TEDE DEC31EE, Page 6
NATIONAL
COLLEGIATE
PRESlOFNTIAL
primary
CH01CE68
0
WESLEYAN GOES McCARTHY
Above: Doug Cook Speaks for Nixon
Below: Miss Malley Supports McCarthy
Right Upper: Rushing Backs Humphrey
li
Tuesday, the 23rd of April,
the student body met in the gym
to hear speeches in support
of the various candidates run
ning for President in the na
tional collegiate presidential
primary, CHOICE 68. •
The assembly was called by
the Wesleyan Activists, who
were the campus sponsors for
the primary. Their president,
George Watson, read the names
of the candidates and asked that
any person desirous of speak
ing step forward. The first
to be represented was Joseph
McCarthy. Miss Malley read
selections from his speeches
and called for a re-examina
tion of the issues and a re
commitment in order to trans
form the attention of the na
tion from the war in Viet Nam
to the urban problems at home.
The next candidate was rep
resented by the student body
in the person of Doug Cook.
Cook struck hard with a force
ful appeal in support of Rich
ard Nixon. Nixon seems to
advocate a drastic change in
the poverty programs now in
effect. No longer would the
poor both white and colored
have to look toward their month
ly welfare checks as the main
source of income. Nixon would
support a method whereby the
time honored free-enterprise
system would create and foster
the jobs and training necessary
to transform these idle workers
into productive members of our
society. In the field of foreign
policy, Nixon would have the
United States return to its form
er alliances and allies.
The last candidate was sup
ported by Mr. Corbitt Rushing,
who was also the campus co
ordinator for CHOICE 68.
Rushing proposed that the stu
dents write in the name of
Hubert H. Humphrey as their
choice for the presidency. Mr,
Rushing reviewed Humphrey’s
accomplishments as a legis
lator and Senatorial Majority
Whip during the Kennedy admin
istration. In order to vote
for Humphrey, it was necessary
that the voter write his name
In in the designated place as
his first choice.
The assembly was then ad
journed for the students to pro
ceed to a picnic lunch in keep
ing with the campaign fever of
the day.
weanesaay, the 24th of April,
Wesleyan held an election In
connection with the CHOICE 68
program. The sponsoring
group, the Activists, were able
to obtain the use of voting booths
from the City of Rocky Mount,
and these booths were set up
in the card room. Names of
voters were checked off as
the balloting procedure was ex
plained to them. The "chads”
in the computer cards were
punched out with a fashionable
stylus, the end of a pen.
The Election Committee for
CHOICE 68 was pleased at the
turnout of voters. Overall,
69.1% of the student body cast
their votes. The unofficial elec
tion returns were as follows:
For the office of President
of the United States, first choice
only:
Candidates
No. of Votes
Eugene McCarthy,DEM. 162
Richard M. Nixon.REP. 107
Robert F. Kennedy. DEM. R*’
Nelson A. Rockefeller,KEP, 36
Lyndon B. Johnson,DEM. 15
George C. Wallace, AMbK.
IND. 15
Hubert H. Humphrey, DEM.
WRITE IN 7
Ronald W. Reagan, REP, 4
Charles H. Percy,REP. 3
Barry Goldwater,REP.
WRITE IN 1
John V. Lindsay, REP. 1
William F. Buckley, REP. 1
The following candidates who
were listed on the ballot re
ceived no votes; Fred Halstead,
SOCIAL WORKERS; Harold
Stassen, REP.; and Mark O.
Hatfield, REP.
These are the unofficial re
sults counted here at Wesleyan.
The totals for all choices and
the results from the referenda
questions will be determined
along with the results of other
schools by computer and then
returned here. The overall
results both from here and
across the nation should be
made known this week.
MORE ON
CHOICE 68
The following articles were
released by the news bureau
of CHOICE 68. Even though
the election is over for Wes-
lejran campus, the ideas ex
pressed here are of a great
deal of importance to all of
us.
The first article Is of par
ticular importance to students
because it deals with “student
power”. The second expresses
the dependence of this program
on the moderates in order to
be successful. This Is follow
ed by the announcement that
the Socialist Workers Party’s
candidate, Fred Halstead, will
make a trip to Vietnam, The
series ends by revealing the
refusal of Johnson to comment
on the CHOICE 68 referenda.
Student Power Proves Potent
New York, New York, March
13, 1968--The dynamic cam
paign effort by college students
from all over the country clear
ly played a vital role in Sena
tor Eugene McCarthy’s Impres
sive showing In the New Hamp
shire primary. Well over a
thousand students took on the
full gamut of can^ign jobs--
from ringing door bells and
writing speeches, to driving
cars and licking stamp^!. Many
observers believe the students’
enthusiasm also had a signifi
cant psychological effect on the
campaign.
Reaction to this student po
litical activism was widespread
in both pre - and post - election
analysis. Just prior to the New
Hampshire vote, Mary McGory
wrote in her nationally syndi
cated column that McCarthy’s
student support was "a river
of free labor that could change
the face of American politics.”
Most of the election-night com
mentators referred to the stu
dents, and in Its lead editorial
this morning, the New York
Times stated that the McCarthy
victory was “a testament to
the efforts of the students and
other citizens who enlisted In
his campaign for peace.”
Perhaps the most important
conclusion to be drawn from
this first 1968 primary is not
related either to the candidates
or the issues. It Is very pos
sibly something broader.
Namely that effective, articu
late expression of political
opinion by students, combined
with their active participation
in the political process, can
significantly affect the outcome
of elections and the shape 'of
American politics.
A second conclusion is equal
ly irrefutable. Massive student
participation in CHOICE 68 can
and will affect the course of
American politics in 1968.