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Battalion Editorials
THE BATTALION
Thursday, September 23, 1954
Individual Members Control
Future of Cadet Corps
When President Morgan Tuesday told the
corps of cadets no one was out to destroy the
corps, he added that it was up to the indi
vidual members of the corps to strengthen it.
Every cadet present should have listened
closely to what he said because the future of
the corps is literally in their hands. He was
speaking to them, but what he had to say
should be passed along to all future cadets.
Things he considered detrimental to the
corps were listed, and almost all of them
were the result of incidents which occured
last year. He said the corps would be harm
ed if “irresponsible persons usurp author
ity.”
This was a direct reference to the in
famous John Clark affair. Clark said he
didn’t like it here, and if he had enough
money , to transfer, he’d leave. He got the
money and the invitation to leave from a
group of irresponsible persons who had “us
urped authority.”
The cadet who was denied permission to
register because he engaged in mental haz
ing was pointed out as another person who
had “usurped authority.” Neither he nor
the prospective freshmen he was ordering
around had registered when the hazing took
place. l
President Morgan mentioned the harmful
effects of “the establishment of groups or
cliques within the corps,” and specifically in
cluded secret organizations. Last spring a
secret fraternity, the Tonkawa Tribe, was ex
posed for the second time and its members
suspended. They were later reinstated but
instructions from the board of directors now
call for dismissal as the penalty for member
ship in a secret fraternity.
Making raids on other schools was still
another act named as detrimental to the
corps, since one man in an A&M uniform rep
resents the corps of cadets in the eyes of the
public. However, raids on other schools may
have been eliminated by the joint action of
the A&M board of directors and the Texas
board of . regents during a summer meeting.
They maHe a one semester suspension man
datory for any student who visits another
campus with the intent of defacing statues,
buildings or other college property.
Morgan also warned against spreading
rumors and failing to follow the will of the
majority.
Each cadet officer who heard Morgan list
the things he considered detrimental to the
corps of cadets must have agreed with him.
That is, if he has the intense pride in the
corps that he should have.
The corps of cadets is as much an inte
gral part of A&M as the buildings and the
streets. Its future depends on whether the
individual members want to strengthen or
weaken it.
Irresponsible members can cause a lot of
trouble and responsible members can spread
a lot of good will.
Bloody Riot Breaks Out
In Missouri State Pen
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Sept.
23—CP)—A bloody riot broke out
at the Missouri State Penitentiary
last night and at least two guards
and two prisoners were reported
killed in gun fire between guards
and the howling prisoners.
Fire broke out at the prison’s
furniture manufacturing plan t
about 7:15 p.m., about an hour and
a half after the “E” Hall break.
It spread to other buildings rap
idly.
Flames laped up around the
eerie gray walls of the peniten
tiary and could be seen for miles.
Prison officials said the rioting
started in “E” Hall, the solitary
confinement area of the sprawling
stone prison. -
They added it had been con
firmed that two prisoners were
dead and 14 injured. One guard,
Oscar Corrington, was slightly in
jured with a bullet wound in his
foot. They would not confirm re
ports that two guards also were
killed in the shooting.
Warden Ralph E. Edison said he
did not know how the convicts had
obtained firearms. Reason for the
rioting was not known, he said.
An unidentified prisoner told
Thomas E. Whitecotton, director of
corrections at the institution, that
at least two other guards are lock
ed inside inner buildings of the
penitentiary.
Three of the injured convicts are
reported to be seriously wounded.
The dead were not immediately
identified.
After breaking from “E” hall,
officials said, the prisoners freed
inmates of at least two other halls.
The state Highway Patrol setup
its radio alert system inside the
prison grounds and some 50 spe-
eially trained troopers had been
alerted to converge on the area.
Patrol officers from as far away
as St. Louis had been ordered to
the scene.
Shots rang from the walls in the
glare of the burning buildings.
ALICE, Texas—CP>—The State
Bar Association of Texas Wednes
day filed a suit to disbar C. Wood-
row Laughlin, Seventy-ninth Dis-
trict judge ousted by the Texas
•Supreme Court, and voted back into
office in the July primary election.
The suit was filed at 3 p.m. with
the Seventy-ninth District clerk
here.
Two of the guard towers on the
outer wall were out of touch with
officials inside the prison.
One frightened old man who is
night guai'd at the prison furni
ture factory was escorted to safety
by two pi’isoners. He was Phillip
J. Herbrandt. He said the convicts
told him to “turn out the light
and get out of there.”
The roof of the flaming school
building crumbled to the ground.
At least two other buildings of the
prison, opened in 1836, are 70 or
80 years old.
Rioting prisoners also set fire to
the library, but other convicts man
aged to put it out quickly.
.two or three days,” Laughlin com
mented to Sheriff Halsey Wright
Kvhen the sheriff served notice of
the suit at 4:30 p.m.
Earl P. Hall of Austin, attorstey
for the State Bar Association, sign
ed the 17-page, 11-count petition.
County Attorney Royce Johnston
of Kleberg County brought the pe
tition here and filed it. He acted
for the grievance committee of
District 14-A of the bar associa
tion.
The eleven counts in the petition
to disbar Laughlin are similar to
the twelve charges brought against
him by a group of attorneys that
resulted in his removal by the Su
preme Court for misconduct.
A judge and jury will decide
whether Laughlin is to be disbarred
as an attorney.
The State Par Association in
Texas has a legal status as a state
agency.
Laughlin was a central figure in
a storm of controversies over Du
val County and its political boss,
George B. Parr, this year.
In asking removal of Laughlin
as judge, the group of attorneys
argued Laughlin in his decisions
was partial to Parr and others who
supported him for election.
The Supreme Court when it re
moved Laughlin did not preclude
his seeking office again.
Laughlin ran for election for the
unexpired two years of his term
this, summer and won the Dem
ocratic nomination by a narrow
margin over Markel Heath of Fal-
furrias.
Democratic nomination has al
ways meant election.
(See LAUGHLIN on Page 7)
“I’ve been expecting this for
The Battalion
The Editorial Policy of The Battalion
Represents the Views of the Student Editors
The Battalion, official newspaper of the Agricultural and Mechan-
il College of Texas, is published by students four times a week, during
e regular school year. During the summer terms, and examination
;d vacation periods. The Battalion is published twice a week. Days ol
iblications are Tuesday through Friday for the regular school year,
d Tuesday and Thursday during examination and vacation periods
d the summer terms. Subscription rates $9.00 per year or $ .76 per
anth*. Advertising rates furnished on request.
Entered as second-class
matter at Post Office at
College Station, Texas
under the Act of Con
gress of March 3, 1870.
Member of
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Services, Inc., at New
York City, Chicago, Los
Angeles, and San Fran
cisco.
The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for republi
cation of all news dispatches credited 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.
BOB BORISKIE, HARRI BAKER... Co-Editors
Jon Kinslow Managing Editor
Jerry Wizig Sports Editor
Ralph Cole, Don Shepard - „ News Editors
Nora Burge Womans Editor
Kerstin Ekfelt Assistant Woman’s Editor
Betsy Burchard _ A&M Consolidated Correspondent
Maurice Olian A&M Consolidated Sports Correspondent
John Huber Advertising Manager
Larry Lightfoot - Circulation Manager
Tom Syler, Russell Reed, Ken Livingston Circulation Staff
Law Panel Files
Laughlin Bar Suit
At Ollier Schools
High At College
By JON KINSLOW
Battalion Managing Editor
Most Texas colleges began their first week of school
this week, but from the looks of the campus newspapers,
everyone is more interested in football than in textbooks.
Baylor University
Take for instance a lad a Baylor university who wrote
to the paper there complaining about how the pep rally was
started with everjmne yelling to beat the Cougars black and
blue. He suggested instead that the students yell to have
them beaten green and” gold to match the Baylor colors. It
seems to us that it doesn’t matter what color they beat any
one as long as they rack up as many points as they did Sat
urday night.
Also at Baylor, enrollment is on the way up along with
their football team. They have 4,072 students this year com
pared with 3,896 last year.
Texas University
Our neighboring state university to the west, the beloved orange
and White, has their share of back-to-school troubles. Monday, a
Negro youth filed an application in the federal district court for an
injunction requiring the university to admit him to the School of
Engineering. The hearing has been set for Friday in San Antonio
Seven other Negroes have previously been denied admission to the
school. »
And at Texas it seems the women are encroaching on one of man’s
last cherished pleasures—that of pipe smoking. A poll story in the
Daily Texan quotes one young lass who “Bought my pipe in Dallas at
Neiman’s this summer.” From the other comments, it sounds like the
ladies are more interested in how many rhinestones their pipes have
rather than what kind of tobacco to put in them.
TSCW
Our so-called “Sister School” in Denton also got on the
wagon of enrollment increases. They reported a six per cent
increase over last year bringing the number of students to
1,601. As we figure it, this is darn near four Aggies to each
Lassie (excluding married Aggies.)
However, say what you will about that, still the damsels
from Denton furnish our bare existence here with a sweet
heart each year. The selection of this lucky girl must be big
stuff up there because they are already making plans for it.
Sixty pictures of the TSCW campus winners are being sent
to A&M for the selection of 15 finalists. The final step in
the competition is the A&M delegation’s trip to Deqton to
see if the finalists that were selected look as well in an even
ing gown as they do in a glossy print.
Southern Methodist University
The SMU Campus reports that they made journalistic history on
the Hilltop last week by coming out two days earlier than any other
Campus in the school’s history. We think that is just fine. The same
issue of the paper says SMU’s enrollment this year is 4,300—115 below
last year.
If you drive a car on the campus and are thinking about trans
ferring to another school because you can’t find a parking place, don’t
go to SMU. An editorial in the Campus pleads with the administra
tion,to build some more parking lots to relieve the overcrowded parking
conditions. All things considered, maybe it does take more room to
park some of the later model cars.
North Texas
North Texas state college seems, however, to have found
the solution of the parking problem. They are going to build
some more parking lots. But this is just a part of a large
expansion program being done at the school. We think this
expansion is a good idea, as long as it makes room for more
co-eds, that is.
Fleming Convicted
Of Communis tDeal
FORT SHERIDAN, Ill. — hW—
t. Col. Harry Fleming Wednesday
as convicted of collaborating with
xe enemy in a North Korean pris-
n camp, the first United States
.rmy officer ever court-martialed
n this charge.
The white-haired, 46-year-old in-
mtry officer was cleared of two
ther charges—informing on other
risoners under his command and
f conduct unbecoming an officer
i allegedly stepping on the foot of
soldier, also a prisoner of war.
Fleming accepted the 11-member
ourt’s findings without show of
motion. His wife and daughter
were in the hearing room when the
verdict was read.
Immediately, the court began
hearing arguments of “mitigation
and extenuation” as a prelude to
passing sentence.
The maximum penalty could in
clude dismissal from the service,
forfeiture of pay and life imprison
ment at hard labor.
The law does not provide for
any minimum punishment but, in
efect, it would be a reprimand.
There was no indication when a
decision on any penalty would be
reached.
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Forest Fires Raze
Texas Timber Area
LINDEN, Texas—(A 1 )—State dis
aster headquarters Wednesday said
thirty-three forest fires were burn
ing the drouth-stricken woods of
Northeast Texas. That is an in
crease of fifteen blazes from Tues
day.
Five fires were burning uncon
trolled.
Several small houses are re
ported to have burned near Pitts
burg but no injuries have resulted.
The Texas Forest Service re
ported fourteen forest fires were
suppressed Tuesday.
Some incendiarism was suspect
ed.
The disaster headquarters, the
Forest Service, the State Highway
Patrol and Texas Rangers assisted
volunteer crews fighting the fires.
Cass and Marion Counties have
been harxlest hit. One of the un
controlled fires Wednesday was
burning over 500 acres in Cass
County south of Linden. Two burn
ed over. 300 acres in Marion Coun
ty, one burned over 100 acre| in
Upshur County and one burned
over forty acres in Harrison Coun
ty. One uncontrolled fire was re
ported in Smith County. OQief
counties in the area reported eight
fires burning over fifteen acres
were controlled Tuesday.
FREE
PORTABLE TYPEWRITER
Drop your name in the container at the BRYAN BUSI
NESS MACHINE CO. Drawing will be Nov. 12.
IMPROVE YOUR GRADES
Use our rental purchase plan. $6.00 per month. Rent
applied on purchase of machine. Also late model stand
ard typewriters for rent.
Buy your portable typewriter from BRYAN BUSINESS
MACHINE CO. We maintain a service department to
place your machine in good operating condition before
it is sold, and to give you your guarantee that the manu
facturer wants you to have.
As long as you are in A&M, bring your portable in. We
will blow the dust and lint out with compressed air,
lubricate, and install a new ribbon, and only charge yop
for the ribbon.
ENGINEERING STUDENTS!
We will install half spacing for writing exponents, su$
scripts, and formulas. We also carry a complete line of
special type which is installed here in our shop.
Come in and drop your name in for the drawing of the
free portable of your choice.
Bryan Business Machine Co.
429 South Main Street
Bryan, Texas — Phone 2-1328
LI’L ABNER
By A1 Cann
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