Kansas students to assemble at Capitol
A peaceful assembly of students and faculty from Kansas colleges and universities will be held on the Capitol grounds at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday to present a petition to the governor and legislative leaders of the state, said Bill Ebert, Topeka junior and student body president.
The petitions call for special legislative action on a Massachusetts-type resolution, Ebert said.
The petition, called "Pleading Kansas," states: "We, the undersigned, in support of the United States Constitution which gives Congress the exclusive power to declare war and in an effort to end the unconstitutional presence of American troops in Southeast Asia, do hereby request the governor of the state of Kansas to convene a special session of the legislature similar to the Massacuets resolution making it unlawful for Kansas men to fight outside the boundaries of these United States without an official declaration of war by the Congress of the United States."
Ebert said the petition makes a plea for constitutional integrity, for withdrawal from Indo-China
DeCoursey lauds proposal
James L. DeCoursey, lieutenant governor of Kansas, said Friday evening that the University of Kansas exercised autonomy Friday when it voted to accept the SenEx proposal.
DeCoursey said since the administration, faculty and students got together and sought a solution to the problems facing the University, it proved itself to be truly self-governing.
The Lt. Governor said he did not support the movement by Sen. Reynolds Shultz, R-Lawrence, to remove Chancellor E. Laurence Chalmers Jr. from his position.
DeCoursey reaffirmed an earlier statement that demonstrations were good as long as they remained non-violent. He said, "There is no reason to presuppose that violence is inevitable, not as long as protesters and onlookers alike have mutual tolerance, respect and sensitivity."
He sighted the moratorium march on Washington, D.C. last November in which 500,000 demonstrators gathered with no major outbreaks of violence.
DeCoursey cautioned against the danger of students escalating their protests at the expense of public support. He was talking about the apparent shift in emphasis by many protesters from passive non-violence to militant non-violence. This, he said, would generate a negative reaction and loss of popular support.
and for new priorities in America.
"There is nothing wrong with a boycott," DeCoursey said, "but physically blocking a street or otherwise infringing on peoples rights is wrong and will induce a negative reaction."
In agreement with remarks made earlier in the evening by Sen. Edmund Muskie, D-Maine, DeCoursey said the next six months could be crucial to the future direction of the government. He expressed confidence that enough representatives could be elected in November to bring about change.
DeCoursey said he will make an announcement today regarding his future political plans.
Anti-war group mobilized
The Committee on Community Action Outside Lawrence has been organized to mobilize support for the anti-war movement throughout the state of Kansas.
Pete Ruddick, Mission sophomore and a co-ordinator of the committee, said "Our basic goal is to help any group or individual who wants to carry the anti-war message to the people of Kansas."
In contrast to the highly structured organization of other committees, the Committee on Community Action Outside Lawrence is emphasizing individual rather than collective responsibility and initiative.
Workshops for each of these regions were planned for this afternoon to disseminate anti-war information in each of the regions.
The committee has subdivided Kansas into ten regions: Kansas City, Topeka, Wichita, northwest Kansas including Hays and Russell, southwest Kansas including Dodge City and Pratt, north central Kansas including Salina, south central Kansas (except Wichita), Manhattan and Emporia and Independence and Pittsburg.
The committee has prepared speaker's packets and Vietnam and Cambodia Fact Sheets to
Also prepared is a kit containing statements about KU activity, civil liberties information, places to stay throughout the state, sample questions and answers about the movement and Vietnam fact sheets and bibliographies.
help those who will be visiting communities throughout Kansas.
A spokesman for the group, Tony Mosiman, Sedgwick junior, said as of Sunday afternoon there were forty people already speaking throughout the state. The committee hopes to have several hundred students working in the Kansas communities by the end of the week.
Convocation opinions vary
Although University of Kansas students seemed to be united behind Chancellor E. Laurence Chalmers Jr. after the convocation in Memorial Stadium Friday afternoon, opinions of the proceedings varied. The Kansan talked to several KU students after the convocation for their reactions.
Robin Earhart, Overland Park junior: "In my opinion, the chancellor did what he had to do, given the conflicting pressures from the peace movement and from the Statehouse in Topeka."
Bill Cook, Topeka sophomore: "I think most students did not understand that if they voted down the first proposal then we could vote on a general strike or continuing on a normal basis."
Mark Retonde, Kansas City,
Mo. senior: "I think the majority of students are wanting to close it down and get out of town."
May 11 KANSAN 5
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Charles Hall, Yonkers, N.Y. freshman: "I thought it was a farce. The strike proposal was
Berlin police protect U.S.cultural center
Crowd control barriers topped by barbed wire were in the middle of the broad boulevard running past the center. About 20 policemen were posted at the center and riot squads were alerted in their barracks in case of need.
BERLIN (UPI) — Police Sunday sealed off the Amerika Haus, the U.S. cultural center in West Berlin, to prevent any renewed attempt to storm it in protest against American policy in Southeast Asia. On Saturday at least 237 persons were injured in clashes.
In fighting Saturday between 5,000 police and 7,000 demonstrators three persons were shot and 234 police injured by stones and steel balls.
Ebert said the assembly would consist of a silent vigil for those at home and abroad, songs of peace and a return home to work for justice and peace.
Mike Johnson, Tomonium, Maryland senior: "I am going to class and find out what my instructors are going to say. If I can get out of taking a final I will. The issue was clear about the Cambodian war but the issue was clouded about the Kent State students. I think the Black Student Union members should have had a right to speak, but the way they went about it was asinine."
not voted upon, not talked about and not presented at the convocation."
"This is one of the first major efforts at mobilizing the students and faculty of the various colleges and universities in Kansas in a coordinated statewide attempt to make ourselves heard concerning the war in Southeast Asia," said Ebert. "Particularly now, after the recent expansion of the war, it is incumbent upon the students, faculty and citizens of this state to unite and coordinate the thrust of strong disagreement with present policies," he said.
A fact sheet circulated by the "Pleading Kansas" planning committee states that the assembly is the initiation of a united effort
Israel's birth celebrated
JERUSALEM (UPI) — Israel ended 24 hours of mourning for soldiers and civilians fallen in battle against the Arabs at sundown Sunday and began celebrating the birth of the Jewish state 22 years ago.
The emphasis of the Independence Day celebrations was on the military weaponry and skills that defend Israel against the Arab nations.
Simultaneously with a one minute blast of sirens across the nation 12 teen agers from embattled border settlements lit torches atop Jerusalem's Mt. Herzl, the resting place of Zionist founder Dr. Theodor Herzl.
Coming May 15, 16
TOM JONES
SUA Popular Film
7 & 9:30 p.m.
Woodruff Aud. — 5vc
Ebert said he had contacted personally student body presidents in Kansas and that several had indicated that they would be in Topeka for the assembly.
that will continue until the war is ended in Southeast Asia.
"The Massachusetts legislature set a precedent of constitutional and legal action against the war and it seems as though the Kansas legislature can no longer avoid sentiment over a tragic, expanded and undeclared war," said Ebert.
The committee's fact sheet also stated that in order to enhance the process of the student assembly, each surrounding campus should bring one student marshal for each ten persons.