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University Daily Kansan Monday, March 1, 1965
A Consensus Needed
Last week this campus was fortunate to have a speaker whose life has been dedicated to law and order and the peaceful progression of civilization.
Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas simply and calmly offered the peoples of the world two alternatives—either a world community based on law and humanitarian ideals or "the greatest racial conflict in history."
The real crisis, stripped of any political or ideological disguise, is the age-old suspicion, hostility, and bitterness between the "haves" and the "have-nots" of the world.
THE AFFLUENT SOCIETY IS WHITE. The improverished society is black, yellow, and brown, Justice Douglas said.
The disparity is impressive. Citing figures, Justice Douglas said that Russia, now a member of the affluent society, has an annual income of $900 a person. Compare this with Red China's income of $80 a person, Justice Douglas said.
This disparity is increasing, and "the greatest conflict in history will take place unless this disparity is resolved," Justice Douglas warned.
The rich nations are increasing personal income by $60 a year while the income of poor nations is increasing by only $5 a year. The income of the people of India—$1.15 a day—indicates unbelievable misery.
THE END RESULT OF THIS OMINOUS trend is a class conflict on a world-wide scale. The development of the atomic bomb, in more understandable terms, has produced an average of 80 tons of explosives for every person in the
world. This means total destruction in the event of war. "The prevention of war is our only hope," Justice Douglas said.
This can be accomplished only when the world accepts a "rule of law" as an alternative to war in settling disputes.
But "there can be no rule of law by unilateral action," Justice Douglas said. There must be a world-wide consensus, a general acceptance of a "rule of law," and the immediate implementation and utilization of procedures for resolving conflicts.
THE DILEMMA—POVERTY RECOGNIZES no laws, and the affluent society fears the leveling effect of new laws. The message that Justice Douglas had for Americans is provocative and perplexing.
What is needed is a basic shift or softening of the stern laissez-faire philosophy which has received its ultimate expression in this country. The recognition of forces beyond the control of the individual, which is gradually being applied in this nation, must be applied to other peoples of the world.
The "haves" in this world must sacrifice part of their abundance to the "have-nots." However distasteful this may sound, it is the only way to erase the tremendous disparity between the rich and the poor on this globe. It is the only way to prevent a world holocaust where the blood of white, black, yellow, and brown will run red. Only when prosperity is more evenly distributed will men listen to the reasoning of law. Only then will a rule of law assure survival.
Gary Noland
Korea, Japan Patch Disputes
UPI Foreign News Analyst
By Phil Newsom
Off and on for 14 years under United States' urging, the governments of Japan and South Korea have sought to patch over the bitterness left by 35 years of Japanese occupation of the Korean peninsula.
STUDENT DEMONSTRATIONS in Seoul forced abandonment of the talks last spring and led to three months of martial law when success seemed near.
But old animosities die hard and more than once when agreement seemed near, violent opposition derailed the negotiations.
In December the talks were resumed in Tokyo and this month seemed definitely on the track again.
In Seoul, high officials of the Korean and Japanese foreign ministries signed a draft treaty on basic relations that was described as the most significant step yet taken toward establishment of formal diplomatic relations.
VIOLENT OPPOSITION REmained. In Seoul, riot policemen cracked heads of demonstrators led by former Korean President Posun Yun.
In Japan, leftist demonstrators scuffled with police in an attempt to prevent Japanese Foreign Minister Etsusaburo Shiina's departure for Korea. Protest demonstrations also greeted him in Seoul.
THE NEW DRAFT TREATY calls for establishment of diplomatic and consular ties without delay and for negotiations on trade and other matters as early as possible.
Previous negotiations already had obtained Japanese agreement to extend to Korea $300 million in grants over a 10-year period in settlement of damage claims, and another $200 million in long-term loans.
STILL TO BE SETTLED IS disagreement over the so-called Syngman Rhee lines which bans Japanese fishermen from waters within 200 miles of Korea's coast and the status of about half a million Koreans living in Japan.
Agreement between its two pro-Western allies is important to the United States because it believes that without it, Korea never can achieve a stable economy. U.S. aid to Korea since the war has amounted to more than $5 billion and the U.S. is trying to reduce it.
PARLIAMENTS OF BOTH countries must approve the new treaty and it is assured of stormy going. However, both governments have placed it on their "must" lists and both have solid majorities.
Letters...
--version when they attempted to overthrow the civilian, popularly-elected government of Venezuela not long ago. This Venezuelan government had none of the faults the SPU gives South Viet Nam's. Yet, the Student Peace Union did not protest against Castro's attempt to forcefully overthrow it.
Dear Sir:
Daili' Hänsan
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Aldous Huxley once remarked that all he learned from his study of history is that men do not learn from history. One might suppose that after World Wars I and II, we would be weary of slaughter, but, what with the United Nations fading away, the nuclear club growing, and the Vietnamese war escalating, mankind is once more on the brink of repeating its past folly. So it is that Conway, the political expert quoted by Jim Langford in his UDK editorial last Friday, still seems to favor war as a method of settling international disputes despite the fact that three of his near, and presumably dear, relatives were killed in previous wars. So it is that the United States, unable to solve its problems in South Vietnam by military methods is simply intensifying and expanding its military operations rather than looking for a negotiated political solution. It's like the man who is losing his fortune playing roulette, but, as his money dwindles, becomes increasingly convinced that if only he bets more, he can beat the game. Paradoxically, the more he loses, the harder it becomes to convince him that there are surer ways to make money. The capacity to learn, to profit from experience, is a measure of intelligence. It was Aristotle who claimed that man is an intelligent animal. History may yet disprove Aristotle.
Charles Hook Lawrence Sophomore
1965 HERBLOCK
THE WASHINGTON POST
The Falling-Domino Example
The People Say...
Dear Sir:
HISTORY IS FULL OF MEN IN all fields who have devoted their lives to serving others. Often they have undergone great sacrifice and occasionally they have had to suffer martyrdom.
Nowadays the Student Peace Union offers us a less taxing version of the path to martyrdom. Its members seem to seek persecution by advocating, not the help, but the BETRAYAL of other people. THIS TIME, the people the SPU would betray in order to keep peace with the Communists are the South Vietnamese.
Admittedly there are many repugnant qualities about South Viet Nam; the military dictators, the prisoner-tortures, the coups, the chaos, etc. Thus goes the SPU reasoning, the South Vietnamese deserve to be written off to an even worse despotism than they already have. Surrendering the South Vietnamese to the Viet Cong would perhaps settle the chaos, but it would kill all hope of a government responsible to the people. You never read of any Buddhist "coupe" in Tibet; too many Buddhists have been exterminated.
The SPU members think they are unfairly charged with being cowardly and/or pro-Communist, but they have only themselves to blame. Look at their past record: they have continually ignored communist resorts to force, while they have always blasted United States' attempts to counter-act Communists' use of force. Consider these examples:
- The SPU did not protest the Soviet introduction of missiles into Cuba, which was not an exactly peaceful act. Only when the United States reacted to protect SPU members' security, among others', did the SPU's anti-war sentiments blossom.
- While the SPU was vehemently protesting the Cuban Blockade, Communist China invaded India. However, the SPU managed to ignore the aggression against India, although this aggression certainly threatened peace.
- Agents from Cuba used force in the form of terrorism and subversion when they attempted to overthrow the civilian, popularly-elected government of Venezuela not long ago. This Venezuelan government had none of the faults the SPU gives South Viet Nam's. Yet, the Student Peace Union did not protest against Castro's attempt to forcefully overthrow it.
- If there ever was a case of naked oppression against a people, it was the building of the Berlin Wall. Still the SPU again did not protest or march.
The SPU, therefore, is blatantly guilty of the "doublethink" it accuses the Pentagon of. Would John Garlinghouse and Co. please explain why the SPU ignores Communist acts of force? If it is assumed the SPU is not pro-Communist, could the reason be that demonstrations against Communist actions do not generate the proper amount of controversy and "persecution" for the SPU?
Besides leaving, these questions unanswered, John Garlinghouse picked a very weak argument when he implied the Hungarian Freedom Fighters would agree with the SPU because many were Social Democrats. I would like to remind him that the Hungarians had a "negotiation" experience of their own with the Communists-mild, Khrushchev-controlled, Russian Communists. During the height of the Hungarian Revolt, the Russians invited General Pal Mater and other Hungarian leaders to "negotiate." When the leaders arrived at the conference table they were imprisoned and promptly put to death. So, it is just a little doubtful that even the Social Democrat Hungarians would agree with the SPU about the value of negotiations with the Communists.
The "Peace" the SPU seeks would rest upon the betrayal of nations we have sworn to protect and its upkeep would eventually demand we choose either all-out nuclear war or total surrender to an enemy which has sworn to bury us. Soon, the nuclear war we all fear would be the only alternative to tyranny.
Paul Lindquist Prairie Village senior
BOOK REVIEWS
THE JUNGLE BOOKS, by Rudyard Kipling (Dell, 50 cents)—A fine gift for the young folks, but not calculated to appeal greatly to college students. Kipling wrote about the Indian boy Mowgli, who lives (this will explain it for the uninitiated) a Tarzan-like existence with his animal friends, is raised by a family of wolves and learns all about jungle life from the bear, the panther and all other available hands.