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.