tit Some Of Yon Perhaps Think Twice Abou fa Mmv to Heel These Tribes" 4 J : Frat Discrimination - Hrmph ? Heird Of u In its sixty-ninth year of editorial freedom, unhampered fry restrictions from either the administration or the student body. The Daily Tar Heel is the official student publication of the Publications Board of the University of North Carolina. All editorials appearing in The Daily Tar Heel are the personal expressions of the editor, unless otherwise credited; they re not necessarily representative of feeling on the staff. ii & October 7, 19G2 Tel. 942-235G Vol. XLX, No. 1C Reds At UN C? The American Region, brave de fender of civil-libertie3-for-every-body-vho-agrees-vith-u3, has now turned its patriotic attention to the peaceful Carolina campus. And what do they see? Commies. Everywhere . . . commies. A si Such apparitions are often seen by Legionnaires and this time ap pears to be little different. The Le gion's Americanism committee (under the leadership of that most intemperate of Chapel Hill Red hunters Col. Royall) apparently convinced the local post to recom mend an investigation of commun ism at the University. The excuse for such a recommen dation is the emergence of "leftist" groups here recently. We assume the Legion has in mind the Progres sive Labor Club. But this is a very lame, very puny reason for an "investigation," since the Labor group is comparatively very lame and very puny. " Several times in the late 1940s and early '50s the University has been threatened with investigation in times when there was a Com munist Party cell in Chapel Hill and when there was an open Party group operating under Junius Scales. Al ways the Board of Trustees intelli gently has left the decision as to "what to do" in the hands of the chancellor and faculty who, in turn, wisely have preserved freedom of speech and assembly on campus, by doing nothing. We hope the University will ig nore this irresponsible demand, as it has others in the past, and de vote its full attention to the busi ness of education. (JC) (More on communism at UNC see "Dear Sir' below.) Dear Sir. . . An open Letter: John R. Barry Editor The Durham Sun Dear Sir: Several weeks ago your news paper ran a short editorial which claimed the existence of a Commun ist "telephone campaign," recruit ing members in Chapel Hill. Always interested in such bits of information, we wrote the Herald Sun, asking for details on this Red infiltration. We assumed, perhaps presumptiously, that such an edi torial charge would have some facts to back it up. Apparently our assumption was false. In your reply of last week, you note that, "The clipping on 'vague rumors' of a Red 'telephone campaign' did appear in the Sun, in its editorial column 'Passing Pa rade.' "I have no additional informa tion." This doesn't seem to be playing fair. You say, there is a Red recruit ing campaign on campus (vhich no one else in the state seems to be too worried about), but you refuse to tell how you know this or even if you really do know it. If your original editorial was written just to fill space, we cer tainly understand. But may we humbly suggest you pick a less ser ious subject for yor next editorial filler. Sincerely, Jim Clotfelter DTH Co-Editor Fra tern ities There will be more hands shaken, more .smiles exchanged, and more shoes shined within the next six days than there will be during the remainder of the year. The cause of all this social ac tivity will be fraternity rush. "Rush," it's an aptly named trial of endurance, out of which will come some of the most important per sonal decisions of numerous college careers. Decisions which will in volve necessary commitments; a commitment of time to hours of pledge duties, a commitment of loyalty to collectively shared view points, a commitment to degrees of conformity that are not by defini tion bad but that may by definition be necessary. We cannot, indeed we refuse to restate the trite and hallow criti cisms of fraternity life. The faults of the system are numerous, but on the other hand so are the merits. And, needless to say, the decisions to become involved must be singu larly personal ones. And that is enough said. (CW) 75 S It 1 1 JIM CLOTFELTER CHUCK WRYE Editors BD! BTobbs Associate Editor Wayne King Harry Lloyd Managing Editors Bill Waumett . News Editor t Ed Dupree Sports Editor Curry Kirkpatrick - Asst. Spts. Ed. Chris Farran J . Matt Weisman Feature Editors l Harry DeLung Night Editor Jim Wallace '. Photography Editor Mike Robinson Gary Blanchard Contributing Editors I DAVE MORGAN Business Manager Gary Dalton Advertising Mgr. John Evans Circulation Mgr. Dave Wysong Subscription Mgr. I T a Daily Ta Ezxl Is published dally s rxc rpt Monday, examination periods ; anc vacations. It is entered as second- clas matter in the post office In Chapel Hil . N. C, pursuant with the act of March 8. 1870. Subscription rates i $160 per semester, $8 per year. 1 a Daily Tab Hxrc Is a subscriber to the United Press International and utilizes the services of the News Bu- reau of the University of North Caro- I Una. I Published by the Publications Board I af the University of North Carolina. I -Ihapel Hill, N C ... 1 Rush 0 - " ' (Ed. Note: Reprinted below are excerpts from the opening statement made7 by senior Mickey Simmons during the orientation week fraterni ty debate.) My -first objection concerns itself with an issue that extends beyond the limits of the Carolina fraternity system that is, the issue of dis crimination. This discrmination takes two forms, that which is exercised against minority groups and that which is brought to bear on the in dividual rushee in deterrniniiig his qualifications for membership. In the 'past, many fraternities 'have placed -vvTitten articles "of acial or religious restriction in their "con st it utions. : " Although recently there have been many hasty and red-faced atfeinpU to bring the' constitutions of fraternities into line with the Constitution 'of ' the ' United Staes, many of these restrictive clauses stiU exist. No one can seriously doubt that intolerance and bigotry is still practiced by many fraterni ties. You must remember that when you pledge a fraterriUy that prac tices1 such 'discrimination,' either overtly or coverUy, you are pledg ing your money, your time, and your support and your honor to an insti tution which asserts that human worth may be "judged on the basis if race, religious creed, or color, and attempts to achieve brother hood by denying the fundamental brotherhood of man. The second area of discrimination, that which is exercised in the pro cess of rushing, is equally difficult to justify." The standards of accept ance for fraternities are vague and established by the members. The greatest integrity, but "best" a; h construed by the fraternity members themseives. To some, this mearn rich, handsome, and white protec tants, a definition which in ite '.Vit lessness, almost achieves innocence. To others, "best" means those pos sessed of the pre'-ailing code of so cial behavior, or the best available after the better fraternities have taken their pick. Those of you who judge other on such superficial grounds may find satisfaction in being selected by such means, but those of you who look for deeper values in judging human worth would be sadly disillusioned by your fir:t rush meeting. The narrowing effect of fraternity membership on the total educational experience offered each of you at Chapel Hill is another matter of deep concern to me. A fraternity tends to neatly compartment a stu dent, and through its demands upon his time, and the living condition-; which it establishes, deprives its members of the wide and rich range of associations and experiences which this college can offer. In this sense, the primary purpose of a college education is defeated, and herein lies the real irony of the fraternity: ir. does the most harm to its own mem bers. In the past, much sympathy has been wasted on the plight of stu dents who aren't asked to join a fraternity. In my opinion, these stu dents are lucky. They may have mo mentarily hurt feelings and a few may even spend most of their col lege days feeling themselves out casts, but they do not suffer the invisible injuries inflicted upon those Letters To The Editors goal of each fraternity is usually to wj10 do become fraternity members. get as its members the best stu- They do not have the stultifying ex dents enrolled in this institution. By perience of associating only with "best" is not necessarily meant the people of their own kind during their most intelligent or those with the entire college career. Barnett Attacked, DTH Attacked, Ehringhans Human Decency & History Books To the Editors: Undoubtedly, Ross Barnett will go down in Mississippi history as the greatest governor of them all. He stood up for what he wanted to get most an insured ten more terms as governor of Mississippi. He met his dilemma like a true Southern gentle man by choosing the side of the mob. Leaders, not followers, however, make their decisions on what is both morally and legally right. How glorious would the U.S. be if all our governors were like Ross Barnett! There would be no Ne groes, Jews and Catholics. Wouldn't it be great to have our children pro tected by the Ku Klux Klan instead of "them feds." It is a shame that an unpatriotic nitwit called Thomas Jefferson ever wrote a paper called the Declaration of Independence which states that mankind was equal in his search for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Ross Barnett can't help from being famous. His name will be in all history books until there is no more history to write.' Isn't the fact "going down into history" worth more than anything even human decency? Raymond Burwell Some fraternities on this campus arbitrarily restrict their member ship to persons of particular reli gions or races. Several, in fact, have specific clauses in their constitu tions prohibiting Negro or Jewish members. Others have deleted their explicit ("full Aryan blood") dis criminatory clauses and have adopt ed instead a "socially" acceptable" provision which operates with the same relentless certainty. Before you select a fraternity you should know whether or not that fraternity has already selected "brothers" for you through these artificial impositions. When you pledge a fraternity you are pledg ing more than time and money. You are pledging fidelity to its ideals. You are pledging your honor. Will your pledge to brotherhood be an empty phrase? Henry Mayer Paying To Vote In Ehringhaus To the Editors: In the October 4 edition of the DTH a letter from Messrs. Bulkley, Hume and Mittendorf was printed concerning the farcical elections at Ehringhaus Dormitory and I for one would like to add my concurrence with this. I must admit that some of those running for office have good intent and purposes, but too many are bas ing their platforms on unobtainable goals from sunken bathtubs to a complete revamping of the cafe teria system. These ridiculous cam paign promises certainly parallel the nominating procedure. The epitome of this entire salma gundi was realized today, election day, when everyone who took the time to exercise his voting right, found that it was necessary to own an "Ehringhaus Social Card." If one did not own this card, he had to pay one dollar in order to cast his ballot, which is in itself not a favor able inducement for procuring votes. This card entitles the holder to par ticipate in Unit Ehringhaus activi ties, "such as intramural sports, beer parties, and other functions. I will be the first to agree to the idea of such a card, but when one is obliged to pay for the card as a prerequisite to the privilege of voting, I would both the validity and the value of the entire election, especially for such a. position as I. D.C. represen tative. It is quite evident that some one is using this election as a means to an end. I think that in the future, the I.D.C. should supervise more close ly the manner of elections, even though their strength is evidently not now prevalent. Soon we will vote on the candi dates which did not have clear ma jorities, and all students with their social cards will be allowed to vote. Others have been denied this "privi lege" at Carolina. Jimmie Little SG, DTH Don't Reflect Opinion To the Editors: This letter is referring to the tele grams sent by Inman Allen and Co. and the headlines of the DTH Tues day, October 2, 1962. This article in the DTH began, "A majority of the 28 Carolina students interviewed yesterday in Y-court condemned Gov. Ross Barnett's refusal to ad mit Negro James Meredith to the University of Mississippi." This "ex tensive" (I use this word sarcasc tically) survey led to the headline "Most UNC Students Condemn Bar nett Action." As for the telegrams sent to Ole Miss, I thought that the Student Government officers were elected to represent the students in the stu dent government; I did not know they had the responsibility to make statements as to the political opin ion and personal feeling of the stu dents. Since when does the opinion of 23 students represent the opinion of 9, 604 students. It seems that before the DTH or the student leaders make a statement about the student opin ion they should first get a true repre sentation of that opinion. Michael M. Bradley Minister Decries Barnett Action To the Editors: I am a Southerner, born and bred in North Carolina, and duly proud of my Anglo-Saxon ancestry. Gov. Ross Barnett's brazen block ing of justice in the Meredith case provides for Mississippi a martyr, for the Deep South a hero, for the nation a disgrace, for the world a villain, for the human race a tragic failure and for the Creator, sure ly, a grevious sorrow. ' ' ' With slums to be eradicated, di seases to be conquered, the world's hungry to be fed, lasting peace to be established, and a universe to be explored, how can we let our selves squander precious time ahd spiritual power in petty bickering, hatred, and animal violence oyer racial issues which should have been solved a century ago. What part of Gov. Barnett's pur pose was political opportunism and what part honest conviction, only he and the Creator can say But if the University of Mississippi can right ly and graciously enroll a dozen dark-skinned students from distant India, why not also a well-tanned American from Mississippi itself? The radical racism to which the Governor and his misguided follow ers cling is scientifically insupport able, morally indefensible, religious ly blasphemous, sociologically un necessary, politically irresponsible, economically destructive, interna tionally embarrassing, humanly de grading, and demoratically intoler able. Wake up, Governor! Wake up, Mississippi! Wake up, America! lest by the inescapable laws of jus tice and history we be weighed in the balance, found wanting, and judged to have failed mankind in this decisive hour of man's painful pilgrimage toward true humanity, on this small planet asail on the star-strewn seas of cosmic space and human destiny. David Andrews Methodist minister Baltimore, Md. Janies Meredith Is Individual Too To thte Editors: Now that Poe Exum has learned to honor individualism, I think he better quick learn another Carolina attribute the ability to decipher right from wrong. Mr. Barnett in deed an individual, but let us not forget Mr. Meredith. Goliath was an amazing individual, but so was David. JOHN MADSEN Hearts Bleeding For To the Editors Ehringhaus O. citizenry of Chapel Hill and Carrboro! O, students of Carolina! How can your hearts not bleed for the hardy pioneers of Craig and Ehringhaus dormitories? As fellow humanists you must understand the suffering and tribulations that must face the pioneers in this NEW dorm where they are forced to use eleva tors, a new cafeteria, and their own snack bar! But how can we under stnd or truly appreciate their library problem since we have never yet conceived even in our most wild, impassioned dreams (o, fools we) a dormitory library or even for that matter a study room? Being truly concerned with their lack of entertainment facilities, we have initiated a Craig-Ehringhus Fund Raising Campaign in Carr boro, by which we hope to secure pool tables, horseshoe pits, and pos sibly an indoor, scented floral swim ming pool ( kidney -shaped , resplen dent with rococo foundations, lotus blossoms, and a Slecto-Scmi-Auto-matic filter system. O! the Spartan suffering, the stark, austere exist ence! Cry out, citizens and student-, ! Gnash not your teeth, nor rend your garments, let not these residents despair. Strenth, Craig anil Ehriii--haus! Three Ruff in For tu nates: Gerald Good Kelly Fanes Thomas Dinere Kennedy Moved Too Fast In Mississippi By DAVID LAWRENCE In the Charlotte Obsever WASHINGTON Was it worth it? Couldn't the loss of life and the wounding of scores of persons in the rioting at the University of Miss issippi have been averted if President Kennedy and his brother, the attorn ey general, had permitted the state of Mississippi to exhaust its legal remedies in the normal way before any armed forces were ordered to the scene? WHAT WAS the reason for haste in such a delicate situation? Wouldn't it have been better not to have smuggled James Meredith, a Negro student, on to the campus Sunday through a back entrance? Wouldn't it have been easier to ex plain to the people the true basis of federal action if an opportunity had been afforded first to let the Supreme Court of the United States hear argu ment on legal questions of an un precedented nature which were rais ed last Friday before the U. S. Cir cuit Court of Appeals in New Or leans? Lawyers with many decades of ex perience say they have never wit nessed an exhibition such as occurred when the court of appeals was sit ting as a trial court in civil con tempt proceedings against "Mississip pi Gov. Ross Barnett. THE MAIN facts as shown in the record are these: A private suit was entered in be half of Meredith to obtain his ad mission to the University of Miss issippi. The United States government, represented by the Department of Justice, asked Tjermission to enter the case as a "friend of the court." The court granted the request Mississippi asked for a similar status, and its request also was granted. Then, after the court found that the governor was not present at Friday's proceedings, the presiding judge indicated that the state of Mississippi would be denied its status as "amicus curiae" or friend of the court. The attorneys for the state of Mississippi asked for an opportuni ty to argue briefly why the state was entitled to be represented. The conflict of court made no answer but took a submitted lu-minute recess. When the recess was over, the court declared that Mississippi could not intervene as a "friend of the court," even though the United States had been permitted to make pleadings in that matter. THE CONSTITUTION of the Unit ed States says explicitly that in all legal cases in which the federal gov ernment and a state are in con flict, the Supreme Court must take over. The Supreme Court then sits as a court of "original jurisdiction." What all this means is that Mis sissippi, as a sovereign state, has certain rights under the Constitu tion which cannot be ignored. Pres ident Kennedy told a radio and tele vision audience Sunday night that the controversy was simply a mat ter of obeying laws, even though one might disagree with them. But the court order to which he had referred was itself invalid, in asmuch as ' the full Supreme Court of the United States had not heard arguments either on last Friday's view or on the in mid-August petition by ':. ' state of Mississippi. The latter was ruled on by only one justice, since the Supreme Court itself was not in formal session. UNDER circumstances as va?ue and as legally complex as the fore going, would it have hurt anybody's cause if the President and the at torney general had waited a whil -before trying to force the registra tion of Meredith? Gov. Barnett could eventually be adjudged wrong in his legal pro cedures, but a staff of distinguished lawyers among them John C. Sat terfield, immediate past president of the American Bar Association were not permitted to argue for him or for the state of Mississippi in Friday's court. hearing in the federal The episodes of the weekend mere ly proved that unfortuately, too of ten "might makes right," and that when one party a sovereign state asked for its day in court, it was rebuffed.

Page Text

This is the computer-generated OCR text representation of this newspaper page. It may be empty, if no text could be automatically recognized. This data is also available in Plain Text and XML formats.

Return to page view