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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 1962)
■ % ;„'*SfgS3« 5 « WSS5 " Pa^e2 College Station, Texas Wednesday, January 10, 1962 THE BATTALION Washington’s Congressional Warblers Start Singing Strange Song Today! Congress is a mirror of the many images of America. Are there any cracks in it? Some, says a longtime gazer into the looking glass, who also concludes with a hope the Democratic proc ess can provide the glue. By ARTHUR EDSON AP Newsfeatures Writer WASHINGTON — Congress came back to work today, and anyone who hangs around it much will soon be bored, amused, excited, irritated, bored, per plexed, depressed, impressed, bored. But who can truly love, or really hate, Congress ? For Congress is the most typ ical of our American institutions. Here we see mirrored sometimes larger than life, our hopes, our prejudices, our selfishness, our indecisions, our pettiness, our doubts and—alas, too infrequent ly—the greatness of which we are capable. Here we also see that democ racy, except for times of crises, can be . slow and cumbersome. Letting every man have his say sounds fine in theory; in practice it can pain the ear until it dulls the mind. In self-defense, “unlistening” has been raised to high art in Congress. “The Senate,” Warren G. Har ding conceded 45 years ago, “does not listen very attentively to anybody.” In the House the confusion is so great and the time limitations so drastic that a Demosthenes could pass unnoticed and un heard. Keeping up with Congress is like taking a walk in the woods. It can be pleasant at any time, but it’s more satisfying after you have identified the species and studied their habits, their pecularities, their song. We Congress watchers, for ex ample, always look forward to our first glimpse of Sen. Everett M. Dirksen (R-Ill), and to hear ing his soothing, polysyllabic song, so easy to identify, so im possible to imitate. It was Dirksen who best de scribed fatigue from over-poli ticking. “The deeper we get into this session,” he once said, “the longer the tip of my tongue gets away from my brgin.” Although Dirksenian prose al ways has an exhilarating effect, possibly the greatest delight comes from unexpected goodies. Here’s Rep. H. R. Gross, (R- lowa), proud to lead the penny- pinching block, discussing a United Nations proposal: “Only last Friday I saw Mr. Stevenson in the United Nations new missions building just com pleted. He was ankle deep in wall-to-wall carpeting, with fig urative tears running down his cheeks. The UN is broke, he said, and must have millions of dollars. “I never saw a man stand any deeper in wall-to-wall carpeting, pleading poverty, that did Adlai Stevenson.” Or Sen. George Aiken (R-Vt), with his gentle sense of humor: “Would it not be a good way to settle the problem to permit the bill to go to the White House and let the President veto it? He really has not vetoed a worthwhile bill this year—or even a very bad one.” Congress is most typically American—or maybe typically human—in its stubborn refusal to break its bad habits and lead a better life. As the legislators come back to town, let’s look at a few re forms they should, but undoubt edly won’t make: COMMITTEES—the investiga tory committees grab all the WATCH JANUARY 17th ISSUE OF THE BATT FOR THE VARIETY OF BIBLE COURSES (ACCREITED COURSES) FOR TEXAS AGGIES THE BATTALION Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the stu dent writers only. The Battalion is a now-tax-supported, now- profit, self-supporting educational enterprise edited and op erated by students as a journalism laboratory and community newspaper and is under the supervision of the director of Student Publications at Texas A&M College. Members of the Student Publications Board are L. A. Duewall, director of Student Publications, chairman; All^n Schrader, School of Arts and Sciences; Willard I. Truettner, School of Engineering; Otto R. Kunze, School oi' Agriculture; and Dr. E. D. McMurry, School of Veterinary Medicine. The Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A.&M. is published in College Sta tion, Texas, daily except Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and holiday periods, Septem ber through May, and once a week during summer school. The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for republication 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 here in Are also reserved. Second-class postage paid at College Station, Texas. MEMBER: The Assoeiated Press Texas Press Assn. Represented nationally by National Advertising Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago, Los An geles and San Francisco. Mail subscriptions are $3.50 per semester; $6 per school year, $6.60 per full year. AH subscriptions subject to 2% sales tax. Advertising rate furnished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 4, YMCA Building. College Station, Texas. News contributions may be made by telephoning VI 6-6618 or VI 6-4910 or at the editorial office. Room 4, YMCA Building. For advertising or delivery call VI 6-6416. headlines, but they play a minor role in congressional life. Committees are what bills are referred to. Here legislative proposals are nurtured, beefed up, killed or, sometimes, left to die unmourned. No question about it: Commit tee work is the key to Congress. But the suspicion grows that the key has become larger than the lock. In the House, a bill reported out by a committee is often con sidered so sacrosanct that little or no tampering is allowed on the floor. It will be voted up or down about as it is. In the Senate, committees and subcommittees have grown like brambles. Sen. Dirksen counted up one day and found he was 19. Committees are important, but they should support, not over whelm, Congress. SENATE DEBATE—Senators drool on about how they have the world’s greatest deliberative body. But even their most avid fans, of whom I am one, find it misleading advertising. With a few exceptions, any senator can take the floor and talk on any subject as long as he wishes. Frequently as the Senate is settling down to mean ingful debate a statesman gets the floor and begins to speak on completely irrelevant subjects— and off they go, braying after a new scent. Too often this problem is pre sented as South .vs. North, with the South worried lest any rules modification lead to more civil rights legislation. Yet the issue is much broader. Every section has used the Senate rules to its advantage. These questions remain: Can the Senate, now grown to 100 members, continue to allow talk unlimited as the nation’s business becomes increasingly complex ? And wouldn’t there be more deliberation, not less, if senators were kept as least somewhere near the subject under discus sion ? HOUSE DEBATE—Here the problem is precisely the-opposite. House rules have so shackled talk that any discussion of a bill becomes a series of five-minute speeches. These are designed not to in fluence colleagues but to show the voters back home that their congressmen are fighting nobly. Whether the House depends too much on its committees, or whether it too severely limits its time can be argued endlessly. But anyone who visits the House soon reaches this conclu sion: The quality of its debate is so uniformly poor something should be done to improve it. Improvements come slowly if at all. We can but hope. Bulletin Board Wives Clubs Aggie Wives Bridge Club will meet at 7:30 p.m. in the Memo rial Student Center. BOB SLOAN EDITOR Tommy Holbein Managing Editor Larry Smith , Snorts Editor Alan Payne, Ronnie Bookman, Robbie D. Godwin. News Editors Sylvia Ann Bookman Society Editor Bob Roberts Assistant Sports Editor Ronnie Fann, Gerry Brown Staff Writers Johnny Herrin PhotoeranhoT- Robert Burnside Advertising Staff Honietown Clubs Baytown Hometown Club will meet in front of the MSC for Aggieland picture at 7:30 p.m. Bell County Hometown Club will meet in the MSC Lobby at 8 p.m. for Aggieland picture. BIG JANUARY CLEARANCE SALE SAVE FROM 25% TO 50% 1—Lot Of Shirts 3 For $5.00 All-Wool Suits 33 1/3% Off Sport Coats and Sweaters 33 1/3% Off Shirts 25% Corduroy and Flannel Shirts HALF PRICE USE YOUR CHRISTMAS MONEY TO STOCK UP ON CLOTHES AT THESE TREMENDOUS SAYINGS! “SHOP EARLY AND CHOOSE THE BEST” loupots CADET SLOUCH by Jim Earle “Would you like to borrow a sheet of paper to take your notes on?” — Wee Aggies — Twins were born to the fol lowing parents: Twin girls were born to Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Don Bell of C-5-N College View, on Jan. 6. Twins, a boy and a girl, were born to Mr. and Mrs. Harvin Kelly Jones of Rt. 4, Box 185A, on Jan. 8. Girls were born to the follow ing parents: Mr. and Mrs. Guy Horton, 717 Broadmoor, on Jan. 1.‘ Mr. and Mrs. Joe Alan Jeffries, Sound Off YDs Say ‘This We Believe’ Editor, The Battalion: For the benefit of those stu dents who have asked for the Young Democrats Club to state their beliefs in The Battalion, we would like to submit the fol lowing: 1. The Young Demdcrats are dedicated to the principle that good government necessitates depth in political education di rected toward responsible politi cal action. 2. We are dedicated to the be lief that under the American Constitution, the human individ ual has a unique dignity that merits him equal rights, oppor tunities and considerations re gardless of his race, color or re ligion, and we hold that the safe guard of these benefits is the proper function of the govern ment. 3. We believe that the Consti tution was not intended by our founding fathers to be a static document; but rather they in tended it to be flexible enough to meet the needs and crises in any given era. 4. We do not understand the Federal government to be a for eign power which imposes a threat to our freedom. Rather, we view a representative central government as being a means by which the people of a nation can express their concern for the indigent, the unemployed, the aged, those who do not have ade quate educational opportunities and those who have suffered mis fortune with which they cannot individually cope. 5. We further believe that a country which has vast surpluses of resources is morally obligated to share its wealth with those in other parts of the world who face starvation and deprivation. The Texas A&M Young Democrats Club The ro: L Smith it A&M, a m Smith title of Wednesi “BY L “THE nz m B-2-A Hensel, on Jan. 5. Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Lynn Springer, C-9-A College View, on Jan. 9. Mr. and Mrs. Doug Wythe, 1213 Marsteller, on Jan. 9. Mr. and Mrs. William Chester Runnels, 501 Dogwood, on Dec. 28. Boys were born to the follow ing parents: Mr. and Mrs. Jimenez T. Mer cado, A-6-C College View, on Jan. 1. Mrs. and Mrs. Paul Russell Timmons, 501A Milam, an Jan. 1. Mr. and Mrs. William Day, C-12-W College View, on Jan. 2. Mr. and Mrs. Jack D. Wilson, 805 Hawthorne, on Jan. 2. Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Lee Put nam, D-4-A College View, on Jan. 6. Mr. and Mrs. Orthie Neathery, V-3-D Hensel, on Jan. 7. Mr. and Mrs. Jack Nobles, C-12-B College View, on Jan. 8. Mr. and Mrs. Alfredo Vom- brans, C-13-N College View, on Dec. 26. Girl Witcher’s Guide Presented by Pall Mall Famous Cigarettes MNWISIOI pwcmoi L'iiSCDS'db © d Who may watch Any male is eligible to become a girl watcher. There is no age limit, although most girl watchers are over ten and under one hundred and four. There are no height or weight requirements, although taller men enjoy an obvi ous advantage at crowded parties.The only strict require ment is one of character. The girl watcher is a man of honor. Since he can’t possibly, take notes, as the bird watcher does, we must rely on his word. Therefore, when an experienced girl watcher tells you he saw nine beau tiful girls while on his way to class, he saw nine beautiful girls. And when he tells you his Pall Mall is the cigarette of the century, believe him. It is. © *. r. Co. WHY BE AN AMATEUR? JOIN THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF GIRL WATCHERS NOW! FREE MEMBERSHIP CARD. Visit the editorial office of this publication for a free membership card in the world’s only society devoted to discreet, but relentless, girl watch ing. Constitution of the society on reverse side of card. This ad based on the book, “The Girl Watcher’s Guide. 1 ' Text: Copyright by Donald J. Sauers. Drawings: Copyright by Eldon Pedini. Reprinted by permission of Harper & Brothers. Product of cj/mt/ueam u/r'£uceo-£oTryiany— u/u&uzco- is our middle name Pall Mali’s natural mildness is so good to your taste! So smooth, so satisfying, so downright smokcable! PEANUTS By Charles M. Schulz I THOUGHT FOR SURE THAT MISS OTHMAR WOULD CRACK! I THOUGHT FOR SURE SHE'D START (N AGAIN BITING HER FINGERNAILS. THEN I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TAKE MV BLANKET TO SCHOOL, AND SHE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CRITICIZE M£... WHAT A FOOL I WAS! OWlS IT THAT TEACHERS ARE SMARTER THAN PURLS? I