Irate HYDC 'Progress Committee' Attacks Club's Executives, Activities

An angry and dissatisfied Committee for HYDC Progress has split the ranks of the Harvard Young Democratic Club on the evening of its annual elections.

In a statement issued late yesterday afternon, the Committee announced that it will propose its own state of officers at tonight's 7:30 p.m. election meeting. A spokesman called the action "a protest against present conditions in the club."

The Committee distributed a newsletter to 200 members of the HYDC Saturday night in which it attacked "the lack of purpose of the club's executive board, the insouciance of the officers towards interested members of the club, and the promiscuous pre-professionalism of many current officers and candidates."

"At a time when the nation approved the New Frontier, the HYDC has remained lost in the woods," the circular claimed. A representative of the Committee said the executive committee has released practically no information on its activities during the past half-year.

The Committee also charged that a "ruling elique" has dominated projects and "confused the activities of the club. The newsletter accused many current officers and candidates of "using their positions as launching pads for their future careers."

Minot W. Tripp '61, outgoing president of the HYDC, said last night that "if the members of the Committee for Progress had done something for the club during the past year, they would have no cause to complain now."

Tripp stressed that club activities have been hampered by a deficit of $272 inherited from the previous executive board, and by the requirements of the political campaign during the Fall Term.

Dismissing the "promiscuous pre-professionalism" charge, Tripp said "it is very unlikely that anyone on the HYDC executive committee could gain anything from his office in future political activity."