Page 2 University Daily Kansan Tuesday, March 18, 1952 "Just what I thought. Another college fireball pitcher." Editorials Big Vote Necessary In Election Tomorrow Tomorrow a special election will be held to vote on amendments to the constitution of the All Student Council. All students are eligible to vote. However, if this election is like most, the number turning out to vote will be small. This would be unfortunate. All students feel the effect of the student government and all feel free to criticize it. But seldom do all try to do anything about it. Those who doubt the seriousness of this should take a look at the corruption and scandal which has been found in our national government. These blots on our record can be traced directly to the disinterest shown by the voters. For example, only half of the young persons just reaching 21 plan to vote this year, according to a survey published by McCall's magazine. The survey also shows that while 57 per cent of the nation's male first voters will vote, only 39 per cent of the female first voters will do so. Opinion already has been presented on this page in which students were urged to reject the proposed amendments. Today an article appears by an advocate of the changes in which arguments for adoption are presented. The important thing in this election is not so much which side wins but that the side that does win has the support of a majority of the students. The only way that can be done is by all turning out to express their opinions. Joe Taylor. Student Accuses Daily Kansan Of Partisanship, Suppression Dear Editor: I feel the Kansam editorial policy has been less than fair in airing arguments in favor of the proposed amendments to the constitution of the ASC. This is particularly bad in light of the recent decision of Pachacamac—NOW political parties to oppose passage of the amendments. In urging defeat of the plan, the Kansan has assumed, perhaps unwittingly, a partisan stand on the reorganization issue. The Kansan's attacks on the reorganization proposal are unfounded, misdirected, and definitely adverse to the best interests of the University of Kansas, the ASC and even the Kansan itself. It is, of course, too late now for the Kansan to redeem itself on this issue. The plan is probably already defeated, due, in part, to the Kansan's suppression of arguments favorable to reorganization. The issue is cut and dried to those who see it clearly. There are no two ways about it—reorganization is imperative. The old way of Greek-Independent politics must go if student government is to survive. We cannot allow a machine which relies on the stimulation of Greek-Independent strife for its strength to subvert -progress toward all-University spirit. The ASC could be an extremely potent force for carrying out the objectives of student opinion. Student government can be a healthy institution instead of a contest among self-centered office seekers. You students who feel student government is too petty to merit your interest: vote for the proposed amendment. A vote for the proposal is a vote for "do-something" all-University government, and against Greek or Independent "machines." Van E. Rothrock, Business junior. Mules, Like People, Jaywalk Greensburg, Pa.—(U.P.) A jay- walking mule, as dumb as some people, was struck by a car as it wandered along a road near here. The mule suffered a broken leg and was destroyed. The car sustained $5 damage. The student body goes to the polls tomorrow to accept or reject amendments to the All Student Council constitution. I have been asked to explain the important changes, to summarize the arguments pro and con, and to give my opinion. Urges Adoption Of ASC Amendments All Student Council President There are four important changes. By JAMES LOGAN 1. Voting districts. These are changed from a school (college, fine arts, and so on) to a residence basis (social fraternities, unaffiliated students, and so on. 2. Method of election. Under the old system your district elects you. Under the new system your district nominates you and the whole University elects you. 3. The one-fourth rule. Under the old system ASC representatives were apportioned to districts on the basis of population. Under the new system they are apportioned the same way, but with a limit of one-fourth the total membership of the council to any one district. 4. Organizational representatives. Old system: elected and organizational representatives. New system: only elected representatives. Why the changes and the arguments. 1. Voting districts. They're changed from school to residential districts because: (a) It is felt that there is more compatibility of interest among such members of a district as social fraternities than in a district composed of the schools. (b) It is felt that this change will break down the Greek-Independent political split. A purely Greek party could only run part of a slate because there are some districts with no Greeks in them. An Independent party faces the same difficulty. Would either group to maintain their "purity" run only half a slate? Con's argue the Greek-Independent split is either not present or, if present, desirable. Pros argue that if you want to see if the split is there, just ask those who have been in campus politics for long. Pros add that the division detracts from school spirit and causes misdirected antagonism. Cons say that with no Greek-Independent split there are not enough issues to have the "desirable" two-party system. Pros counter that if Greek-Independent is the only issue then there should be no parties. They feel there will be parties, even if they are the "do-somethings" against the "do-nothings." 2. Method of election. Under the new system each party holds a primary election under ASC supervision in each of the new districts. The party members in each district nominate their slate, and in the general election everyone in the University votes on all candidates. The student body has districts like the United States has states. Suppose there are two parties, the Republicans and the Democrats. In Kansas Democrats and Republicans file to run for office in their party primary. In the primary Kansans go to the polls and ask for a Republican or a Democratic ballot and they vote for their favorite applicant. The high Democrat and high Republican go on the ballot in the general election as candidates for the Kansas representative. In this general election the Kansas representatives are voted on by everyone in the country—they are nominated by Kansans but elected like the President of the U.S.-by everyone. Let us take an extreme example. Suppose Pach has one sympathizer in the co-ops, and all the rest are FACTS. This one can nominate himself as the Pach candidate. Then if Pach wins a majority in the campus-wide vote, that co-op man will probably be elected—one man defeating all the rest. Cons say this is bad. It lets a very small minority in one district whose party has a majority on the campus as a whole elect that district's representative. Pros say that such a victory would not be one man thwarting the many, but it would be a party man, sweeping into office in a party victory. Pros further add that no party which has a strangle hold on a particular district can feel that they have that district's seats cinched. They must fight for a campus-wide victory to get even a majority of the seats in their strongest district. 3. The one-fourth rule. This limits the control of one residential district over the council. Cons argue that the unaffiliated student is getting cheated. Under strict proportional representation they would get half of the council seats. Pros agree that the unaffiliated representatives on the ASC have proportionately more constituents than the others. But they point out that with five unaffiliated students on the council this student has five times the representation he has had in the past, when there has been on the average less than one person per year who could be said to be entirely free of organized residence groups. 4. Organizational representatives. To avoid dual representation organizational representatives are eliminated in the new plan. Cons say that this organizational group comes nearer to representing a constituency than any other representative and he says that this is the only means of getting some important elements represented. Pros-assert that organizational representatives are so easily disenfranchised (by objection of one-fourth of the elected representatives) that their power is very small, since it rests on the whim of a few elected representatives. They suggest that the organizational representatives sit and express themselves at council meetings—but in the interests of single representation not be an official voting part of the council. In conclusion, it must be recognized that everything cannot be in the ASC amendments. Smaller problems will be taken care of in the by-laws adopted by the council. As for example—where do the girls in the freshmen dorms vote in the spring election, since next year they will not be freshmen? In this case the council will probably say that they may run for office and vote in whatever district they want—making necessary adjustments on the council in the fall. These arguments are not all that have been bantered around, but they are some of the most important ones. This plan is not the one I originally wanted put before the student body. However, I believe that it is a substantial improvement over the system now in operation. When I go to the polls Wednesday I am going to mark my ballot YES—for the amendments. News Room Student Newspaper of the Ad Room KU 251 UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS KU 376 Member of the Kansas Press Assn, National Editorial Assn, Inland Daily Press Assn, Associated College Press, and Intercollegiate Press Assn, Represented by the National Advertisina Service. 420 Madison Avenue, New York City. EDITORIAL STAFF Editor-in-Chief Jack Zimmerman Editorial Assistants Joe Taylor, Joe Lasteic NEWS STAFF Managing Editor... Ellsworth Zahm Assistant Manager Editors ... Helen Lou Fry, Ben Holman Joe Lostelic, Jim Powers City Editor... Joe Lombert Assistant City Editors ... Jeanne Fitzgerald, Phil Newman, Jerry Renner, Katrina Swartz Telegraph Editor... Charles Burch Assistant Telegraph Editor ... Moi Thomas Society Editor... 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