Page 2
THE NEBRASKAN
Tuesday, March 30, 1954
EDITORIAL PAGE
Fife Critical Spot
Indo-China, a word ranked high in news
value for papers and movie news shorts for
several , years, has received even more at
tention in the past few weeks. A national
magazine carried a picture review of the
current Communist offensive; movie news
watchers have seen pictures that carry a
small, though penetrating picture of the in
tensive struggle that has been going for
seven years on the Indo-China front.
Korea took the attention of the Ameri
can public and Indo-China receded into the
background, so far as American readers and
viewers were concerned. But the recent
Communist attacks and the desperate efforts
of the French and allied forces to halt them
have become important news items once
more.
To many Americans, particularly those
who are intent on their own affairs, the
whole situation has been, at best a hazy,
far-removed thing. The words Viet-Nam,
Viet-Minh to many who read of the fight
going on are little more than labels. It is
known that these are to two major forces
fighting for the control of Indo-China, but
which side France or the United States is
on remain a question in the minds of many
Americans.
The announcement that the U.S. was
tending aid to the French in the form of ,
airplanes and men to service them Bid
arouse considerable comment. Whether or
not we should have made the move is de
batable, but it cannot be condemned on the
grounds that it is not in keeping with our
present foreign policy. By its action in
Korea, the United Nations and the United
akinq A Tradition
History, as University students usually
encounter it, comes complete with hour ex
aminations, outside reading lists and a final.
In the majority of cases, courses, no matter
how well they are presented, have a great
quantity of "dry matter" which must be
learned so that the individual may repro
duce the facts accurately and completely on
an examination paper.
Another common complaint attendirig the
study of history is that the subject matter
is just that something that happened in the
past. Traditions, no matter how brilliant
and interesting they were at their "birth"
lose something of the dramatic and exciting
element through the years.
However, students of history or those
Who simply take the course did get a chance
to see a tradition in the making recently
when a Navy pilot used his plane to steer
another pilotless craft away 'from the city
of San Diego.
The plane, a Navy jet, had gone into a
spin, forcing the pilot to eject himself from
the ship at about 8,000 feet. Somehow, the
plane righted itself, and headed, with no
one at the controls, for the thickly popu
lated San Diego area. Another pilot, spot
ting the runaway plane, maneuvered his
own ship so the air stream from his wines
iorced the pilotless ship to change course
a ticklish operation at a SDeed of OVPr
miles per hour with the distance separating
the two planes under three feet.
This action seems destined to be part of
the tradition surrounding the Navy's actions
over tne years. Perhaps some student
years from now will turn to the Daee
his history book and fix UThis memory con
text of these lines: "... brilliant action
saved many lives that might otherwise have
"been snuffed out by a runaway, old-time
Jet aircraft." T. W.
300
50
in
States have shown Hhey intend to take ac
tive moves against armed Communist ag
gression.
The recent movement of airplanes and
personnel to Indo-China is not the first U.S,
movement td back up the hard-pressed
French Forces. The United States has
poured 2 billion dollars into the battle, and
now bears the majority of the cost in ma
terials. Even the most isolationist
citizen cannot argue that the American pub
lie should know what is happening in Indo
China we are all bound up in the war, for
" is the American public that is paying
tne money required to pursue it.
It is for this reason The Nebraskan pre
sents the following facts:
First, Indo-China is the name for a coun
try made up of three states Viet-Nam,
Laos and Cambodia. The country is rough,
with many mountains and a Wealth of min
eral and rubber resources. The total area
of the country is about that of Texas, with
a population of approximately 26 million.
Second, Viet-Nam, with 22 million of the
total population, is the largest and the scene
of a great part of the bitter fighting in
Indo-China. In the latter half of the 19th
century, France moved into this section of
Indo-China, and managed to give a slight
French influence to an area of a country
. that has never known national solidarity,
or had what could be called a common cul
ture. Third, following the end of WW II, a
surge of nationalistic feeling shook the en
tire country, and with it came a wave of
anti-colonial feeling. With this national
( feeling the rule of the country, Communist
agitators found "ideal areas for promoting
their cause. '
The leader of this movement was Moscow
trained Ho Chi Minh, who had joined the
party in 1920. Under his leadership, the
Communist party assumed enough power to
force Bao Dai, emperor of Annam, to abdi
cate. Fourth, on December 19, 1946, Ho's Viet
Nam Independence League, known as the
Viet-Minh, attacked French forces which had
withdrawn to Hanoi. The attack came after
negotiations between the French and na
tives broke down.
The war is now in its seventh year.
French forces j have suffered appalling losses.
They have been actively engaged in much
the same type war as the United Nations
fought in Korea, and there seems to be no
end in sight.
The war is, at best, unpopular with
France. She has lost thousands of men, in
cluding top military commanders. The
United States has poured millions of dollars j
of equipment into the cause, which is now
an effort to keep Indo-China from becom
ing part of the Moscow, Peiping axis.
Yet this war, so vital to the anti-Communist
cause, is a strange, hazy thing in the
minds of the American public, the same
group that is now supplying money and men
to the cause.
The sensational aspects of the war have
pre-occupied many of those who read or
see what is going on in Indo-China. The
important elements of the entire situation
are not sensational; they are simple. Men
are dying to stop the spread of Communism;
the war has been one of many reversals
for the anti-Communist forces, and rather
than slowing, the pace of the war is steadily
being stepped up. These are the facts the
American reader should look for in the
news presentations about Indo-China he is
vitally, inexorably bound up in them. T. W.
UTTLE MAN ON CAMPUS
by oick fc:bir The Student Forum
LiOrnm Moles
0
learned Advice
Otiprlnto from fa Omaha World-Herald)
M
...... v, w, vayau, UttLCSL BUVlCe XO
couege graduates: Don't duck that tab, grab
it. Downing free drinks is despicable.
President Y. Yakigawa told the gradu
ating class of Kyoto University:
"My final warning to you is always pay
for your own drinks; never touch a drink
paid for by others. All the scandals in the
world of politics today have their cause in
the despicable habit of swallowing free
drinks." ,
Steaks Or Eternity?
Awaras for the best pictures of the year
were made by the .Cinema 18 Movie Club.
The winners were "Cornfed Steaks" by
Gordon and Mary Wiig; "In Old New England-
by Carroll H. Swindler, and "Scenic
Southwest" by G. Ronald Pierce.
This writer wonders what the compari
son would be between "Cornfed Steaks" and
"From Here to Eternity"?
Mo Complaints!
Human nature was the foil again.
City officers of Martlnsburg, W. Va.,
withheld for one week the announcement
that fluoride had been added to the water
supply.
The purpose to avoid complaints from
persons imagining a new taste or odor in
the water.
It worked!
It's An Effort
The Kremlin has warned Russians that
they are going to have to work harder.
Soviet leaders this year are going to
push a big drive to increase productivity
on farms, in factories, in construction and
on transport. The reason for the speeded
up production is to attain the better stand
ard of living the government has prom
ised the people, officials say.
The plan sounds magnificent but the
workers are in danger of being too tired
to enjoy the new standard. In Russia, just
"living" is an achievement.
Overcautious
You can't be too careful. Over cautious
ness sometimes proves fatal well almost.
Police investigating the $85 burglary of
a Daly City, Calif., music machine sales
firm were surprised to see the burglar tip
toeing into the back of the store.
He was immediately jailed and the case
closed.
Amazed officers said the guilty man had
later explained: "I was afraid 2 had left
my fingerprints on the wrench I used to
break in."
FIFTY-THIRD TEAR
Member: Associated Collegiate Press
Advertising representative: National Advertising Servtoe, Inc.
420 Madison Ave., New Tork 17, New fork
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A Second Glance
"Looks like we'll be writing; research papers all term I
understand Prof. Snarf is writing a book on the Orient"
Aggie New, Views
Rigid Price Support Best
Answer To Ag Problem
By DALE REYNOLDS
Flexible price supports have re
ceived support from the central
and western part of Nebraska, ac
cording to the results from a poll
of rural residents in Nebraska's
Fourth Congressional District.
Representative A. L. Miller,
who is conducting the poll, dis
closed that 53 per cent of the
returns favor flexible farm price
supports, while only 30 per cent
favor rigid price supports at 90
per cent of parity, and 13 per
cent would like 100 per cent sup
ports. , Miller said, "I think that's
about the way the farmers feel
about it out there." But to this
writer, this margin does not seem
indicative of what the farmers
want. Farmers throughout the
nation are divided on the ques
tion of how to handle the prob
lem. Secretary of Agriculture Benson '
has said the issue for the farmer
is a choice between less security
(flexible supports) or less free
dom with a temporary gain in
security (rigid supports). But
the farmer's sentiment seems to
liave chosen security, if it can be
measured in terms of their vote
on cotton and wheat controls,
which overwhelmingly called for
cuts in acreage allotments rather
than give up the 90 per cent of
parity price guarantees.
Farm experts and politicians
as well as fie farmers are di
vided on the question. Whatever
the decision is on the farm pro
gram, it will be one which will
be disagreeable to many citizens.
Because what the farmer wants
to do is produce the most of the
crop he can grow best, and re
ceive a fair price in return. But
under either of the two support
programs, he cannot do this.
Here is what is happening un
der the present rigid 90 per cent
system. Tons upon tons of sur
plus butter, cheese, wheat, corn,
cotton, oils and other farm pro
ducts are being piled up. Storage
alone on this surplus is costing
the taxpayer about $20,000 an
hour.
The surpluses are stacked in
grain elevators, bins, cribs, re
frigeration plants, warehouses
and even in the holds of ships.
There has been no satisfactory
solution to the surplus problem.
It is even beginning to hurt the
farmer financially, because sur
plus products are having a de
pressing effect on market prices.
Today the United States Gov
ernment owns or is obligated to
by nearly six and one-half billion
dollars worth of surplus farm
produce. This is about $46.62 In
vestment for each man, woman
and child in the nation.
This is the reason farm prices
cannot be supported at 100 per
cent parity, a figure for measur
ing farm prices to be fair to
farmers in terms of the prices
they pay. The burden would be
too great to carry.
Under the flexible price support
system, which President Eisen
hower and Benson advocate, sup
ports would rise and fall accord
ing to scarcity or plenty of the
product. The supports would be
used to encourage or discourage
production as the need might be,
and to control surpluses.
Under this system, if the sup
ply of a certain product were too
high, the price would go down.
The farmer would then grow less
of this crop, and grow more of
something else that would give
him a greater return. This sys
tem would then take care of sur
pluses, and the farmer could ad
just to the situation by adjusting
his production system.
Advocates of the flexible sys
tem assume that lower prices
will discourage production and
Increase consumption.
But will it work? Did they
consider that it takes a big
change in farm prioes to bring
a small change in production
and consumption? Farm produc
tion dropped only three per cent
from 1929 to 1932 but farm
prices dropped over 50 per cent.
A 65 cent per bushel decrease
in wheat is what it would take
to reduce the price of bread one
cent.
University
Bulletin Board
TUESDAY
Konmrt Khib Active Meeting,
6:45 p.m., Union.
Kosmet Klub Worker's Meet
ing, 7:15 p.m. Union.
Farming programs are not
such that they can go from one
cropping system to another eas
ily, quickly. Many do not have
a choice when it comes to what
crop can be grown, as is the case
of the western Nebraska wheat
farmers. Livestock systems are
usually long range plans, and not
easily begun and dropped. Also,
it is not unusual for a farmer to
have 10 to 15 thousand dollars
invested in farming equipment
which is used in the production
of special crops.
The question seems to be
"which is the lesser of the two
evils?"
It seems to me that it is un
fair to dump the surplus problem
on the farmer as entirely his
responsibility. The flexible sys
tem would lower parity price
and cut the wages of the farmer.
The surplus problem is the na
tion's, and not just the farmer's.
Is it fair to punish the farmer for
his production efforts?
Price supports are not the
answer to the farm problem
they are just a temporary meas
ure. The real problem is to adjust
the demand for farm products
upward to supply ideas on how
to get the rich yield from the
earth to those who need it.
President Eisenhower said
"One of our largest potential
outlets for present surpluses is
in friendly countries." To help
our surplus problem, we should
trade for services, good will, and
protection.
Our agricultural program
should be geared for an expand
ing economy in an upward di
rection to meet -the needs of a
growing population at home and
abroad.
To do this, I believe that we
should retain the present fixed
price supports, and find an
answer to the surplus problem,
and not try to adjust supply
down to demand, which would
punish the farmers by reducing
his income, and also reduce his
demand for goods, services and
property, which may in turn
create a downward spiral in our
entire economy.
By PAUL LAASE
"You can fool all of the people
some of the time and some of the
people all of the time" so the
saying goes. Apparently the
American public. does not mind
being deceived, nor do individuals
mind deceiving the public. At
times it is an absolute necessity
to conceal one's true aims.
To seek power and authority
has been the aim of many. But
the finest for power mast be con
cealed behind ether motives. In
the 1930's there was such an in
dividual in the United States. His
name was Huey P. Long. Even
today he remains a sort of demi
rod to the majority of those re
siding; in his home state of Lou
isiana. Huey Long wanted power and
authority. He got it, first as
Governor of Louisiana and later
as a United States Senator. Huey
was so big and powerful that he
placed the capital city, Baton
Rouge, under martial law while
he was governor. It was a crim
inal offense for more than three
people to be together on the
street at any time. Those who
disliked either his methods or his
motives were dispose of or sil
enced by one means or another.
But how long did Huey Long
rise to power why is he still
revered by many of those who
remember him? He ran for Gov
ernor in 1930 on the slogan "Share
Our Wealth." After he was
elected he accomplished some
thinghe did things that the peo
ple could and still can see. Huey
built new roads, new bridges,
new public buildings and a new
State Capitol, mostly with state
relief labor under his own pro
gram. A new four-lane highway
was built to connect Baton Rouge
and New Orleans. All new, that
is, except in the one parish that
didn't vote for Long.
Senator Long;, for he advanced
rapidly np the ladder of success,
was shot on September 8, 193$
after he delivered a speech in
the Louisiana legislature. The
career of another dictator came
to a sudden violent end.
There are others who conceal
their desires, aims and hopes be
hind noble sayings. They, too,
present concrete accomplish
ments as a foundation upon which
to build their bridge of power.
Today the slogan is "Root Out
The Communists." The program
is to hunt out, unceasingly all th
Communists, real or imaginary,
in the United States. We are
in the era of the "big purge,"
ridding ourselves of all those sus
pected of unorthodox beliefs.
a
The hunt for "Reds' goes on.
These power seeking individuals
denounce both innocent and guilty
alike in their bid for popular sup
port. Rooting out Communists
is an accomplishment that can
be seen, felt and heard by the
masses. We no longer need ma
terial things as we did in the
1930's, but instead we must "pre
serve America from those who
seek to destroy it."
The ultimate roal, however, is
the acquisition of power by those
who most actively and publicly
seek out the Communists. This
hunt, having produced ne new
information about "subversives,"
or Indeed, not previously un
known Communists, can only
serve as a blind tn conceal other
motives from the public. ' One
must be suspicious of those who
declare they will either end up
in the White House or die try
ing. How long will the American
public continue to be deceived?
Lelterip
Action Against 'Shocking' Results
Of journal Action Urged By Student
Dear Editor:
All students and friends of the
University should well be shocked
by the results to the University
of the Lincoln Journal's key-hole
snooping in Chicago last week
although the Journal on Wednes
day did have a long "non sequi
tur" editorial trying to explain
its action.
Books, I am sure, have ' en
written not only on the freedom of
the presfc but also on the respon
sibilities of withholding "news";
surely many of the t lories of the
American press have been shown
in what they have not printed.
To have the press discuss each
"candidate" can serve only three
purposes, I think: 1. to encourage
the people of Nebraska "to vote"
on a Chancellor the Regents are,
by statute, responsible for choos
ing; 2. to allow the local crusad
ing editor to become a seventh
regent in choosing the new Chan
cellor; 3. to discourage many
prospective candidates from al
lowing themselves to be consid
ered. In an attempt to show the edi
tor of the Journal that many
friends of the University disap
prove the Journal's stand, I sug
gest that we, the, students, do
two things:
1. Circulate petitions which re
quest that the Journal refrain
from publishing; information it
may acquire on the intervewing of
candidates until the University
releases the story to it.
2. Cancel our subscriptions to
the Lincoln Journal for a period
of a month or until the Journal
changes its policy, not because
such cancellations would hurt the
Journal financially, but because
it Would show the sincerity of our
desire for a change in the Jour
nal's procedure.
There are two organizations
which, it seems to me, could take
the lead in helping the students
express their disapproval to the
Journal, the Student Council
which is the official organ of all
students andor The Nebraskan
which might wish to revive the
standards of good journalism.
Eleanor Knoll
A Treatment
Dear Editor:
I surrender. Maybe the deluge
of letters supporting the Rag
should have done it, but some
how it failed. How I resisted the
combined force of three-hun-dredths
of one percent of the
student body, I'll never know.
They rose almost as a body, those
two, m support of their beloved
paper; but I remain firm. What
else could the Rag be used for, I
thought, besides a rainy-iay head
covering?
Then, one rainy day as I was
leaving the library, it happened.
A student, preparing to face the
elements, withdrew a carefully
preserved Rag from his notebook
and wrapped it around his books.
Immediately I realized how narrow-minded
I had been. Why, a
newspaper was a handy item to
have after all!
I have been criticized for not
making constructive suggestions,
and my critics were right. There
fore, may I suggest one little item
which will improve the Rag:
Treat the paper with a silicone
water repellant.
Jerry Weinberg
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