Harvard Libertarians Revive Publication of The Chronicle

Harvard Libertarians will be pleased to find that after nearly three years of dormancy. The Chronicle is back.

Under the leadership of Peter J. Hansen '85, the 15-member Harvard Libertarian Association has successfully revitalized the paper that seemingly died in 1979 when most of its original staff graduated.

Executive Editor John P. Humphreys '82, who was part of the original staff, said yesterday that the press run for the April 9 issue was approximately 5000. True to its free market enterprise philosophy, the group even reported a small profit from advertisement sales.

Humphreys said he expects the more moderate stand of the Chronicle--which originally started in 1977--to attract greater support than its radical predecessor. The group is planning another issue for May and hopes to keep the publication going throughout next year.

Gerald M Roth '84, a staff writer, said yesterday that the paper aims to "clarify exactly what libertarians is and more specifically to point up in distinct difference from the official platforms of either of the two major parties. "Libertarians, despite what others may think, are not Reaganites," he added.

The desired end of all Libertarians is to expand civil liberties wherever possible Accordingly, Libertarians agree with President Reagan that less government is better government. Unlike Reagan, they oppose draft registration, advocate cutting military spending and seek legalization of almost all chemical substances, from saccharine to cocaine.

While extremists go as far as denying the government any right whatsoever to exist moderate Libertarians like Hansen and Humphreys believe that government can perform functions such as overseeing national defense and the well-being of the environment.

Group members expressed mixed opinions as to whether the Libertarians can emerge in the future as a viable third party.

Roth sees the role of libertarianism --and The Chronicle--as primarily a forum for ideas that will eventually be incorporated into the philosophy of the major parties.

Humphreys, however, maintains that the party could emerge sometime within the decade.

The current issue of The Chronicle includes an interview with Edward Clark, who ran as the Libertarian Party candidate for President and received approximately one million votes in the 1980 election.