TTie Daily Nebraskan
Page 3
DICKESON:
Monday, May 21, 1962
'Beerman Is Being Dragged
Screaming to 20th Century'
"Not many people have died
In the last 30 years in Ne
braska because in order to
die one must have lived,"
said Lincoln lawyer Roger
Dickeson in a speech Thurs
day night at the Union.
Dickeson's speech, "Would
a Bipartisan Legislature Cure
Nebraska's Ills", opened by
comparing two modern day
Greek citizens sitting on the
curb, gazing at the Partha
non aui saying, "God!
weren't we wonderful peo
ple?" to two University stu
dents standing on 15th Street
gazing at the Capitol and ex
claiming, "God! weren't we
great people?"
"We are failing," continued
Dickeson. "In the educational
field, our teachers are not
qualified, they receive low
salaries and 45 per cent of
the elementary teachers edu
cated in the state are leaving
it. We are 49th in state aid
to education. In parks and
recreations we are disas
trously behind. In the field of
public health we are 50th. In
the field of tourism, the leg
islature appropriated $25,000
for literature and that has
been used up. We can't even
go to the boat show in Chi
cago and tell them what
wonderful lakes we have in
Nebraska.
Interstate Mileage
'We have 14 per cent of
our interstate mileage com
pleted, while other states
around us have at least
twice that, and several have
completed more than 50 per
cent. "Our safety patrol is
greatly undermanned. I don't
know why those fellows work
the hours they do, they just
must like to drive, I guess.
Safety slogans don't save
lives; good highways and an
adequate safety partol do.
"The state railway commis
sion handles monumental
problems everyday and
makes decisions that involve
millions of dollars and they
don't even have an adequate
staff of statisticians."
Youth Exodus
Dickeson stated that 1,200
people leave the state every
year and that one seventh of
the state's prime youth leave
after graduation.
He also said that he was
glad to hear someone, (Dr.
Miller, chairman of the Eng
lish department.) agree with
him that the Think and Act
Committee is "anti-intellectual."
He noted that one of
the leaders of a group that
is opposing school district con
solidation had to leave high
school in his sophomre year
because of bad grades.
Dickeson theorized that the
state has three main areas
of crisis: it lacks leadership,
it does not have a sound edu
cational system and its gov
ernmental structure is detri
mental to slate progress.
Creeping Crisis
"We are in a creeping
crisis," said Dickeson. "It is
hard to identify but it is all
around us."
"It hag become a leaping
crisis here at the University,
though."
"This is not the frontier
anymore," he emphasized.
"This is the intellectual age,
the age of the ICBM and the
A-bomb, and Nebraska
chooses a Congressman like
Beermann, who is being
dragged screaming into the
20th Century.
Governor's Power
The lawyer pointed out
what he deems an inconsist
ency in what Governor Mor
rison has said. Dickeson
quoted an article in the Chris
tian Science Monitor which
quoted Morrison as saying
that his voice is no more im
portant than any of the 43
legislators. Dickeson then
said that this contradicts a
recent statement by Morrison
in the Daily Nebraskan de
fending his great power.
On the subject of the state
legislator, Dickeson said that
the legislators lack, but need,
statewide responsibility,
which would be present in a
partisan legislature.
He cited the Kerr-Mills bill
as an example. "It was
passed by the Eisenhower Ad
ministration, and it needed
some state cooperation. The
health and accident i n s u r
ance companies in Nebraska
backed it because it is based
on need. But, the legislature
didn't pass it and now Ne
braska is one of the few
states not receiving aid from
it."
Who's Responsible
"Whece does the responsi
bility rest?" he asked. "Not
on the Governor, because he
has only a small voice. It
does not rest on the majority
leader or the party whip be
cause there aren't any. Where
does the buck end?"
"After all, America is or
ganized on a partisan basis.
If it is so bad, why put up
with the mess in Washing
ton? Since the unicameral non
partisan legislature was born
in 1936, only one Governor
has developed enough to be
elected as a U.S. Senator, as
it is a tradition to do in most
states, Dickeson said. He said
that the state has no vehicle
for leadership.
Partisan Government
"Don't get me wrong on
partisan government," he
said. "Parts of it are not
pretty, it is not nice in many
ways but it works in the fed
eral government and 49 other
states."
"The next time that there
are budget hearings, I predict
that there will be aroused
excited students marching to
the state capitol carrying
placards saying 'Don't short
change the University.' This
would be living! If you be
lieve in Viie University stand
up for it."
He added that the politici
ans in the state paint a rosy
picture, favoring mother
love and opposing sin but say
nothing on is budget or
safety patrol.
'Colored' Heads
He accused the Omaha
World Herald of coloring
headlines and loading the
front page with stories that
don't belong there.
He said that although Sena
tor Marvel of Hastings is one
of the white hopes of the
state, he has had acute and
recurrent attacks of World
Heralitis, which is a softening
and curvature of the spine.
He also asked that the stu
dents send Marvel 'get well
cards.'
In answer to a question
asking how to improve the
situation, Dickeson said,
"HoDe things Cet worse, be
cause they will have to be
fore they get better. At the
University they are getting
worse so fast it's alarming.
Then the crisis may be rec
ognized and we could get a
leader to propose a constitu
tional convention."
Pecking Order
He save an affirmative an
swer to the Question of
whether the leadership would
evolve out of the crisis.
"Even chickens have a peck
ing order," he commented.
"There s a sickening con
formity." he said. "There's
no head on the state of Ne
braska, all we have is a neck
that is lumped up and haired
over.
"If vou want to act, join
me in being an apostle of
dissent."
Daily
Nebraskan
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Incorporated. Published at:
Room SI, Student Union,
Lincoln, Nebraska.
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