Wednesday, Feb. 27, 1963 University Daily Kansan
Page 3
Letters to the Editor
Editor:
At last I see in your newspaper an article that will be remembered for its depth of thought and clarity of ideas. I mean "ASC - Afghanistanism," by Mr. Terry Murphy.
ASC Activity
There is a minority on the campus that thinks matters like segregation, the University of Mississippi and similar subjects are important. Fortunately Mr. Terry Murphy has the courage to say what we know is the real reason why he came to KU. For the minority who does not know, Mr. Terry Murphy makes clear that the only thing that counts is FOOT-BALL. The people of the ASC are incompetent because "they decide a resolution on Mississippi is more important than a student at KU being able to sit in his reserved seat" (I am quoting Mr. Terry Murphy).
Madness! How can anybody think there is anything more important than the great American Sport. Very good. Mr. Terry Murphy, all the semi-littileate of the campus agree with you.
L. B. Ronca
Lawrence graduate student P.S. Could you tell me how a student can cancel his subscription to your newspaper?
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Kansan Editorials
Editor:
Although I have never taken the time to express my displeasure in your pages, I have been a vocal and vehement critic of the UDK since early in my freshman year. I rarely agree with your editorial policy or find the editorials in any manner approaching what I would expect to find in a paper theoretically representative of creative student students.
I write the above to indicate my customary reaction to the UDK. Monday, I picked up a discarded Kansan and expected to find the usual insipid editorials. Instead I found a well written, perceptive editorial by Dennis Branstiter. It is in the area of social, economic, religious, political or academic commentary that I expect student editors to concern themselves. But not in the awkward, illogical and mundane style of the open letter found on the same page with Branstiter's editorial. Wigglesworth's letter is representative of all that isoad in the Kansan.
BRANSTITTER'S comments, on the other hand, represents all that could be good in the Kansan. I did not happen to read the incident or reaction to it reported by Branstiter. He corrected my error. He introduced me to an action by the Kansas Legislature which not only may effect C. O. Wright's life, but which also had disquieting tendencies for my own. Branstiter
said that the Kansas Legislature has authorized a punitive committee in response to a citizen's criticism of that same legislature. If this is true, EVERY student at KU should be up in arms in reaction to this flagrant threat to our civil liberties. The Kansan, in particular, should continue its editorial barrage against this action so that, hopefully, the ASC will initiate a resolution condemning the action by the Kansas Legislature.
Regrettfully, I anticipate that the Kansan will drop the issue and that the ASC will react in its typical manner and not exhibit any enlightened reaction whatsoever.
Nevertheless, Mr. Bransitter, I commend thee, I will keep your editorial as concrete evidence that the Kansan produced, during my four years here, an editorial of which every student can be proud. I only wish that I could feel that this is indicative of a spreading awakening within the student body to its obligations and rights as citizens.
Capital Punishment Editor:
**
W. P. Robertson
Lawrence senior
It seems to me that the approach which Zeke Wigglesworth takes in his open letter titled, "One Mistake Is Too Many." (February 22, 1563) is not defensible. He says, in effect, that since there is a possibility that an innocent person might be punished, capital punishment should be disallowed. The first reply to this which I feel must be made is that we are all concerned that the innocent should not be punished, and our legal system reflects this in that it forces the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty.
A MORE basic criticism is that since the difference between capital punishment and other forms of punishment is one of degree, and since the innocent may be punished in other ways, the position which Mr. Wigglesworth takes seems illegitimate unless he is willing to follow it to its logical conclusion — i.e. that our entire system of administration of justice should be discarded, and I doubt that he is willing to try to defend that position.
To me it matters very much how many murders there are in our society, and I feel that a legitimate argument against capital punishment must be based on evidence that there is no significant deterrent associated with it — not on emotional arguments that the innocent might be punished.
Robert Gay
Lawrence Graduate
Student
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