Page 2 University Daily Kansan Thursday; February 12. 1953 Letter
ASC Cannot Exist Minus Student Aid
Are you interested in student government at KU? Do you think the majority of students at the University are concerned about what happens to the All Student Council?
It is evident from the unenthussed attitude on the part of the students that the answer to these two questions is no. The number of students who voted last spring in the general campus election indicated that the majority were not very much interested in student government.
This situation has long been recognized, but there has been no apparent solution. Last spring a bill was proposed to the student body, stating a plan of action in reorganizing the ASC. It was defeated.
This year, the idea of an ASC reorganization has again entered the minds of a few interested individuals. This committee is largely made up of ASC members who feel that such a reorganization would give more adequate and complete representation to all students.
One plan presented suggests that instead of students being elected by districts according to schools; representation would come from similar housing groups. ASC members would directly represent unorganized independents, Greek houses, University residence halls, co-ops, professional fraternities, and freshman women's dormitories.
Present ASC members would welcome suggestions and comments as to what you would like to see student government accomplish at the University. Letters to the Kansan would present your ideas to a large audience. These are two methods of doing something concrete about how you feel.
Student government can be effective. How shall we make it more so at KU? —Mary Cooper.
Ike's Words on Loyalty Need to be Carried Out
The new president in his State of the Union message has asserted that "the primary responsibility for keeping out the disloyal and the dangerous rests squares upon the executive branch."
Does this mean an end to present congressional individuals and groups who use tactics deplored by people endowed only with the commonest of sense? Is there to be a sudden Utopian reversion to a basic concept in our judicial system, namely that a man is innocent until proved guilty, instead of the exact opposite assumption by Red-hunting members of Congress and their inquisitions held for individuals entertaining beliefs contrary to their own?
Unfortunately, it's doubtful. Few responsible people can foresee any change of policy in the future despite the president's obvious "hands off" request.
The message was an improvement over campaign utterances of Mr. Eisenhower. He committed himself to several courses of action, and on loyalty he stated, "The attorney general will advise and guide the departments and agencies in the shaping of 'security' programs designed to review speedily any 'derogatory' material concerning incumbent personnel."
Now if these programs are to be "fair to the rights of the individuals," as he said in the next breath, then present methods of determining a person's loyalty will stop. Substituted instead, it would seem, would be the rights accorded the most common of law violators and outlined by Mr. Justice Black in his U.S. vs. Lovett decision:
1. Impartial judge and jury.
1. Biblical judge and jury.
2. Accused must be permitted counsel.
2. Accused must be permitted counsel.
3. Charge must be aloan.
Letters
4. Law which accused is alleged to have broken must have been passed before he committed the act.
5. There must be confrontation of the accusers and the right of cross-examination.
This would be a contrast to present loyalty hearings and a typical charge: "You are charged with having associated with Communists or with persons or organizations in sympathy with communism," or "Is it true that you have expressed sympathy for the underprivileged people of this country?"
To cite the many men and women who fight present methods of "justice" from congressional minds is impossible. But the man in whom the people had enough confidence to elect president four times said in 1941 in his Four Freedom speech that "In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential freedoms.
"The first is freedom of expression—everywhere in the world."
Student Tells of Reds in Greece
To the Editor of the Daily Kansan:
Though Mr. Traldi gave a sufficient answer to Miss Margot Baker's question I can't help but want to tell her something more about it. I am not going to tell my own ideas but just the facts.
Under the bombastic title of her article Miss Margot characteristically says: "Our government is certainly justified in worrying about communist infiltration of our schools; young minds are most impressionable, and also the most idealistic. Communism preached in theory sounds Utopian and that is why I feel that young people today need practical knowledge of communism and how it works."
—Don Sarten.
I am not the right person to discuss the attitudes of the government of U.S. about communism, though personally I have the idea that it is much ado about nothing and an effective way for publicity for some persons. Because it is impossible for communism to exist in a country like yours where there is such a high standard of living and you don't have to face the urgent problems of unemployment and immigration.
The fertile field for communism is everywhere in Europe and Asia and it won't be merely a new "theory" but a radical reformation of society and a calamity for the world. I am not going to discuss the theory of communism. Miss Baker can find plenty of books in the library about communism from the Manifesto to Constitution of the U.S.S.R. But I am going to give her a little practical knowledge of how communism works today. There are few countries that suffered more than Greece. After the end of the second World War we thought it was time for peace and reconstruction. But communism, which always exploits the despair and the unhappiness of poor people upset once more the unsettled conditions from the hurricane of the war.
For five years we fought a desperate struggle on the rocky and steep Greek mountains and we couldn't destroy them because every time they would escape into the countries of the Iron Curtain which supported them and moved them against Greece, against their home-land, against their homes and against their parents.
Only the lesson of Korea ought to give a little practical knowledge of what communism is and how it works. But I am afraid Miss Baker does not listen to the radio or does not read newspapers or if she does so, she reads the programs of the movie theaters and fashion advertisements, otherwise she should be a little informed.
What Greece suffered at that period cannot be described in a short article. What interests us most is that we fought against them ourselves and we didn't move in the armies of all nations as recently happened in Korea.
Many years ago the kidnapping of an American child upset the world. Why nobody asks today for the luck of those miserable children?
I personally, Miss Baker, lost two members of my family. Be sure that I should prefer to change the "practical knowledge" and experience I have with ignorance. But you will tell me that is another matter. You must consider yourself lucky you were born American and better study your biology and Western Civ. It is dangerous to play with fire!
Kariofilis Mitsakis special student, journalism.
Little Man on Campus by Dick Bibler
"Oh, yes, I suppose things might be a little different for me if Dad wasn't on't Board of Trustees."
Don Moser
Students have been voicing their opinions on the teaching of communism on this page lately. Although students are willing to learn some of the tenets of communism, a nation-wide poll has shown that they definitely do not want to be taught by communists.
Random Thoughts
Of the students asked, 85 per cent of them said that they would not want a communist on the staff. As one student put it, "It would be like permitting gangsters to teach high school boys. The corrupt ideals would be instilled in their minds."
Now we are not saying that schools should run out and sign up avowed communists as instructors, but what we are against is this great fear of them in the education system.
It seems that everybody today thinks that once a communist gets into the school system, every student who takes one of his courses will automatically become a communist.
Our contention is that a student advanced enough in his thinking to want to find out about communistic theory, would be mature enough to treat the subject on a comparative basis.
As long as we hold this horror of anything that has a reddish tinge, we will be defeating ourselves. The only way to defeat communism is to know it, and face it. Pretending that it does not exist is a sign of defeatism.
While listening to basketball games over the radio, we always get a kick out of the maze of statistics given. We feel, though, that some of the more vital percentages are missing. We are never told which referee has the highest percentage of whistle blows, what percentage of the band raises their instruments and never play, and what percentage of the announcers give the most uninteresting percentages.
The government has lifted the rent controls to make more apartments available. It should make quite a few available after the evictions are over.
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We heard about a little rabbit who wished and wished that he could be a human being. Finally one day he wished so hard he turned into a two-foot dwarf. Its just like money today, you wish and wish you had it, when you do, its here today and gone tomorrow.
We hope that before we leave here in June we will see Sarge catch just one car. We just can't figure out what he will do with a car once he gets it.
Daily Hansan