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Opposition to the election of '43 officers was expressed at a special meeting last night by the Phillips Brooks House Freshman Committee, which for the past month has been investigating the relations of the Student Council to Yardling government.
The Committee, headed by Robert G. Axtell '43, is now preparing a report favoring greater democracy in Yard management and will present it to the Council Tuesday.
Elections Undemocratic
"Contrary to public opinion," Axtell said last night, "the practice of electing class officers is far from democratic. We feel that is not a sign of intelligent democracy for a class of 1,000 men to vote almost blindly for candidates whom they do not know.
"The officers come from a miscellaneous group of nominees, some of whom even try to secure publicity by such antics as gold-fish swallowing."
Few Duties
Axtell pointed out that the only function of class officers is the appointment of Smoker and Jubilee Committees, and he questioned the advisability of placing complete appointive power in the hands of a group of three men without social or geographic distribution.
The Committee's report to the Council, he revealed, will deal mainly with the means of appointment of these two committees and of the Red Book Staff.
First intended as an explanation of how the Freshman class is governed, the investigation met so many criticisms against the present means of class government that the Committee decided to outline them in a report.
The report also will contain suggestions on how the weaknesses can be remedied.
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