Missouri Seeking Statutory Leash for Unbridled Unions
State laws are needed to keep labor unions above-board and to allow the state to scrutinize union finances, according to Richard K. Phelps, Jackson county prosecutor.
We agree with the prosecutor, although we know that many "healthy" labor unions would squawk at "state intervention." This is one case, though, where a majority should resign some of its self-government in order to bring into line certain members of the minority.
Mr. Phelps, speaking to a Missouri Senate committee on revision of criminal laws, naturally tended to be concerned first with plugging loopholes which have let some unions drift into corruption—beyond the reach of the law. The second advantage in state laws governing union behavior, the prosecutor said, would be the break given the individual members.
The specific recommendations made by Mr. Phelps are intelligent ones, and we list those which should, if made law, do the most to restore the individual member's status in the unions headed by dic-
tutorial bosses.
In the beginning, labor unions were formed of hearty, healthy, friendly lads who thought it silly to employ the secret ballot in elections of officers. Now, however, there are often groups where factions are obvious and battlelines divide the members.
Mr. Phelps would have a state law authorizing a board to supervise union elections. Each member would be guaranteed a secret ballot. In many of the unsettled unions today, the frightened and indifferent members stay away from elections rather than be identified as a follower of one candidate or another.
Another sore spot pointed out by the prosecutor is the secrecy of union books. This is an area where the state should be granted the right of inspection. In the unions
where the power-hungry have taken over and are holding their position by force, few rank and file members have even the slightest idea of where the money goes.
Few "controlled" unions today are daring enough to ignore the members to the point where meetings are never called, but there are instances of this in some parts of the country. Mr. Phelps asked for a law determining the number of members of any given union required to be present to constitute a quorum at a business meeting. To this we would add a similar statute making periodical meetings an indispensable part of the union setup.
Naturally, there will be an immense din of lobbying at Jefferson City if Mr. Phelps' suggestions get into the works at the State Legislature, because the labor bosses, growing richer and fatter from the ability to run unions according to their whims, won't enjoy seeing the faucet shut off.
Tom Stewart
'Sexy, Exotic?'--Nay, Not So
Someday they may make a movie with one of these "sexy! husculous! exotic!" foreign actresses that is really worth a fraction of its advance billing. ___
They haven't yet, and it cost us 75 cents to find it out for sure the other night when we went to see Silvana Mangano as "Anna". The gal just isn't "a symphony in epidermis, even if Walter Winchell says so.
She is, certainly, a beautiful actress but not nearly as potent as the ads would have one believe. We expected the Lawrence police to detail several officers with riot guns to the Patee during the showing of "Anna," but it wasn't necessary. Most of the men coming out of the theater were talking about the colored cartoon "Madeline"—high spot of the evening.
One thing against "Anna" is that the voices heard by the audience are obviously coming from a crew of bored Americans reading scripts and not from the impassioned Italians living life's little drama all over
the screen. This feeling that the voices don't belong to the speakers puts two strikes on the movie before it even get started.
Most of the film is in a hospital where Miss Mangano—hang on, now—is a novice nun working as a nurse. Of course, the idea of the movie is that she has given up her former sorid life, in which she had nothing to do but have a whale of a time being sexy, for the more rewarding life of service to others.
An extreme in realism is achieved in some of the hospital scenes, with blood squirting, incisions and injections being made, etc. Perhaps these are a bit too realistic, because a number of women—and men—in the audience have to step outside to keep from getting wooxy.
Save your six bits.
Tom Stewart
Short Ones
Truly, nothing is quite as stirring as watching our bully old band, 122 strong, march down the field in 122 different directions.
- * *
It says here that "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." What we can't understand is why so many brunettes and redheads around here are so smug about it.
Our northernmost states will probably get the first frosts, and therefore the first relief for hayfever sufferers. This fact is alleged to be the reason for the old folk saying: "As Maine blows, so blows the nation."
Dick Haymes married Rita Hayworth-worth-Judson-Welles-Khan the other day. She's really studied for the part.
Page 2 University Daily Kansan Monday, Sept. 28, 1953
Chancellor Konrad Adenauer's Christian Democratic party won an overwhelming victory over the Socialists in the recent West German election. His party won a majority of 244 seats out of 487 in the lower house. The Christian Democrats were given voting control without the aid of a coalition of the Free Democratic party and the German party.
Balloting Shows Germans Know Adenauer Stand
Adenauer's victory was the greatest display of confidence ever awarded a German politician.
Immediately after the election a complaint was raised by the defeated parties in Germany and in other European countries that Adenauer's victory was not a party victory but a victory for himself. Left wing Germans charged that the German people had rejected one dictator only to elect another.
In charging a personal victory to Adenau the left wingers used the Heinrich von Brentano case to substantiate their claims. Brentano, former Democratic floor leader in the lower house, announced to the press that Adenau would give up the job of foreign minister and that Brentano was being considered for the position.
Immediately, Adenauer's press office announced that "relinquishment of the leadership of the foreign ministry by the Chancellor cannot be regarded as a relevant question." The opposition contended that Adenauer was attempting to consolidate his power.
But it has been Adenauer's policy to regard foreign relations as the most important task of his government. He believes it to be so important that it cannot be delegated to another individual and that he as the head of the government must handle it himself.
The record shows that the German people need not be alarmed, Adenauer a stern man by nature and does not like to be criticized. He is a strong man and believes in strong government. Without doubt he will be the central and most prominent figure in the new government, but only as he represents his party and its interests.
Daily Hansan UNIVERSITY
University of Kansas Student Newspaper News Room KU 251   Ad Room KU 376
Member of the Kansas Press Assn. National Education Assn., Inland Daily Press Association, Association for Educational Represented by the National Advertising Service. 420 Madison Avenue, N.Y. City. Subcription rates: $3 a semester or $44 a year. Attendance lawrence). Published in Lawrence, Kan. every afternoon during the University holidays and Sundays. University holidays and Sundays. Entered second class matter Sept. 17, 1910, at Lawrence, Kan. Post Office
under act or in... a. of; in
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS by Dick Bibler
"After reviewing your case we're still in a quandry. Mind stepping around here for a moment?"
Lewis-Arn Church Idea Nice, But Too 'Hole-y'
In answer to a recent request by Fulton Lewis Jr., noted radio newscaster and commentator, who wants to build churches in Western Germany as a bulwark against communism, Gov. Edward F. Arm of Kansas has pledged his whole-hearted support.
At first glance, the request seems an ideal gesture, since Christianity is thought to be an answer to the threat of communism. Mr. Lewis simply wants the citizens of each state to contribute $25,000, or enough to build one "simple wooden" church for each state's contribution.
Many have the utmost confidence in Mr. Lewis' sincerity, but a great many loopholes are too prominent in the idea to be overlooked.
Germany, a predominantly Lutheran nation, naturally would not want, and certainly should not be forced, to accept religion run by American interests, or those 'off' seets which many Americans follow
To get around this obstacle, a committee would have to be appointed, either governmental or private, to study the various problems that various communities would have such as where to build the church, and what sect it would be.
A committee to cover these problems would have to make a detailed study of each situation, a time-consuming effort. Also involved would be the cost of putting dependable, informed persons in Germany for a period of time to study the problem.
Cost for the operation would undoubtedly be borne by the church-building agency. And naturally this huge cost would be charged to the church-building fund.
It does not seem feasible that a nation with the riches of Germany need an outside agency to build churches. Germany, while not rich in the sense of the word used by Americans, is more prosperous than any other continental European nation that came through World War II. Pictures of the nation show prosperous people and many churches. Of course, there are some parts of Germany that do need churches, but certainly no more in number than those communities in the U.S. that need places of worship.
Mr. Lewis apparently has not decided where the ministers for the 48 churches would be obtained. Are there enough competent ministers in Germany, now without churches, who could handle the jobs? Would they be of the faith dictated by the residents of the community getting the church?
These and other problems, not answered by Mr. Lewis, are important enough to have a direct bearing on any movement of the sort he suggests. We think Mr. Lewis needs to set up a more complete program before he begins to get subscribers for new churches in Germany, and we are not sure that Germany needs churches.
If Mr. Lewis and Gov. Arn merely are promoting the movement for publicity, all the while realizing that such a move is impractical, they may be sitting on a bomb with a short fuse. The movement sounds good but it will not come about. —Ed Howard
A ceramics professor complains that bringing four tons of clay to his classes is a pretty big order. We suggest that he follow the lead of one Mohammed, who saved himself heaps of trouble by going to the mountain, instead of vice versa.
A sign in the window of an appliance store on Massachusetts avenue tells the world that Sept. 23 was "Blessed Event Day." Aside from announcing that we're sorry we missed it, we won't try to make anything out of it.
A word to the Kansas City bomber: Try a Kansan want-ad to get rid of those old unused bombs that are cluttering up the house. We know at least one person up here who'd like to buy one and leave it on the doorstep of Bailey chem lab.