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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 1965)
Columns • Editorials • News Briefs Che Battalion Page 2 College Station, Texas Friday .October 22, 1965 • Opinions • Cartoons Features CADET SLOUCH by Jim Earle Says New York Times Editor ‘U.S.: Most Revolutionary “Man, what a date! After th’ game we’ll drive out some lonely road, where I’ll run out of gas! While we’re waitin’ for help. I’ll get her to help me write my English theme!” By GLENN DROMGOOLE Battalion Editor Harrison Salisbury, assistant managing editor of The New York Times, said Thursday night that the United States is “the most revolutionary country in the world.” The veteran newsman, whose travels and correspondence have made him an expert on Russia and communism, was at Texas A&M for the first of the year’s Great Issues Series. “Frankly, I’m sick and tired of communist monopoly of the word revolution,” he told the as sembly. “It’s a pretty good word.” He said the United States is revolutionary in three areas: technology, racial prejudice and the war on poverty. Salisbury praised Henry Ford as the greatest revolutionary of the present era for introducing the production line method of turning out machines and for establishing a minimum wage for laborers. “He made labor productive be yond the means of anyone at that time,” the Times editor said, “and had the genius to understand that if he was to have mass consump tion, he would have to pay labor ers enough to buy his commodi ties. That was a very revolu tionary idea.” Our Answer More than 2,000 Texas A&M students gave their answer Thursday night to the popular question circulating on college campuses: “Will you demonstrate?” The Aggies answered with a resound ing NO to the idea of protesting United States involvement in Viet Nam. Instead, these students signed a tele gram addressed to President Johnson giv ing support to the war effort and saluting the men who are making our stand possible. This is why we did: 1. We believe that if the United States is to defeat communist aggression and pro tect the free world from further encroach ment then this nation needs a unified vote of confidence for its action. All of us do not agree on the policies and methods to be used, but we do endorse the reason for being there. Half-hearted support for any cause breeds failure, and there is no time for failure. Neither is there time for internal fighting, when an external monster lies outside our door. 2. We realize that we are tomorrow’s military leaders in the struggle against oppression, tyranny, fear and injustice. And, unlike our protesting counterparts, we are willing to assume that responsibility because it is vital to the freedom we so dearly cherish—a freedom we cannot fully enjoy as long as terror is on the rampage. We do not shirk our duty. Heroism is not our objective, neither is cowardice. Domi nation is not our goal, neither is submis sion. Glorious death is not our ambition, neither is meaningless life. 3. We understand the shortcomings of youth, and we do not attempt to force our ideologies on the men who through vast training and experience possess wisdom we have not yet attained. We will request, not demand. We will suggest, not com mand. We will offer, not imply. Through this, we will follow, yet we will lead; we will learn, yet we will teach; we will listen, yet we will speak. 4. We question our fellow students’ stability. From teach-ins at Berkeley to sit-ins at Wisconsin to march-ins at Buffalo to break-ins, burn-ins, bitch-ins, curse-ins, talk-ins, walk-ins and lie-ins, we wonder if maybe some haven’t jumped-in a little deep. To be in appears popular, not prac tical. For these students, national pro motion has bred emotion to produce com motion and result in demotion to the unity and strength of our nation. Their right to disagree we do not question, their logic we do. Their manner, means, method, muster, mind, maturity and membership we sneer at because they are undermining their own cause. Should the United States follow the fickle follies of these fine fellows and eventually lose all freedom, the first one to go would probably be the right to assemble. These are our reasons. Perhaps some will say that we waved the flag too close to our faces, and maybe they are right. There’s just something about that flag— the freedom it represents, the great nation it symbolizes, the way of life it stands for —that makes life worth living, or death worth dying. PEANUTS Mortimer's Notes 1 FOR THE RECORD: You might as well scratch through the Great Issues notation on your activity book. . . . Students (even those who paid their activity fees this year) were charged 50 cents for admis sion to Harrison Salisbury’s talk Thursday night. . . . The event was well worth the money, but that’s not the point. . . . Those who paid the fees received a card which entitled them to all Town Hall, Great Issues and Music Committee series. . . . Great Issues committee said admission was charged because the committee doesn’t have enough money to make ends meet otherwise. . . . But if Great Issues is going to charge this extra fee, they shouldn’t receive benefits from the activity fee. . . . It’s not fair to the other organizations which must abide by the fee stipulations. . . . Why is Terry Norman no longer Civilian Student Council president. . . . The announcement by Dean of Students James P. Hannigan at the Student Senate meeting last night took everyone by complete surprise. . . . It wasn’t explained by Hannigan, but Norman told The Battalion it was for personal reasons. . . . A press conference preceding the Great Issues talk Thursday was attended by several students from Kemp and Stephen F. Austin High Schools in Bryan. . . . They asked the New York Times assistant managing editor some pretty solid questions. . . . THE BATTALION Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the student ivriters only. The Battalion is a non tax-supported non profit, self-supporting educational enter prise edited and operated by students as a university and community newspaper. Members of the Student Publications Board are: Joe Buser, chairman; Dr. David Bowers, College of Liberal Arts ; Dr. Robert A. Clark, College of Geosciences ; Dr. Frank A. Mc Donald. College of Science; Dr. J. G. McGuire, College of Engineering; Dr. Robert S. Titus, College of Veterinary- Medicine ; and Dr. A. B. Wooten, College of Agriculture. The Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A&M is published in College Station, Texas daily except Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and holiday periods, September 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 herein are also reserved. Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas. MEMBER The Associated Press, Texas Press Association Represented nationally by National Advertising Service, Inc.. New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. News contributions may be made by telephoning 846-6618 or 846-4910 or at the editorial office. Room 4, YMCA Building. For advertising or delivery call 846-6416. Mail subscriptions are $3.60 per semester; $6 per school year; $6.50 per full year. All subscriptions subject to 2% sales tax. Advertising rate furnished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 4, YMCA Building, College Station, Texas. EDITOR GLENN DROMGOOLE Managing Editor Gerald Garcia Sports Editor Larry Jerden News Editor Tommy DeFrank Photographers Ham McQueen, Herky Killingsworth, Gus De La Garza Amusements Writer Lani Presswood “Henry Ford turned upside down Karl Mark’s philosophy of conflict between employee and employer.” “In Russia the philosophy is pay labor as little as possible and sell goods as expensively as possible,” Salisbury said. “For instance, the Russians recently doubled the price of autos so they wouldn’t sell so many.” The newsman told of his idea that “would really rock com munism, would completely eli- miniate it.” “I would translate the Sears- Roebuck catalog into Russian, produce a million copies, put them in some kind of balloon and drop them over Russia,” he confided. Salisbury said Russians are be wildered by mail-order catalogs because: 1. They don’t even know what many of the products are. 2. They are shocked at the un believably low prices (compared to Russian price tags.) The speaker, emphasizing how Americans so commonly accept change, recalled his years in Russia. “When I returned to the United States after four years, I was amazed at the changes. No one seemed to notice the revolution but me,” he remembered. “We don’t think of this as change or revolutionary, we think of it as progress. Revolution is such a permanent feature of our life that we don’t even know it is happening. “I think we are entitled to notice the achievements we are making in our country. And if this isn’t a revolution, then what is one ? ” Salisbury praised Americans for creating a revolution in racial prejudice. “This conflict is a by-product of an effort to attempt to find an end to racial problems and prejudice,” he said. “We find racial discrimination and inequality in communist countries, but the Russians don’t admit they exist. We do, and that’s the first step in cleaning it up.” “These deep-seeded problems exist everywhere, so we can take pride that with difficulty and courage we are trying to under take something which no one else has ever tried,” he pointed out. He said another revolutionary idea unique to the United States was its attempt to completely eliminate poverty. :“There aren’t very many peo ple who examine what is involved in the war against poverty,” Sal isbury said. “Its objective is to eliminate the poor as a class.” “No one has ever even said, ‘The poor should be eliminated as a class.’ ” “The communists have never said this,” he noted. “They say, ‘The rich should be eliminated as a class.’ ” Summarizing the U. S. revolu tionary thinking, the speaker said, “If we are to compete with communism, we must understand our own revolution. If we go with that idea, we can win and we will win the struggle with com munism. It only takes our own knowledge to win. “Where are the Russians get ting their new ideas ? They are getting them right from this country. The world can’t be transformed except by damn hard work.” Earlier Thursday, Salisbury said in a press conference that pollution and water resource con trol is probably the most press ing domestic problem that the United States faces today. “Unless we find means of pur ifying and expanding water sup ply, we will be faced with a ser ious water shortage in the near future,” the editor told area newsmen. He also said that Red China is a greater threat to the United States than Russia, that the United Nations should admit Red China to its fold, that racial demonstrations have been basical ly free from communist control and that five Texas newspapers stack up favorably with other good national newspapers. Salisbury concluded the ques- tion-and-answer period with a pun: “I don’t think there is a Chinaman's chance of Red China coming into the U. N., because they won’t come in.” Gerald Garcia Support W eekend Activity Take a typical big weekend. There will be Town Hall, Mid night Yell Practice, football game, dances sponsored by vari ous campus organizations and now the Memorial Student Cen ter and the YMCA. Now take a typical weekend without a game. What is there to do ? Go to the movie at the Campus on Friday afternoon, The Circle on Friday night, The Sky way on Saturday night and The Palace on Sunday. Now take a typical big week end with just a football game scheduled. You can’t imagine one like that? You think that there will always be events like the above ? You might be very wrong. Events such as these depend on you, especially Town Hall and the campus sponsored dances. Because of the deplorable con dition of Town Hall funds, the series might be taking its last breath. The campus dances might be dead before they take a breath. The last YMCA dance was not very successful. Town Hall was placed under the MSC Directorate this year for one one reason: To help its weak financial status. Under the Directorate, Town Hall will be able to secure more funds, but these funds have to be paid back. The only way Town Hall com mittee can repay the borrowed funds is by getting strong stu dent support at each show. Not just attending, but by taking someone to the performances. If Town Hall does not not make enough money this year the series will be very doubtful next year. Students have long been grip ing for a big campus-sponsored dance. It’s coming on Nov. 6 after the SMU game. The dance will be for Aggies and their dates beginning at 8 p.m. and ending at 1 a.m. Three name bands will play at the MSC. If the dance is not supported, it will be the last. If Town Hall continues to get the support it got for The Bothers Four, it will survive. One bad night and it could be over. How would you like to be tak ing your date for a big weekend to the three movies and football game? By Charles M. Schulz TELL HIM WHAT HE DOESN'T mw (lWT hurt him ... VETERAN NEWSMAN SPEAKS Harrison Salisbury, assistant managing editor of The New York Times, tells a Great Issues audience why America is a revolutionary nation. Baylor Now that Southern Methodist University has announced that it will go to the semester plan that terminates with the Christmas holidays, everybody else is try ing to get into the act. Baylor’s Student Congress has passed a bill asking the admini stration to undertake a study of the feasibility of starting such a schedule at the Baptist school. To foster better relations be tween Southwest Conference schools, A&M has invited Baylor student leaders to a luncheon before their game here tomor row. Five Baylorites have RSVP- ed to Dan Fischer, Public Rela tions Committee chairman of the Senate. SMU The SMU Campus is really try ing to make University of Hous ton coach Bill Yeoman eat his words concerning Jerry Levias, the first Negro to enroll on a football scholarship at a SWC school. “If Levias is real nice, (War ren) McVea might let him carry his helmet,” said Yeoman com paring the two players. Then the season started and McVea has made anything but a big splash with the UH varsity while Levias is running wild with the SMU ponies, the freshman team. Houston University of Houston fresh man Mohlinder Singh from India had this to say about American girls. “I like the shyness and mys tery of the Indian girls, but I admire very much the friendli ness of the girls that I have met here. The student at UH used to call him Mo for short since Mo- hinder doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Now its strictly Mohonda in honor of the black motorbike he brought to ride to school and work. Arlington State Seems that Arlington State's dreams of becoming a super- school just aren’t coming true. In a year when even A&M’s en rollment jumped 1,000 students the former A&M system member could only muster a 300 student increase over last fall’s 11,513 en rollment. Elwood J. Preiss, registrar, said one reason the enrollment didn’t increase was a lack of re turning students. Constitutional Amendments By GLENN DROMGOOLE Battalion Editor Amendment No. 5, which clar ifies investment authority for the board of trustees of the Teacher Retirement System, is among the 10 suggested changes to the Texas Constitution to be voted on Nov. 2. The proposed amendment adds a new Section 48b to Article III of the state constitution and re peals conflicting authority which now exists in Section 48a. This section would give con stitutional stature to both the Teacher Retirement System and the board of trustees of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Composition of the board would remain statutory, and au thority for administration of the system is given to the board. The amendment further pro vides that assets of the system shall be administered by the board, sets out certain regula tions pertaining to type and amount of investments as well as a standard of care for such in vestments, and gives the legisla ture power to further restrict in vestments. Texas voters in 1936 first gave the legislature power to levy a tax to establish a retirement fund for persons employed in the public schools, colleges and uni versities. The next year the first teacher retirement law in Texas was en acted. The article was amended in 1956 to allow investment of funds in securities proper for the Per manent University Fund by the Board of Regents of the Univer sity of Texas. Then the Teacer Teacher Re tirement Act set up the machin ery for administration and oper ation of the Teacher Retirement System. Arguments for the amendment include: 1. The purposed and objectives of the fund are completely differ ent from the Permanent Univer sity Fund, and investment au thority should not be tied to securities eligible or owned by that fund. The inclusion of gov ernment guaranteed securities, as well as high quality corporate debt obligations other than bonds, should mean more money for the fund. 2. By giving constitutional sta ture to the board and the Teach er Retirement System, the amend ment gives greater assurance to teachers and school employees of continuity in the program. Guaranteed retirement benefits are a great incentive in the choice of a profession, and the amend ment’s adoption could attract bet ter qualified personnel into the teaching ranks as well as keep present teachers from entering more lucrative fields. 3. Inclusion of investment au thority in the Constitution safe guards the funds by requiring action at the polls in order to broaden authority. The amend ment is sufficiently broad for ef fective operation of the system for many years. Arguments against include: 1. An amendment to the Con stitution is an involved and cost ly process, resulting in a one-to- two year lag between proposal and adoption. Passage of this amendment could handicap the Teacher Retirement System in obtaining additional investment authority. 2. The Permanent University Fund investment is adequate for operation of the system.