THE STUDENT COUNCIL SUGGESTS.

Last evening the class of 1915 held its first regular meeting. Over 450 members turned out to discuss and finally adopt a suggestion from the Executive Committee of the Student Council, which we believe should recommend itself to anyone at all familiar with the history of class elections at Harvard, and especially to those familiar with Freshman class elections.

In the past the Freshmen have been called at short notice to attend "a mass meeting for the election of officers." Hurried visits to all members possessing the franchise with strict injunction to attend the meeting and vote for the "right candidate," resulted more often than not in an election well calculated, sooner or later, to foster the elements of discord. To operate successfully a regular "railroading" scheme under the old system required only three or four intelligent "spell-binders," backed by as few as 50 voters well trained in concerted cheering. Time and again the many, who could know very little of the respective candidates' merits, were won over merely by the volume of sound raised as each nominee's name was called. We venture to say that more than one class split can be traced directly to what seems to us now a very faulty system of Freshman elections.

To correct the present hit-or-miss method the Executive Committee of the Student Council proposes itself to draw up and submit the list of nominees. Following somewhat the lines of upper-class elections, additional nominations to this list may be made by petitions signed by 35 members of the class. Also the elections will be held under the Australian ballot system at the Lodge of the 1877 Gate. Thus, not only will the voters have an opportunity to consider, propose and finally elect the best men, but a decent formality will be given a hitherto slap-dash election.

In opposition, we recognize few arguments of any weight. That any committee of the Freshman class, be they the well-known men or representatives of the large schools, is better qualified to nominate the class officers than is the Executive Committee of the Student Council, we very much doubt. The well-known men would necessarily be in the predicament of nominating themselves and the representatives of the larger schools would evidently encounter a deadlock at once. As a third suggestion, we do not believe any Freshman class has the unity to abide by a nominating committee such as now controls upper-class nominations.

In conclusion, the CRIMSON wants to congratulate the Student Council for its keen perception and energetic treatment of a crying need. Such reforms, although not world-moving in their consequences, seem to us to constitute the true province of the Council. To make few changes and these in a quiet way implies a fairly satisfactory state of affairs. We believe that the acceptance of this suggestion by the class of 1915 establishes a precedent which will make for a closer unity among future classes.