newspaper. These factors are interdependent with a strict correlation between them; in this correlation we discover the secret of the great circulation of the American press.
In this country the newspaper has a very important role to play, in close connection with the American way of living. The American paper, in fact, is not only an organ of information about daily facts or news in general, but it is also the field where the powers meet which sustain society, those powers—especially the economic—which constitute the substrata of all American life.
for example, the daily average of the readers of two newspapers, American and Italian, which have about the same circulation. You would find that the Italian paper arrives at places sometimes very far from the city where it is printed; however, the number of copies is not greater than that of the American paper which covers a much smaller zone of diffusion.
If we look at an issue of any American newspaper we remark about the high percentage of its space which is occupied by advertisements. This characteristic is symomatic and means that the press is considered one of the best ways to increase business. As yet, indeed, (despite the宏阔 nature of many), the press is the most difficult efficient medium for informing and advertising, and above all, it is nearest to the people.
It would take too long to catalog the causes of this phenomenon, but one factor stands out from which derive most of the other causes: it is the economic problem that shapes not only the actual purchasing possibilities of the people, but also the development of the mass of the people.
This is a factor of the most importance, especially in our field. It is very clear, in fact, that the fortune of each newspaper is principally in its consolidation among the big mass of people.
It would be interesting to compare,
The secret of the large distribution of the American press—about which I was speaking at the beginning of the article—is exactly in the good level of the American economy. That makes it possible for the people to become the greatest newspaper readers in the world, and for their newspapers to achieve a greatness of pages, news, information and advertisements that is possible nowhere else.
\* \* \*
A United Press report from London that Klimenti Voroshilov, marshal of the Soviet Union and president of the Soviet Presidium, is ill makes us wonder: "Does he have Beria-Beria?"
The Copernicus Year, to commemorate the 410th anniversary or the great Polish astronomer, is being observed this year by the Polish People's Republic. Copernicus was the one who said that the earth revolves on a Pole—the nationalist!
by Dick Bibler
A proposal by the American Legion that the mothers of the 23 reluctant American repatriates be sent to Korea to help in "Operation Persuasion" could very well put President Eisenhower on the spot.
As the situation stands now, prisoners of the Korean conflict, both Allied and Communist, who do not want to return to their own countries will be exposed to persuasion by their countrymen to try to get them to return.
If the 23 American mothers were to go to Korea and talk their sons into coming home, the Legion reasons, America would have won a smashing propaganda victory. This would indeed be a wonderful thing, and would do much to strengthen the position of the free world.
By DON TICE
One Man's Opinion
On the surface the suggestion ooks good. However it could have dangerous diplomatic repercussions if things didn't go as planned.
However, if the move were to fail, and all or even some of the men still refuse to return, the communists would have won an even more smashing victory. They could say that the "beauties" of Communism outweigh the ties of home and loved ones.
It will be up to Eisenhower to say whether or not this move will be allowed. That is where the danger to the president's position comes in. Can he be justified in saying that the mothers can't go and try to bring their sons home? If he does, and the men don't return, he will be blamed from many quarters for the loss of those men to Communism.
If he allows the mothers to go, and they fail in their attempts to bring the men home, he will have handed Communism an extremely big stick.
It would appear that the American Legion, in the interest of publicity for their organization, has brought up a situation that may well be dangerous, whichever way it turns out.
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS
"Boy, I'd hate to be going into THAT locker room."
Pact with Spain Strong Link in West Defense
Francisco Franco, generalissimo of Spain, after more than two years of negotiation has signed a 20-year defense agreement with the United States giving this country the right to develop and use naval and air bases on Spanish soil.
The Spanish bases will be good insurance for the West in case of global war. The United States will have reliable defense anchors at both ends of the Mediterranean and alternate bases if others are lost.
At the eastern end, Turkey already is a strong and dependable anchor. The Turks are unafraid of Russia and of communist threats and are able and eager to resist if threatened.
Defenses now are regarded as far from secure at the western end of the Mediterranean. The Straits of Gibraltar, the bottleneck for supply lines, is open to attack. France and Italy are infested with communists.
Air bases established on the Spanish peninsula will provide alternate bomber and fighter fields if bases in North Africa should be jeopardized. Naval bases on both sides of Gibraltar will insure defense of the gateway to the Mediterranean.
Geographical location is the big advantage of Spain as a site for bases. The country is located at the entrance to the Mediterranean and is protected by natural barriers, the sea and the Pyrenees mountains.
There are other less obvious factors on which the United States strategists are counting. There is no strong communist party in Spain to jeopardize bases.
Naval bases are going to be built on both sides of the Straits. Dredging will be necessary to admit the larger ships.
Air bases are to be built or expanded from present airfields. The idea is to develop joint Spanish-American fields that can be used by the United States but that will be run by the Spanish.
I LOUSE AHEAD WITH THE SOPRANO WORDS WHILE YOU ROLLY "LONG WITH THE BLOOM A DIDDY BOOM!
POSSUM UP A GUM--uh-
MM--&BOO--uh-HMM?
MY SAKES! HOW COULD
THEY OF RUN OFF AFDEE
THEY SEE HOW IT
The air bases are only 1,000 miles from the Iron Curtain—close enough for use by U.S. jets but out of range of the Russian MIG's. Bombers based on protected Spanish airfields would add flexibility to U.S. retaliation attacks against the Russians.
With naval bases in Spain the fleet will have protected facilities for repair, maintenance and supply. The danger of the enemy sealing up the entrance to the Mediterranean is also greatly reduced.
There are drawbacks and complications in setting up the Spanish bases. Spain has no modern roads and their railroads are badly in need of repair; thus the job of servicing the bases is a major problem. The supply network may need to be completely rebuilt.
Our Allies in the North Atlantic Treaty organization, with the exception of Portugal, are opposed to the building of bases in Spain. They feel it will only strengthen the Franco regime.
In three years, when the bases are completed, the United States will have a strong anchor for defense at the western end of the Mediterranean. It will give flexibility to the United States air operations and provide a backstop for other NATO forces in Western Europe.
—Elizabeth Wohlgemuth
Daily Hansan
University of Kansas Student Newspaper News Room KU 251 Ad Room KU 376 News Room KU 251 Press Ass. National Editorial Association Assn. Associated Collegiate Press Assn. Represented by the National Advertising City Mail Subscription rates: $3 semester fee, Mail Subscription fees $4.50 a year (add $1 a semester if less than $10) published in Lawrence, Kan. grey afternoon university year except Saturdays and Sundays persisting holidays and examination periods. Entered second class matter Sept. 17, 1310 Office of University Office under act of March 3, 1937.
NEWS STAFF
Executive Editor        Ken Coy Roulack
Managing Editors      Ken Coy Roulack
Atkins, Shirley Piatt, Chuck Morelone
News Editor            Eileen Foley
Society Editor         Velma Gaston
Sports Editor           Don Tice
Asst. Sports Editor     Ed Howard
News-Editorial
Adviser                Calder M. Pickett
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editorial Editor        Marv Betz
Editorial Assistants   Jerry Knudson,
                      Tom Stewart
NEWS STAFF