PAGE SIX
EDITORIAL
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 1940.
The Kansan Comments-- EDITORIALS $ \star $ LETTERS $ \star $ PATTER
Poll Has No Influence
While politicians in general hold the belief that winning a straw poll enhances the party's popularity and adds to the chances of winning in the actual election, a history of the more famous straw polls shows that the effect is negligible and of minor importance in influencing votes.
The Literary Digest poll of 1936 failed to influence any votes. It indicated a 54 per cent victory for Landon while the election finally showed a 60 per cent victory for Roosevelt. Before the election the Literary Digest poll was respected. Any influence of its findings would have been noted in the actual election.
The accuracy of the Gallup polls proves that they influence the actual vote but little. Gallup polls seldom miss by more than 4 per cent. Were the publication of the poll's findings to have any effect upon the election, then the discrepancy would be much greater. In the Dewey-Lehmann gubernatorial race the Gallup poll called the turn within less than 1 per cent. Certainly if the poll's political influence were ever to appear felt, it would have shown up here.
In the same year, the then obscure American Institute of Public Opinion. George Horace Gallup's brain child, found a 53 per cent victory for Roosevelt. Voters were not influenced by this poll because it had not yet reached national fame.
The straw vote's place in the political world is not determined by its ability to influence those who want to be on the winning side. So far, its influence in this field has been small. The poll's immortal position rests on its solution of the problem brought up by James Bryce when he said, "The obvious weakness of a government is the difficulty of ascertaining it."
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UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
OFFICIAL BULLETIN
Vol. 37 Thursday, Feb. 29, 1940 No. 101
CHRISTIAN CHURCH YOUNG PEOPLE: The Christian Church Young People will have a Leap Year Party this Friday evening at 9 o'clock. An admission charge of 10 cents will be charged. All are invited to come—Dwight Metzler, Social Chairman.
MUSIC ROOM: The Music Room will be open this evening from 7:30 until 9:30. It will also be open tomorrow afternoon from 3:30 until 5:30. A special concert will be played tomorrow evening at 7:30.—Ernie Klema, chairman.
NOTICE TO ALL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: Dr. E. T. Gibson is at the Watkins Memorial Hospital each Tuesday afternoon for discussion with students on problems of mental hygiene. Appointments may be made through the Watkins Memorial Hospital.—Dr. R. I. Canuteson.
NOTICE TO STAFF MEMBERS: Staff members who wish to have any change of address or telephone listed in the directory supplement should report such changes to the Chancellor's office at once.—Raymond Nichols, executive secretary.
REINTERPRETATION OF RELIGION COMMISSION: The Reinterpretation of Religion Commission will meet tomorrow at 4:30 in Henley House. The discussion will be on "Christian Faith and Democracy" by Gregory Vlastas. All are invited.-Gordon Brigham, Corrine Martin, co-chairmen.
SHAWNEE COUNTY STUDENTS: An important meeting of the County Club will be held tonight at 7:30 in the Men's Lounge of the Union. Every Shawnee
SASNAK CLUB: The regular monthly meeting will be held tonight in the Pine room at 7:15. Mr. G. L. Gore of Kansas City, Missouri will speak on "Safety in Physical Education." -Gene Phillips.
Way Is Open For Labor Peace
The recent proposal by John L. Lewis that the CIO and the AFL re-unite is fundamentally a clever bit of diplomacy on Lewis' part.
Lewis made a similar gesture last spring, when his plan for labor unity included the Railroad Brotherhoods. The suggestion failed, at the CIO leader's later behest, because he could see no compromise with the railroad groups.
Just as he did on that occasion, Mr. Lewis is now also attempting to stall for time in a critical situation, hoping something will develop. It may be that he wishes to force William Green, AFL leader, to reveal his position regarding the coming presidential election.
Lewis left himself out on a limb politically when he announced recently that his United Mine Workers Union would withhold it support of any candidate or party until it could be certain of fair political treatment. If Green and the AFL ever accept the Lewis merger suggestions, then the squat-craft union head need no longer worry about being left out in November. The combined forces of the two labor organizations will command a great deal more respect than ever before.
But beyond this, the two can, if merged, succeed in gaining for labor the position for which it has so long struggled, and which it has never attained because of discord within its own ranks.
If Mr. Lewis is sincere in his proposal for labor organization unity, he can precipitate the most significant step toward labor harmony that has been achieved since the craft unions broke away from the trades groups.
County. student should be present—Charles Wright, Jr., chairman.
WESTMINSTER FORUM: Westminster Forum will have a party this Saturday evening at 8:00 o'clock. Admission is 10 cents. There will be games, dancing and refreshments. All are invited to attend as usual.—Dorothy Owen, social chairman.
W. S.G.A. COUNCIL; There will be an important meeting of the W.S.G.A. Executive Council tonight at 7:00 o'clock in the women's lounge of the Union building—Velma Wilson, President.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Official Student Paper of
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Lawrence, Kansas
Walt Meininger
EDITORIAL STAFF
TORREAL STATE
Editor-in-Chief .. Richard Boyce
Associate Editor .. Loretta Diggs
Assistant Editors ... Gerald Banker and Helen Markwell
Feature Editor .. Betty Coulson
NEWS STAFF
Managing Editor... Jim Bell
Campus Editors... Reggie Buxton and Roscoe Coe
Society Editor... Virginia Gray
Sports Editor... Jay Simon
Writer Editors... Clovell Hickman
Make Up Editors... Marilou Randall and Huck Wright
Night Editor... Red Burton
Picture Editor... Jay Voran
Rewrite Editors... George Sitterly
Business Manager ... Edwin Browne
Advertising Manager ... Rex Cowan
Subscription rates, in advance, $3.00 per year, $1.75 per semester. Published at Lawrence, Kansas, daily during the school week on Monday and Saturday. Entered as second class matter September 17, 1980. The first office at Lawrence, Kansas, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Not Again Till 1944---- Five Planets Say Its' Woman-Proposal Day
By Leilyn Young, c'40
The fate of men may be decided today!
Today—February 29, Leap Day—may influence the destiny of males for two reasons: (1) women may propose marriage to men today and (2) five planets plainly will be visible in the evening sky.
"A planet, astrologically, is a star, as influencing the fate of man," Webster says.
Tonight five bright planets—Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, and Mars—will shine. Their light will cast a glow five time dangerous to the fortune of men.
The five will form in practically a straight line with its origin, Mercury, slightly above the west horizon point and ascending, as defined by the planets in the order enumerated, into the sky at a small angle toward the south. The planets will outshine any star in the western sky, N. Wyman Storer, associate professor of astronomy, explains.
Because the dim planet Uranus will be on a continuation of the line just above Mars, men with exceptionally sharp eyes will risk a six-fold danger.
The fate of men soon will not be endangered again by dual forces, since this particular phenomenon of the planets will not happen again on Leap Day for many years.
Not until February 29,1944, will Leap Year again occur.
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ROCK CHALK TALK
By HARRY HILL
This feud the Shinsters are carrying on with the Sigma Chi's over scholarship is the best recent example of a pot calling a kettle black.
Dear Sir; I am enclosing the picture of a very famous organization on this Hill—the Men's Student Council. Yours, Jerry Riseley.
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(Mr. Riseley sends a picture clipped from a "Private Lives" cartoon in the Kansas City Star. It is a complicated looking apparatus which bears the following explanation: "This noble machine is the work of humorist Gelett Burgess, made for the pure pleasure of being impractical. Wheel's turn, pulleys pull, pistons drive—and nothing whatever is accomplished.")
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In the reports that Kansas City's machine may support the clean-up candidate for mayor, an ancient political procedure is about to be re-enacted: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
Spurred on by publicity about the University student who says he was refused admittance after charges of liquor possession were dismissed, the Oklahoma Daily sent a reporter to interview a Norman bootleger. The reporter came back with the opinion that bootlegging was one of the most unprofitable businesses on the O.U. campus.
Here on Mt. Oread, we still have our football team.
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Dear Sir; I suggest this new name for the Kansan's On the Shin: "The March of Slime."—F.Y.
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From the Rocky Mountain Colleg-
ian: a Prof who comes into class five minutes late is very rare; in fact, he is in a class by himself.
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Hot Chalkklets; The sub-basement of the Memorial Union building is to be remodeled this summer. . . Proposed changes probably will cost near or over $10,000 . . . The Union fountain is to be enlarged, remodeled and redecorated . . . Carol Johnson's K.U. murals around the wall will not be preserved, but the artist is expected to return to do a new series. . . If you want to bet, even money choices for W.S.G.A.'s next president are Jean Robertson, Theta, and Betty Kimball, Miller hall . . . Both are in the same (secret) combine. . . O'Thene Huff, independent, is a very, very light dark horse.
Discuss Bidding In Bridge Lesson
The fundamentals of the Culbertson bidding system was the subject of the second bridge lesson by Mrs. Ivan Rowe yesterday afternoon in Kansas room of the Memorial Union building. Different phases of the subject which were discussed were honor tricks, biddable suits, and opening suit bids of one.
The series of lessons, which is being offered without charge to the students, will be continued through the next two weeks. The lessons are given Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 4:30 in the Memorial Union building. Friday's lesson will be on the subject of assisting the partner.