Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 1942)
Qregdn W Emerald HELEN ANGELL, Editor FRED O. MAY, Business Manager Associate Editor, Hal Olney The Oregon Daily Emerald, published daily during the college year except Sundays, Mondays, holidays, and rinal examination periods by the Associated Students, University of Oregon. Subscription rates: $1.25 per term and $3.00 per year. Entered as second class matter at the postoffice. Eugene, Oregon._. Oregon Takes a Hand... 'E'ASCISM is a political doctrine keyed to war; democracy serves best as a government of peace. Those facts became even clearer in this seventh week of World War IT, as the American public only gradually stretched its comfortable limbs after a 22-year rest on laurels and blinked at the be wildering ramifications of all-out war. Fascist Japan kept on the offensive, and in swift, sure strokes tightened a net around the whole East. A house divided against itself in America today would be a disaster, another France. The lightning-like manner in which 1he United States has taken a determined stand behind its war-time president is creditable, and the swiftness with which the defense program has swooped into action startling. * * # # nrilERE are rumblings in Washington, to be sure. As Time magazine puts it, everybody is blaming everybody else for the bottlenecks in production The blame is falling on every man behind a glass door in the nation's capital, from Donald Nelson to the president himself. It's not only in the capital that America is found wanting. More than a hundred million civilians were not ready either, and for them . . . far from the battlefi’onts and diplomatic circles . . . the war that “couldn’t happen here” remains even today a shadow of unreality reflected on many lives only by slight curtailments in food or tires. So far the United States has not. prepared itself in any manner of speaking for the terrifying role it must play in deciding the fate of the world. It is in universities such as this one that must come con centrated attempts to make citizens aware of the sacrifices, the “blood, sweat, and tears” that lay on the path ahead. # * * * JT is for that reason that the student-faculty war forum, sched uled for its initial confab Thursday night, is being organized. Stimulation of intelligent discussion of the issues of the war, the peace that comes after, and the role of America, will be the goal of the dozen faculty members and students who will kick-off the forum’s program for the year. Chairman of Thursday’s initial meet is drily-liumorous Pro fessor Howard of Oregon’s law school. On his board of opinion will be Dr. Victor P. Morris, ardent campus follower of the “Union Now” movement; Dr. Calvin Crumbaker, popular eco nomics professor; Rev. E. S. Bartlam of Eugene’s Episcopal church; and Dr. Waldo Schumacher, professor of political science. % g’TIJDENTS well versed in current affairs will lead off the discussion which follows. Among them are Hope Hughes, Earl Holmer, and Steve Worth. The forum is the germ of an idea which has the potentialities of becoming a vital link in Oregon’s war education program. Only by awakening to the true issues of the conflict can America . . . and particularly its young people . . . prepare itself for the significant task which lies ahead. Down Payment on Democracy rT'lIE purchase of a $;">,000 defense savings bond by the Kappa Sigma fraternity of the University of Oregon should not go unnoticed among its fellow living organizations or any where in the' state. Palmer Hoyt, defense savings chairman for the state of Oregon and a University graduate, commended the fraternity on its decision Saturday when he was here presiding over the Oregon Newspaper Publishers’ association convention, lie ex pressed the hope that the action will begin a flow of such contributions throughout the state from all fraternities, sor orities and other such organizaions. The bond was reportedly the largest single one yei pur chased by any organization in the state, and. according to Mr. lloyt, one of the largest in the entire nation. The Kappa Sigma fraternity, not resting on its laurels, intends to pur chase another one of the same denomination within the next month. Despite the fact it is admittedly impossible for other living organizations of weaker financial standing to emulate the fine example, it is not impossible for other fraternities and sororities to follow on a somewhat smaller scale if necessary. The bonds are for the defense of the United States. They are the best investment, for individual or organization, in the United States today. , It is hoped that the usual healthy rivalry of fraternities and sororities on the Oregon campus will not fail to reappear in this worthy instance.—B.B. AFTER COLLEGE — WHAT? 9 am lan> Rn&ahjja&£ By TED HALL.OCK Don Dill and I are really ready. We are so mentally sharp that we are practically untrue. That is to say modestly, of course, we are geniuses. The reason behind our being the fair-haired lads is an idea. This idea is an idea. I mean it isn’t the kind of idea that commonplace people like James Thurber might dream up over a short opium. It is really an idea. Oh yes, and it’s got something to do with music. You know how people are when they get together and start cry ing into each other’s beers, all the while unraveling the history of their demented third cousin Sid. Well, Don and I were sitting next to each other over a Time and a cigarette and this idea comes to both of us simul—semul —at the same time. Sort of like Joan of Arc or something. The Great Plan So this is the idea (Eds. note that might have been written by the ed. The Emerald does not re flect the ideas of this columnist, but then, neither does a mirror). We figure that: (1) on account of people like music and dancing and relaxation and cokes; (2) on account of the world is in a damn mess; (3) on account of Dr. Erb has sanctioned an increased so cial program; some agreeable character with enough gu—brfsk —ititiative, should attempt to open a place where studes can dance. This place needn’t be similar in any way to any of the jerk joints that have dotted our gracious town for lo these many. Instead this joint should be strictly on the campus, with a coke bar, a big juke and the grooviest of waxes. (We are working on a plan to boycott Lombardo.) Think It Over So that’s the idea. It is ad vanced in all seriousness by two individuals who believe in it. As it stands there are no places to dance, in the city, at all. The Hol land has been closed, the Park has had a slight set-back, and other hostelries have just given up with a sigh. So that's the pitch. Why not get some small floor (the back room at the Side or the big vacant job next door), put in a big disc box. and be able to ship cokes in like mad. The idea is terrific I'm sure. Studes could dance there in the early evening or.after study table. The whole deal could be absolutely above board, too. No alcoholics (meaning beverages) at all, just a lot of stuff conducive to having (Please turn to page seven) Politi&L . . . US Needs a Noisy Minority. By DON TREADGOLD Partisan politics, as of December 7, is adjourned for the dura tion. We cannot regret that there was opposition to the majority. As Walter Lippmann has pointed out, apropos of the narrow vote to throttle the Neutrality Act, throughout our history decisions of real importance have been made by a small margin. Even the Con stitution just managed to squeeze through a few state legislatures. It is not that democratic debate went on up to the zero hour, but that the tone of the debate was bitter, petty, and sterile. The few statesmanlike voices went for the most part unheeded. Congress had to be pushed by the presi dent and the public into taking any steps at all. In a time when leadership and foresight were desperately needed, our legisla tors distinguished themselves for obstruction, uncertainty, and de lay. No Party Lines It was a sad spectacle. Neither party was blameless; Republi cans and Democrats alike had a hand in the sorry mess. But it was a great pity that the Repub licans, being offered aggressive leadership outside of Congress in the person of Wendell Willkie, completely lost their opportunity to act as an intelligent opposi tion. In an article in the Decem ber 6 Nation entitled, “Can Will kie Save the Republican Party?’’ Arthur Schlesinger asked if Re publicans were going to reject Willkie’s advice as the Whigs did Seward’s in 1852. The inference, of course, was that the Republi can party, if it did so, would per ish as did the Whig party. Schles inger gloomily recorded, “Ameri can conservatism, so far as it is organized politically, has been hostile to an aggressive policy against Hitler.” It Worked in England On the other hand, what of the <rJ'ia&e lad... By MARY WOLF Two Scotsmen got a job to clean some high windows.. “Jack,” said Sandy, get a plank and put it through the window. I’ll sit on the end of the plank on the inside and you sit on the outside. All went well until Jack cried out: “I’ve let my polishing cloth fall.” “All right,” replied Sandy, “stop right where you are, I'll'get it. Away went Sandy down stairs. When he reached the pavement he exclaimed. “Great Gordon Highlanders, (Please turn to pane si.vj minority party in England? The Labor party, from the outset loyal to Churchill and the war ef fort, has continued to make crit icisms and suggestions on the conduct of the war. Labor’s spokesmen have been heard with attention, and have been influ ential in bringing about much^ needed changes. Is the answer, then, that the opposition shall simply shut its trap? Not if the democratic sys tem is to function, as it is appar ently doing in England. Must the opposition, whether Republican or Democrat, either go whole hog against public opinion or for ev erything' the majority may now propose ? The war effort admit tedly has grave defects. It should be the duty of the opposition to endeavor to seek out those de fects in order that they may be corrected, and to forget malice and vituperation. That is how-ti»e opposition might help to win the war. There is no evidence as yet that it plans to do so. 9*i *7Ite Mail Ba(f To the Editor— Thank Don Treadgold for em phasizing the care with which this country should choose meth ods for conducting the war. If his point of view about bombing civilians should prevail with the Allied command through out this war, this war would dif fer in one more respect from the last one. On one occasion during that war, according to a state ment by Lord Halsbury in the Army, Navy, and Air Force Ga zette for March 14, 1929, a cer tain British officer got orders di rect from the admiralty “to load up all machines and be ready to go over the nearest German town and bomb men, women, and chil dren” if the enemy failed to aban don the proposed execution of an English officer. And H. C. Peter son, in his book “Propaganda for War” points out that during the thirteen months preceding the'l armistice the Allies conducted 709 air raids in Germany, 374 on defenseless towns. Sincerely yours, Orval Etter.