Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 27, 1953)
Battalion Editorials YARBROUGH SAYS Page 2 "HE BATTALION FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1953 British Opinions Differ On College Before Draft 111 Relations Festered Over Oil Land Issue WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 — LETTERS TO THE No Constructive EDITORS Criticism Offered for A&M’s Situation F’DUCATORS of Great Britain have mixed ■^opinions about drafting students for two years before allowing a college education. An article in US News and World Report shows, however, the majority of British college ad ministrators and industrial personnel experts prefer two years of military service before college. An Oxford professor recently polled per sonnel experts in business and industry and concluded that men are preferred who come directly from college with their military ser vice completed before entering college. In contrast the article says a Cambridge University professor has changed his mind after originally concurring with the Oxford professor. His conclusion was military ser vice does more harm than good to untrained minds and advises completing college first. In the US educators have frowned on any action to take prospective students into the armed forces immediately after high school graduation. Two alarming results are feared by Defense officials, college authorities and industry if students are drafted without the opportunity for college training: 1) A draft of all potentially new students in 1953 would mean no engineers or atomic scientists graduating from American col leges in 1957 and 1958. 2) Schools would be left without any en tering students, except women and 4-Fs, for two years. Still the British educators argue, “Two years is too long an interruption for a youth ful student. Especially for students preparing for the professions. It’s difficult after a two- “Those who can command them selves, command others”—Hazlitt. Pay Raise Proposed For State Officials A BILL to raise pay of the governor and other state officials and also to extend their terms to four years was approved yes terday by a Senate committee. As a proposed constitution amendment, the measure would need a majority vote of the people if approved by two-thirds of the legislature. The amendment would boost the gover nor’s salary from $12,000 to $25,000; attor ney general, $10,000 to $15,000; and comp troller, treasurer and secretary of state, each from $6,000 to $12,000. We look upon this bill as long overdue. It is indeed a shame when members of the movie, TV, radio, and theatre profession earn salaries in the six figure bracket and we qui- ble over giving raises to these men who run our great state government. “Who to himself is law, no laiv doth need”—Chapman. long year interruption to buckle down to a grind and hard examinations. The usual conclusion, the magazine says, Editors, The Battalion: On reading your lengthy editor- (7P)—Ralph Yarbrough, Aus- ial in the Wednesday Batt con- tin lawyer, said today the con- cerning A&M’s so-called decline and lack in military proficiency, I was never quite sure which side you were taking. Although you stated many true facts concerning the US’s increase in ROTC pro grams, I couldn’t find any con troversy over submerged oil lands is a “festering sore” that is “slowly poisoning the blood stream of federal-state relations.” He testified at a Senate Interior Affairs Committee'hearing in sup- , . o for the majority of educators in Great Brit- port of legislation under which the structive criticism as far as A&M ain, is to judge each case on its own merits, federal government would give concLine • “The decision—military service first, or j^ 1 states clear title to the college first—may depend on the student’s ‘ A f' orme r assistant attorney gen- personality and the college course he’s to eral of Texas, Yarbrough was take. For some, military service first may be beaten last year ^ or g ovei ' no1 ’- wisest; for others, college.” “ The pe0I,le of Texas >” Yar - in the quantity of students should- has thought or will think they had n’t lead us to believing that the it a lot rougher than those coip- quality has dropped also. Further- ing after them. To me this is more it’s always been a wonder to only natural, and not a sign for me how so many students can dissolving the corps of cadets, etc. know what kind of a school this I think if we would only realize was back in the good “ole Army’ how lucky we are in getting to Really—IPs Easy Editing a Paper merged lands over which the Su preme Court has ruled the federal government has paramount inter est. brough declared, “are stirred by this tidelands issue as they have been by no other issue of federal- state relations since federal occu pation troops were withdrawn from the county seats of Texas at the close of reconstruction.” Before 1937, he said, the federal government had not questioned Texas’ right to submerged lands I T’S EASY to put cut a newspaper. extending to her historical boun- The reporters, young and inexperienced daries 10 ^ m i les out in the s ul1 - as they are, rarely get the facts wrong. Peo- . Virbiough added equity, jus- J & tice and just common horse sense— pie are always identified correctly m stories demand the confirmation of the and pictures. Nobody is ever misquoted. title of the states” to the sub- If there’s eVer an error in fact, the people involved send in letters or call up or come in and say: “We understand perfectly. It’s really okey. An occasional error can’t be helped. Don’t worry about it.” And another wonderful thing is that no body ever questions your right to opinions. They always say: “Well, we disagree with you, but you have a right to say what you want.” And even when you criticize anybody in the administration or some other bigwig, he still acts just as friendly as ever to you, and smiles. “We’re still friends. I understand you’re just doing a job. You don’t have to tell me you don’t make the news. You just report it. Forget it.” Your staff never forgets to get the im- What struck me was the man ner in which you degraded A&M as the real military school, only to state later in the editorial that people shouldn’t confuse A&M as being a soldier’s school, but one principally for educational pur poses. I think that if this latter point was stressed more, there would be a lot less debate as to whether A&M had lost its military stand ards, etc. Naturally the Military Depart ment is a very important one, es pecially in times like these; but as the objectives of this college state, only to be reaffirmed in your editorial: “A&M is primarily based on a sound occupational education of the individual, and additional training in military sci ences in case emergencies should arise. A&M—school of the civil ian soldier.” I can’t see that A&M is parti cularly going to the dogs. A drop days. Of course we’ve dropped many traditions, some good, some bad; but then they change the models of cars every year and gilds are always getting new hairdos. I suppose every Freshman class Showed Root Of All Problems Editors, The Battalion: Although this letter is pri marily to you I am in hopes that many other people will read it in The Battalion. I want to compli ment you on your excellent editor ial “Loss of Greatest Distinction go to a school that the rest of the Southwest respects, we’d be a lot better off. Jim O’Keefe ’55 Editors’ note: If you could not find constructive criticism in the column, we feel you overlooked a few dozen paragraphs. We agree that changes should be made from year to year, but apparently you are satisfied with the situation as it now stands. Need More Class Distinction Editors, The Battalion: To say that we must choc be- Faced.” I think you have present- tween coeducation, mediocrity, and ed the root of ALL the problems militarism is absurd. I have yet to that have faced A&M College this be convinced that any one of these year and will surely face it again courses is the proper one for A&M next year. I sincerely hope it will to follow. stimulate some serious thinking, First of all, we must decide not only on the part of students, what we want. Do we want A&M but also on the part of the admin- to become another Citadel or VMI ? ’University Lands Qu a rter-Million In Taxes Owed istration, the military department, and the people of Texas. It is said that you can always look back and realize your mis takes. I think one of the years’ biggest mistakes was the I think not. Our military discipline is much the same today as it was three, four, or five years ago. It is not military discipline that has declined recently, but class ebuild it is to be disci* fact distinction. If we are to i the corps from this angle, class distinction that needs strengthened, not military pline. But the crux of your editorial was concerned with the coeduca tion issue, not the military one. Now don’t misunderstand me, there are many good things to be said for coeducational schools, but would going coed help A&M? Once again I think not. If the presence of women were the only one that the Grievance Committee made the requests that we did. If we had requested only that, “A&M College become the military college that it is supposed to be or begin preparations to become co-educational,” we would not have failed. 1 think I am qualified to „ , . -. .. . , • m • ji say as chairman of the committee One of the biggest delinquent taxpayers in Texas is the that wc DID fail. University of Texas, which owes a quarter-million dollars j D0 N0T think we f a ji e( i be- in back taxes to 19 West Texas counties, charges a San An- cause a u 0 f our requests were not gelo Standard-Times reporter, Edward H. Harte. granted; for we accomplished more The reporter says the legislature, prodded by complaints than has come to light as yet, but criteria in selecting ones colleg' of these counties, must figure out some way to pay the de- because we only scratched the sur- then how could we compete with linquent county taxes on lands held by the University and f ac c of the problem and did hot Texas University, even if we were another $80,000 to pay estimated taxes for 1953 and set to the root of the trouble. “coeducationalizcd.” Obviously we 2954. I am not pi’oposing a solution to must compete along other lines. The A&M System shares one-third of the proceeds from this problem,* for 1 do not know l cannot agree that a school needs portant news in the next day’s paper, and it these holdings. the solution - Even though I like o e coc o av always gets in all those short little items to Tbe back taxes are owed on 3,810 sections of University lands in , . , . West Texas, some of it with oil production. Prior to the constitutional keep the various campus gioups happy and a i-nendment of 1930, no taxes were paid on University lands. From 1930 to 1949, they were paid regularly from the state’s general fund. In 1949, however, the Legislature refused to appropriate any money for the taxes, hoping to get* the University to pay out of its funds. The University has not paid, and is delinquent in its 1950, 1951, and 1952 taxes . Some counties have had to borrow money to operate on as a result of the revenue stoppage. No bills have yet been introduced to deal with this situation, but Sen. Dorsey Hardeman is expected to present some sort of legis lation this session. The University’s delinquent taxes, by counties, is as follows: off your neck. And the advertising staff always says. “Sure, we understand you need the space. We’ll only run 30 per cent advertising today.” And if there’s ever a mistake in an ad, the advertiser calls up and says: “Don’t worry about it. We’ll pay just the same. It’s understandable. By the way, how would you like some extra advertising?” So you see, it’s really a joy to edit a col lege newspaper. though military life very much I don’t know that a strict military col lege is the solution, but I do know that this “middle of the road policy” is not the solution. All of us can only hope that the powers that be will soon decide which side of the road to drive on, and that when they do they will put this great machine that is A&M College into high gear and start down the long road to a greater A&M College. Joe C. Wallace ’53 Solonly Bows ^solony bow to members of the fairer sex soon when they let the ladies of the house (their own) sit beside them for a day. The resolution to invite wives of the sen ators to the March 5 session took a cue from the Scriptures—“We know too well that the Creator said after he found man, Tt is not good that the man should be alone,’ and so he made woman.” County Sections 1950 1951 1952 Andrews . . , 443 $28,429.84 $30,181.19 $24,919.81 Crane . . 94 16,127.05 22,693.38 24,580.15 Crockett 519 5,809.35 5,169.62 5,523.52 Culberson 72 371.47 352.90 Dawson . 1 4.55 4.55 Ector . 7 2,715.16 2,717.12 El Paso . ... 25 157.92 148.90 144.38 Gaines . 1 42.10 40.00 40.00 Hudspeth . 708 3,438.18 4,067.11 4,067.11 Irion . 24 842.98 832.07 Loving . 35 386.56 722.70 Martin . . 18 772.11 772.11 Pecos . . 324 • 3,222.08 3,198.44 Reagan . 322 5,298.89 14,966.95 13,914.04 Scheicher . 84 2,644.47 3,479.56 3,479.57 Terrell . . 96 796.29 796.29 Upton . 114 1,494.78 1,519.14 1,600.34 Ward 121 1,621.08 1,391.08 Winkler . . 67 355.47 306.44 367.73 Total . . . . . $63,798.05 $93,304.57 $89,434.91 Th e Battalion Lawrence Sullivan Ross, Founder of Aggie Traditions “Soldier, Statesman, Knightly Gentleman” Total unpaid; 1950, 1951 and 1952 $246,537.53 Estimated Needfor 1953 taxes . . ... 91,000.00 Estimated Need for 1954 taxes 93,000.00 Grand total $430,537.53 P O G O Use of Ag Aircraft Increases in US “The number of aircraft used for agricultural purposes in this country has increased from about 500 ten years ago to approximate ly 6,950 last year,” said Fred E. Weick during the Monday even ing dinner session of the second annual Agricultural Aviation Con ference and Short Coui’se on Pest Control. His subject was, “Some General Facts Regarding Agricultural Aviation.” Weick is director of the pei'sonal aircraft research center, Texas Engineering Experiment Station, and chairman for the conference. The conference is sponsored by the A&M System, the Texas Aero nautics Commission and the Texas Flying Farmers Association. a large enroll ment or good facilities. Two very good friends of mine, both Phi ) Beta Kappa, who are seniors at Yale, would laugh in your face if you told them that. In closing let me say that I sincerely feel sorry for you, it? that you are attending a school which you obviously consider tu be mediocre. It seems to me that you and Manitzas and your fel low travelers who find A&M so distasteful would have been fur happier somewhere else. Joe A. Kiddle ’53 Editors’ Note: Wc are not con vinced that any one extreme is the answer to A&M’s problem—at . least not in the near future. Per haps striving to near one or the other would help at the present. As we said in the article, wc do not think discipline is the same * today as several years ago. If advocation of class distinction is the answer to such a problem, who is to say what the seniors do ? They are still part of the corps and should set an example for underclassmen—not do every thing possible they can get away with. Figures recently released show practically every state coeduca tional school has increased its en rollment in the last ten years while A&M and TSCW are decreasing. We reitterate enrollment is nec essary for higher legislative ap propriations. Yale is a privately endowed school. hy Walt Kelly The Battalion, official newspaper of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, is published by students four times a week, during the regular school year. During the summer terms, and examina tion and vacation periods, The Battalion is published twice a week. Days of publications are Tuesday through Friday for the regular school year, and Tuesday and Thursday during examination and va cation periods and the summer terms. Subscription rates $6.00 per year or $.50 per month. Advertising rates furnished on request. Entered as second-class matter at Post Office at College Station, Tex as under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1870. Member of The Associated Press Represented nationally by National Advertising Services, Inc., at New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for republication of all news dispatches cred ited to it or not otherwise credited in the paper and local news of spontaneous origin published herein. Rights of republication of all other matter herein are also reserved. News contributions may be made by telephone (4-5444 or 4-7604) or at the editorial office room, 202 Goodwin Hall. Classified ads may be placed by telephone (4-5324) or at the Student Activities Office, Room 209 Goodwin Hall. FRANK N. MANITZAS, JOEL AUSTIN Ed Holder, Jerry Bennett Harri Baker Peggy Maddox Co-Editors Managing Editors City Editor Women’s News Editor Jerry Bennett Harri Baker Bob Boriskie Today’s Issue Managing Editor News Editor Sports News Editors j now, on fous rtf pzeezm we (coulp me a "THg FIA5CO KIP Mmes> AGAIN? OP A Hm MlALYSlZBRjorn-- Mfz tfmpK/'r?is vis/iin’/ierAuni Aleemie up to Fort Madge Fehine oPtius mo^e is Mister Limpidn. Sunny Weather is bein caused by fkM clouds a.ndno tr? rain ctta.li. T&OtfAPfCAC I TALKIN’ANIMALS m'i mpii m\emoMvc,..Hoiv t 30UTA MAGICIAN WHAT 54/5: “MHO THAT LAW I SAWep mH YOU '•LASTNIGHT? 1 'IT* AUUS 600P. \oiar FOGG By Walt Kelly Bob Hendry, Joe Hipp, Chuck Neighbors News Writers Gus Becker, Bob Boriskie, Jerry Estes. .. .Sports News Editors Vernon Anderson, Frank Hines, Bob Alderdice, A1 Leroy Bruton, Guy Dawson, W. P. Franklin, R. D. Gossett, Carr Hale, Donald Kemp. Alfred McAfee, Bill Rogers, Ray Smith, Jerry Sonnier, Edwin Stern, Roy Sullivan, Jon Kinslow, Dick Moore, Lionel Garcia, John Moody, Bob Palmer. Bill Shepard Staff News Writers Jerry ,WiSig, Jerry Neighbors, Hugh Philippus, Bill Thomas .Sports News Writers Jerry Bennett, Bob Hendry Amusements Jon Kinslow, Dick Porter, Calvin Pigg. .... .City News Writers Wilson Davis Crculation Manager Conrad Strelau, Lawrence Casbeer, Robert Huey, Jewell Raymond, J. R. Shepard, Don Young, Fred Hernandez, Charles F. Chick Circulation Staff Bob Godfrey, Davey Davidson, Roy Wells, Keith Nickie, Melvin Longhofer, Herman Meiners. .Phot Engravers Gene Rydell, Perry Shpard, John Merill Advertising Representatives Dean Kennedy ; .File Clerk FfcZe'S HOW IT W02K5. weopgN cue TV. ^HOWON A SMILIN' MANPSVMe FACS'. mezz we GON& GiroNgf THEN I TeiL^ FUNNY 5TORies\ AN'SHOWS ‘&VU SOXOF PfRT:) HYHPY ZAPY MOWS HOW > /Mpoptant P/RT /s ’HOW‘BOUT THAT, Miz. ANGLEWORM AS A HOUSeWlFS I CAN TELL YOU IT'S HASP To Keep House without it. CALL YO'PSOORAM THE //cry/? o/=£>/jer'-.. THE LAPIES WILL EAT IT UP Go&tpWm LApiee/) ‘ WILL EAT | THIS UPP ^upe, a PPOSPAM—wett GET A NOTED COMMENTATOR LIKE/H^ AN'— IIS