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University Daily Kansan Fridav. March 20, 1959
Vote for Amendment
A much needed constitutional amendment will be on the ballot in the student body general elections April 14 and 15.
The new bill will give the smaller schools an equal opportunity with the large schools to have voting representatives on the All Student Council.
The constitution now says that "No school shall be represented unless there is a minimum total of 75 ballots cast by the students of that school in the general election, unless the enrollment of a school is below 75, in which case two-thirds of the enrollment of the school shall suffice."
At first glance this may seem quite fair and democratic but when you stop to realize this means that if a school had only 76 students and 74 voted, that school would still not be represented while the College with an enrollment of about 2860 still needs to have only 75 votes cast.
The amendment states that "no school shall be represented unless there is a minimum total of 75 ballots cast by the students of that school in the general elections, or that the total ballots cast by the students in that school shall equal or exceed 50 per cent of the total enrollment of that school in that general election, whichever is least."
Even this new amendment would require a larger percentage of votes in the smaller school than in the larger ones in order to get a voting representative.
What would happen if on a national scale the states were required to have a certain number of votes before they could be represented? This would not concern a state like New York, but Connecticut might not be represented. This would be undemocratic and unfair.
Yet this is in a sense what is happening now on campus when two of the nine schools do not have voting representatives.
It is not from lack of interest that the schools do not have representatives. Their voting percentages may be higher than those of the larger schools.
Even if a school has a small enrollment these students deserve to have a voice and a vote in their government. They may be represented individually in their living group, but they need representation in their working field where their interests are more specialized.
The proposed amendment would give them this representation, but the amendment needs the entire student body support. -Martha Crosier
Lottery for Taxpayers
The deadline for filing federal income tax returns is April 15. After that date reluctant taxpayers will be pressured into paying what they owe the government plus a penalty for late filing.
One segment of the population still won't file a return, however. Income tax evaders make up this group. A few may file a return but it will not be complete.
Actually, this group has almost nothing to lose. If they are successful in their evasion they will reap a dishonest gain. If internal revenue collectors catch up with them, they pay only a small penalty.
What should the government do about these evaders? Would the cost of making the collections exceed the amount to be collected?
In a recent issue of Modern Age, Ernest Van Den Hang proposes this solution to the problem.
He suggests the government establish a lottery. Participation would be limited to persons who file their income tax returns within the deadline and who would pay an additional $2 to $15 filing fee to enter the lottery. (The amount of the fee to be paid would depend on the participant's income.)
The sum of the fees collected would make up the jackpot. A number system would be set up and the lucky winners drawn just as in any lottery. The more income tax a taxpayer pays, the bigger the prize he can win.
Mr. Van Den Haag says this system would be an inducement to honesty and morality. Taxpayers would be willing to file returns if they realized they had a chance to get part of their money back. The system would encourage the filing of complete returns because prizes would be proportionately higher for higher taxes.
Mr. Van Den Haag also says this plan would not be a way of pouring money into the government since the taxpayer would be the one to reap the reward.
He dislikes the present system of paying taxes because it is no more than a gamble. Tax evaders take a chance on not being caught. So, he seeks to solve the problem with no less than a lottery, defined by law as a gambling device.
Just how much of an incentive to honesty is the chance of winning a lottery game, anyway? Does Mr. Van Den Haag really believe that taxpayers would file complete reports just because they would get a bigger prize if they happened to win the lottery? I doubt it.
If the American taxpayer is really set on doing a little gambling, why shouldn't he take the gamble of evading his taxes completely. The odds would seem to be a little more in favor of his evading the tax payment completely than the chance his number will be drawn.
Besides, he doesn't have to pay a $15 filing fee to gamble on not paying the tax at all.
—Carol Allen
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS By Dick Bibler
"I FINALLY GOT A BLIND DATE FOR YOUR FRIEND HERE
WE CAN EVEN STAY OUT PAST CLOSING HOURS."
The British have come up with a portable electric potato peeler. This is proof that man has finally cast off the last vestige of his cave-dwelling ancestry — the simple knife.
Dailu Hansan
UNIVERSITÉ BRITTANIA
Short Ones
Member Inland Daily Press Association,
Associated Collegiate Press, Represented by National Advertising Service,
420 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y.
News service: United Press Internationa-
ly Weekly, semester or $4.50 a year. Published in Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon during the University year except Saturdays and Sundays, University holidays,
and examination periods. Entered as
Lawrence, Kan., post office under act of
March 3, 1879.
Extension 711, news room Extension 326, business office
University of Kansas student newspaper
University of Kansas became blowered in 1904,
blowered in 1908, 1908, 1908.
Telephone VIking 3-2700
NEWS DEPARTMENT
Douglas Parker ... Managing Editor
BUSINESS DEPARTMENT
NEWS DEPARTMENT
BILL FEITZ Business Manager Robert Lida, Advertising Manager; Howard Young, Classified Advertising Manager; William F. Kane, Promotion Manager; Paul Nielsen, Circulation Manager.
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Pat Swanson and Martha Crosier, Co-
Editorial Editors; Robert Harwi,
Associate Editorial Editor.
'The Fowl' Is Foul
It's too bad we have to bring this to the attention of our readers, but the first issue of "Fowl" is out. Walk—do not run—to get your copy.
By Robert Harwi
We don't know how much the thing costs (a kind soul lent us a copy), but the magazine is no bargain even if it is given away free. It is our wild guess that never before in the history of KU humor magazines has such an unfortunate mess been offered for consumption.
The saddest thing about this "humor" magazine is that it is not humorous. It has no energy, the art work is, shall we say, less than spectacular; the creative work lacks imagination, taste. There aren't even any good old smutty jokes.
All you get for your dough is a few dozen lame jokes that everybody has seen in campus humor magazines for years, some pictures of a clothed, pretty girl, and a few attempts at original writing. When we say original, we mean original. It is absolutely guaranteed that you will never again read anything like "A Liberal Education." "Young Love," or "All Men Are Created."
It should be pointed out that the local ads were apparently done by the same artists who did the cartoons. This should not make a difference to any but the local merchants whose business likely will not show any enormous increases.
Among other shortcomings of this plate of garbage are that it seems to have been ground out on a mimeograph machine, the pages are not numbered, and one joke appears twice. It wasn't even funny the first time.
It would not be fair to compare "The Fowl" to the "Sour Owl" of a few years ago, a magazine that had some good college wit. "The Fowl" is in reality suited for no audience. It would make even a 10-year-old shake his head in sympathy.
Perhaps the editors can do better the next time, although after this initial effort there is not much promise.
If there is no improvement the next time around, the name of the thing should be changed to "Foul."
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
ACROSS
(Answer on Page 12)
ACROSS
1 Tropical tree.
2 Los Angeles problem.
3 Author of "Mary."
4 Kazan of the theatre.
5 Largest of the Kuril Islands.
6 Money in Venice.
7 Wholly absorbed.
8 A kind of hard candy.
9 Underwriters.
10 Oil well.
11 Set upright.
12 __ masque.
12 Baker, Basin or Beale.
13 Little bouquets.
13 Hebrew letter.
13 Arsonist, for example.
13 Capital of French Morocco.
13 Indigo.
13 Great German wood engraver (1471-1528).
13 Region near the earth's axis.
13 Vulcanized tire.
12 Scatter.
14 Actress Hagen.
15 Upper canineess 2 words.
17 Ingress.
19 Scotland's largest river.
20 Trial print of a
negative.
51 Gets rid of.
55 Appendage on a
surrey or buggy.
53 V-shaped tele-
vision antenna:
2 words.
60 Highest: Comb,
form.
61 Shape of some
faces.
62 Tennessee —
Ford.
63 Headland.
64 Opposite of wax.
65 Shreds.
66 Big event in 1944.
DOWN
1 Beautiful woman.
2 Ameche of football fame.
3 Allegiance in word only: 2 words.
4 Actor Victor.
5 Commence.
6 Labor on the lawn.
7 Sphere.
8 Surgeon noted for work in the Canal Zone.
9 Ach!
10 Member of a Hindu sect.
11 Indian.
12 German gentleman.
14 Ousted.
18 Founder of
higher mathematics.
20 Underwater ridge.
21 Schoolboy's error.
24 Look earnestly at.
25 Chief Justice after Marshall.
26 Fictional Mr. and Mrs.
27 Hiatus.
28 Reversed one's viewpoint: 2 words.
29 City of historic conference.
30 Rob.
33 Energetic.
36 Latin: Abbr.
38 Musical repetition.
41 Pianist from Germany.
43 Australian export.
46 Christian festival.
48 Legendary hero of Charlemagne's time.
50 Helen's kidnaper.
51 Rooster's cry.
52 Source of obsidian.
53 Ambassador from Israel.
54 Skilled.
55 Pungent taste.
56 Heroine of Richard Aldrich's book.
57 Flower.
58 Historical period.