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BEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER IN SOUTH CAROLINA" 1ember of the South Carolina College Press Association Published Weekly by the Various Literary Societies of the University of South Carolina. Terms--$1.50 a Year Entered as Second-Class Mail Mater at the Columbia South Carolina Postoffice on November 20, 1908 NEws ITEMs may be handed in to any member of the staff EDITORIAL STAFF BRUCE WHITE . . . . ditor-in-Chief BURTON SHOOK . . . Hanaging Editor ED. BALLENGER . . . . Associate Editor SYDNEY HEYMAN. . . . Associate Editor JOSEPH KARESH . . . Associate Editor BARRON BRIDGES . . . Associate Editor ERSKINE LEGETTE . . . . Sports Editor CURTIS BROCK . . . . Joke Editor MAYRE WALL . . . . Co-Ed Editor ASSISTANTS BANNIE STEWART . . . . Sports SURA WOLFE . . . . . . Co-Ed JEssE RUTLEDGE . . . Y.M.C.A. REPORTERS Harold Funderburke, Eugene Carmichael F- y Stephenson, Gertrude R *y,'enneth ',rimsley. BUSINESS STAFF JASPER DERRICK . . . Iusiness M1nagoer JosEt HIoAT -s- - . . Asistait Hi*NRY \VALKER , . . . . ..SIs I(IgIt JACK EATIS . . Ciaula.ion Iaq.1 WI.uAM P-A iisi . . . . Issis ant C. L. SCOTT . . . . Issistant FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 19.28 Open Politics The old or<der of secret campus politics received a deserved blow when John Bolt Culher son openly announced hiiseif as a canididate for sophomore presideit. 'hec blon(le freshman should be given a medal for his braverv. lie, in al, probability, after a while will be pointed to -j., the pioneer in 'ie new regime of po*itics at Carolina. O course, open politics have long since existed at many other schools hut such a practice is new and tiril.ing wi h this universi y. \Vhy thrilling? For the simple reastil that the politiciains are afraid to break away frino the ild cistois. It makes their loiid i-rculate faster when hev realize that they imist coine ou on tle "hard stirface" aiml proclain to the vt'ters that they ,re "The Stunents an." The Gamecock realizes that open poii ic, are far from being established on this caipus. \Ve appreciate a.so tle fact that nlot only' thle stmiunts here but also the people of Souh Carolina generally, are worsri pers of precedent, and (lstomsl-,. They will follow a precedent almost into "Tlie jaws of (lea hl.' before breaking awa;y. The Game cock favors following precedents so long as they are good and tiiely. But when conditioll'; become such that sail eus onis are no lorger fitting :md :-'propriate we believe in laying thei asiile even if it do, :7se itu- forefathers to turn over in ti-.-ir graves. The groundI ias been broken and the seed of opeil )olitics lias been planted. TrIue, it may he some tine be fore the planting il cme up, t hrive and bear fruit .The too the cold winds of pIrecedlents may chill the seed to such an extent that i willI never germinate, thius necessitating a replant ing. But a beg inning must be miade siometinme. ,A replan ing shiou.d no t lhe necessary. The students shotuld realize the need of un recervedl piolit ics and should sponsor4 anid e nraige this miethod! 'f cioiiducting cami pus affairs. It is useless to at empt to show whyu3 ipen politics shiouid be adopted. Fveryonie, interesteid in caimpus acti vities, knows :he p)resenit situation. The atspi-ranits them selves conlcedle that the system tindekr discussiotn is better than the ione which now exists. So why not inaugurate it? Trhe Gamecosk wvishes that it be clearly uinderstoiod that we arc not doing any pl)tic p)oli-icinig ini b)ehllf of the aunnounced candidate, neither are we necessarily sponi soring the platform of atny. \Ve' are merely men ionig hitm as the starter of somiething that thie stuidenit body as it wvhole should adlopt. -Usc Suggestion Most semester schools begi-n and end their school year at the wrong time. The University of South Caro lina is but an example of many others. Here the first semester beins about the meiddle of Septembe,r, the Christmas vacation comes the middle of December, and when the session is resumed after the holidays, only a month resmains before- the final examinations for the semes.. ter. his arrangement throws the final exami-na'ions for the second term during the hot weather. if. the first semester began early enough to permit the first final examinations coming efotre Crtssch lai tic work would proceed very effectively, more -studying wou,d be done, and greater results would be shown among average studen.s. Under the present arrangement, many students wait until after Christmas holidays to 'begin serious study, and then cram a month before the first semeste.r exams. Failures or uear failures then induces many of them to begin s.udying earlier the second semester. The point in question should be enough to show that the first semes.er should start in time to permit the final examinarions comi:ng before Chrisamas, but there are many other factors in favor of the change. If the first semester began the third week in August, students would have a full month of study before the annual football craze begins. Students wi,h the right attitude would get down to a full month of study before the foot ball season started. This would also permit a -full month alter the footbali season, and would make the work of reviewing for the' examinations much easier. After the examinations, students could go home and en'joy the Christ mas vacation with no thought of final exams hanging over their heads like the sword of Damocles. Another objection to the present. arrangement is that the first examinations come in February during the best part of the basketball season. Exciting games just before the exams detract iron study, and the examinations dis rupt basketball play, and has ruined many chances of a winiig team. If the change is effected,, school would be over about the middle of May, and final examinazions would come durinig the pleasant spring weather. Students and teach ers would then have some good weather during their vaca tion, and hot weather would come at the beginning of the school year only, and not bo.h at the beginning and end as at the present. Mai3 leading universities have adopted the quarter systemn but those that retain the old semester method should coilform it to the seasots. Let it be hoped -that the t.rustees will alfect tile changC lncxi. ;ali. - 4JW1 - The Open Forum Poiitic- have been put n aln "open and above ,iard" tar' d oin oir ca.ulnls. This remedy to ait obsicto and itti.sed system of caillils .."Vernm1ent apeas i 1ave o ,igillated Solely i. lie brain of a remarkably vertait freshman who suddenly s rock uipon tile soluitioi I ti caimpus evii thru his own il.i1a ive thotight, tho this mile :itaive facu'tv of his seems to lave hecii singiharily 'nimaini . lesed Iithert >, probab6 duc toi the ilgrowin illod(sty ,I h-. at"r.- aid g('nlemllai, Firing a hIombshel ilt I tle unprepared ranks of the "stri-deit and of.en offen;ive initiority," he inaster;llly states his llotives and pi;tiform in laiguage that would be highly creVditahe to a law st,udc;.t :r onc who had taken IProfessor Babcock's corrse ln vocabulary buildiig. .After a brief associati in wit i the li ;i.-1,y, during a period of six illonths oliy, lie howi a 1ul aid coin pl.te appreciation of the dark aid sly po .ical dealinigs that have lolg marred the serene lite I; our saicti-fied campus. This iisight into affairs of the (lay (and night also, gen.lemen) could lot possibly have been gained by aly secret dabbing in the muddy waters of our political hog trough. bue is evidently the result of the keen it, telligeuice that lie has so suddenly rev'ealed, fostered by somlle dlivinle inituit ion or inlfluence. It was certainlly no earthly piromloter whlo gulided hlimI away from the mud oif hliddenC pod.t ics, sin,ce no uplperclassmnan is i aiiy way ill terestedl ill tile outcomnIe if a minor electionl Ihat canl neoither plmicly enhantlce hlis reputat ionl notr openIly add to his ir fluenice. We cer:ainily agree withl tile well-expressed sentiments of tIle genltlemani from l.aurens thla "the (disseinlationl of goss.pi amid slander in ally secret fashlion" lie (lone away with;~ anid have made no0 a templjt to disguise aimy statemlet ini this article, if indeed it conitainis ally statemlent what soever tha mlight lie so mlisconistrued. A plank suIch as that referred to ill tile previouts psara graphl is trutly adlmirablle, anld it is withl the deepest regre. thlat we not ice htow carelessly the eminlen. statesman froim Laurenls has left ouit "tile issues of thlis camp)aignl," thlt repeatedly offerinlg I) dlebate ally presumptious opo:ent on thlese isstues thlat lIe so) cuinillgly conceals. Th'lis is 110: so admi-rable, bult we can easily attribute it to tile Slimy influence thla somlle silmster politicianls cast osver utIle Johlnny in his dlays of innlocenlce. Finally, we adore tile unlfiinchling bravery that leads our hleroic freshmanl to offer himself as a sacrifice tupon the altar of ciean politics, inceidentally incurring the fur ther risk of being elected sophlomore class president, and woulId be (deeply interested in learnling what (or whlo) ill flated him with flattery anId thlen shoved him into :he political whirlpool to floa: about like a toy baloon umntil elect'ion day, when the hot air with wIhichI he has been filled will have an opportunity to escape and annoy hlis hearers. ..MAwkevaE Awn) wTHrSa Welcome Univer BURNETT'S i DRUGS, DRINKS, CIC Whitman's Candy and Ea One Block from Campus-Phonc CAROLINA STU SH ONE I Ground Floor Sta "SPECIAL SERVICE TO 1 IF YOU ARE PLANNING, THE CAMEL CI' YrLLOW COACH CHAIR CARS riding busses in operation Rates on Request CAMEL CITY CC Office: 2118 Main St. Col YOU-GET-A-RI SELECTIV Founta mai The State ] Per] THE LARGEST STOCK 1248 MAIN STREET GAYDEN CIGARS, CIGARET'MS, P: Agency for Norris a: 1"ry Our Moderate Price LunT THE WAFFLE SHOP ''Rverything Good to Eat'' 1217 MAIN STFREET~ (J us: lleyond Columibia T1heater) A\ PLACE~ TO E-A-T TOASTEE SAlN Open i SANDWICHES Patronize 0n4 ity Students to )RUG STORE 'ARS, STATIONERY stman's Kodak Supplies 3191-Cor. 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