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UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1951
Thought For The Day —
"Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure there is one less rascal in the world."—Carlyle.
Another Black Eye
To: Robert D. Snair, Bartlesville Record
Subject: Miss Brown of Bartlesville
After reading your letter regarding Miss Brown, the erstwhile librarian of Bartlesville, I decided to do some more investigating and found an article in the New Republic magazine for Nov. 27, 1950, which leads me to question the fairness of your article and letter.
The New Republic article was written by Jean Begeman and is entitled "Bigotry in Bartlesville." Some of the facts given there conflict with your version. For example: You say that Miss Brown was fired for insubordination. In the article I think you should read, this is their statement of the case:
"On July 25, an hour after she had appeared before an executive session of the Commission, Miss Brown was notified that she had been fired.
"... When Miss Brown appeared before the private meeting of the City Commission, it was apparent that the magazines were only a secondary complaint. Commissioner W. A. Forrest said: 'We know your attitude on race relations. It may be according to the Bible and the Constitution, but it is not according to the wishes of the majority of the people of Bartlesville.' Miss Brown agreed to answer any questions about the operation of the library orally, but asked the Commissioners to submit any questions on her personal views such as her attitude toward the Negro race in writing, to be answered in writing since there was no stenographer at the meeting to record the interrogation. 'We considered that insubordination,' Mayor E. S. Dunaway says. Miss Brown was promptly fired."
This then would seem to be an explanation of the "insubordination" which you say was omitted from the St. Louis StarTimes editorial. Perhaps they were being kind and you or the worried mother didn't realize it. Or did you think that we didn't have access to such "so-called subversive literature" as the New Republic (which according to the same article is still available in the Bartlesville library although at the "discretion" of the new librarian)?
You also forgot to mention in your letter that "no objection had been made to Miss Brown or the publications on her shelves until she had participated in group discussions on race relations."
You also forgot to mention that the magazines Negro Digest and Consumer's Research were also on the "Citizen's Committee" list of subversive literature. Your community must be proud of such an alert, patriotic group of citizens.
When, in your article, you refer to "Oklahoma's fight for civil liberties" I'm afraid you've used the wrong preposition. While it is true that some residents of Oklahoma may be fighting for civil liberties (Miss Brown's defenders are good examples) it has always appeared to me that the state as a whole was pushing the "fight against civil liberties." Perhaps you've forgotten the case of McLaurin vs. Oklahoma State Regents For Higher Education which tells the story of a denial of civil liberties and deliberate humiliation of a man whose skin was the "wrong" shade. Sipuel vs. Board of Regents of University of Oklahoma is also a case in point. We can't honestly admit that Oklahoma was ever a leading advocate for civil liberties.
If you and the mother you refer to are tired of seeing your home town receive editorial black eyes, then I would suggest that you lead the way in showing the "white supremicists" in the community the error of their ways and thus remove the cause of the black eyes. J. A. B.
The Communist party, according to the latest issue of Collier's, is a prime suspect in the $1,500,000 Brink's robbery in Boston last year. Possibly the campus should be screened for fellow travelers after the next painting of Jimmy Green?
Rumors from Moscow in the past have asserted that Stalin is dying from heart disease. Now those sources have it that he has taken a wife. It is probably safe to assume that one or the other will get him sooner or later.
Lt. Gen. Ridgeway has just returned from the Korean battlefront and announced that "everything is going fine up there." The only thing needed now to make our happiness complete is a victory statement from Gen. MacArthur,
Chancellor Malott has criticized the legislative committee for a budget cut and declares that K.U. will be reduced to medocrity. This is further proof that ivy isn't the only green stuff needed to make a university great.
Heard in the Union: The University's policy of giving four hours credit for every five being taken to army enlistees may have increased the patriotic fervor of some students with finals coming up this month.
With an eye on the activities of Louis Hershey, draft czar, Dr. F. C. "Phog" Allen is rumored to be conducting a surreptitious search for 6-foot 6-inch debutantes for next year's basketball team.
The Public's Pulse Students Ably Defend Lattimore
Dear Editor:
It seems that a few words of comment are in order concerning a letter by James Sunye in last Thursday's Kansan.
According to Mr. Sunye, "Lattimore urged the U.S. government in a book called Solution in Asia to accept cheerfully the spread of 'the Soviet form of democracy' in central Asia."
Among other fallacies here, Lattimore does not believe Russia stands for democracy, nor has he ever said so. Rather, he says, "In their eyes (i.e., the neighbors of Russia in Inner Asia) . . . the Soviet stands for economic prosperity, political stability, raucous medicine, free education, equality of opportunity, and democracy."
A few pages later (141) in this book he points out that after witnessing certain material and idealistic actualities such as those mentioned above they 'shrug their shoulders' when they hear that the U.S. believes Russia to have neither freedom nor democracy. For to them these things are democracy and Russia stands for them, in their minds.
Mr. Sunye, is not the first to leave out "In their eyes."
He goes on to state that for this reason we must materialize our words by observance of the Point 4 program, etc., which will demonstrate what we mean by democracy. Out of this Mr. Sunye interprets him as asking for cheerful acceptance.
The validity of Lattimore's statements is beside the point here. What is pertinent is that what he said has been answered—though I don't say intentionally.
Democracy obviously means a great deal to Mr. Sunye and it is good that people are willing to fight in convictions as he. But what I question is, the A hyper-patriotism can lead to the utilization of methods that can
Dear Editor:
Mr. Sunye in his letter printed in the January 11th issue of the Kansan presented fairly conclusive proof that he has read the jacket of Mr. Lattimore's book, "Solution in Asia." Now I would suggest that he read
Now I would suggest that he read the book.
If, after having completed that task, he can with sincerity continue to maintain the intellectual position set forth in his letter, four years of college would appear to have done him little good. Perhaps he should seek for success in some other field of endeavor, such as business or the army. Here he is wasting his time.
Sincerely
Charles Cory
Graduate Student
Sincerely
Editing II students are put in charge of the University Daily Kansan as part of their class work. Today's issue was managed by Marvin Arth, journalism senior, and Robert Nelson, journalism junior.
Editing Students Manage Kansan
destroy the very thing fought for. It is in a democracy where one can still obtain objective facts. Let us exercise this preogative to the fullest.
Lattimore mentioned once that democracy is not an entity you can stand back and observe as other forms of government; it is always in the process of formation. Every citizen makes and remakes democracy every day.
It is by believing it to remain statis while we temporarily abuse it in order to defend it that we are asking for trouble. There is no democracy to defend when we over-step its bounds by employing fear tactics and Fascist subterfuges based on emotional appeals and non-rational 'investigations such as certain senators have done. Mr. Sunye employed none of these methods, but he unintentionally took the first step in that direction—i.e., hasty generalization of facts in order to condemn a fellow citizen.
Robert Walden College Junior.
Thieves To Have Sharp Time
Des Moines, Ia.—(U.P.)—Arthur Ebersole said today that the thieves who broke into his aquarium better have room for more than the 200 tropical fish they took.
One of the missing fish is a female swordtail who is going to have a couple hundred offspring soon, he said.
24 HOUR PHOTO FINISHING SERVICE
MOGSTER WILLE
MOSSAR WILLE
Give Winter Weather the "GO-BY"
You'll be glad you're comfortable and safe as you go rolling by those ice-coated, slippery highways. It's mighty pleasant to relax in your Pullman or Coach seat while the engineer does the driving for you.
And, as always, you'll enjoy a selection of choice foods . . . expertly prepared and served . . in Union Pacific dining cars. During January, prime ribs of beef will be featured on all our trains.
See your local Union Pacific Agent for reservations and travel information.
UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD