Story of Eugene
Eugene and the University will have its day of pride when
a book authored by three local women comes off the press at
the end of May.
“The Story of Eugene” is one of a series of historical books
on cities of interest throughout the country. Eugene is the only
other city in the Northwest besides Spokane that was picked
for a write-up.
The story of Eugene was considered inseparable with the
story of the University. In the 400-page tome is a good sketch
of the growth of this green and happy acreage.
Said the press release: “A story of Eugene without a story
of the University would be unthinkable, because in the past
years the University was the town and the town was the Uni
versity. Eugene by itself would have been just another un
glamorous spot on the state’s map; and without the drive and
courage of men and women in the new little village, the Uni
versity could not have been born. And certainly, without their
love and determination through the mid-years it could not have
lived.”
We haven’t seen the book yet; it will take a certain amount
of writing skill to convince us that Eugene with its natural
resources, good situation, and good vacationing spots might
not have been more than an “unglamorous spot on the state’s
map”—with or without pencils, books, professors and et cet
eras.
“The Story of Eugene” was written by three daughters of
early city families, Nina Wilkins McCornack, Lucia Wilkins
Moore and Gladys Wilkins McCready. Two of the women are
University graduates. B.H.
Why Was Press Wrong
In 1948 Elections?
WASHINGTON, April 22—
(AP)—The American Society of
Newspaper Editors today sought
to learn from its members today
“why the press was wrong" in
1948 election forecasts.
Philip H. Parrish of the Morn
ing Oregonian, Portland, and
Paul Miller, editor of the Roch
ester (N. Y.) Times-Union,
brought prepared answers to the
•forum meeting of 350 editors at
ASNE’s annual convention. Said
Parrish:
“The papers almost universally
vouched for the polls as scientif
ic; and so identified themselves
with the polls. We have permit
ted a feature to pose in the robes
of a doctor of science.”
Said Miller: “There’s nothing
wrong as between newspapers
and the people that good report
ing won't fix.”
Three other discussion leaders
also were ready with replies to
the query, sent by wire in ad
vance of the meeting: then the
issue was scheduled for free-for
all debate.
And this afternoon, Harry S.
Truman, the man who guessed
right, prepared to receive the edi
tors in un off-the-record news
conference in the White House
rose garden, weather permitting.
The president’s office is too small
for the expected crowd.
The other discussion , leaders on
the election question were N. R.
Howard. Cleveland News: Thom
as Hanes, Norfolk Ledger-Dis
patch, and Richard J. Finnegan,
Chicago Sun-Times.
In the statement he prepared
for the meeting. Miller also said:
“Many a newspaper must have
had at least one reporter who
knew which way the wind was
blowing- last fall. Few newspa
pers made the most of such re
porters.”
The Gannett newspapers edi
tor suggested that it is time to
drop “ninety other sideshows if
necessary” to concentrate on
good reporting. The latter, lie
said, is “the one absolutely ba
sic essential to winning public
acceptance and holding it.”
“Many an editorial is narrow
and ill-founded because based on
a poor reporting job.
“The ASNE heal’d two speak
ers from Capitol hill at last
night's meeting.
Senator Byrd (D-Va) offered
an “ultra-conservative” estimate
that the government faces a
three-year deficit of $11,000,000,
000. He said that unless the trend
changes “we are headed for regi
mentation equal that which is
now suffered by the English, if
not worse.”
The other speaker, Rep. Herter
(R-Mass) told the editors that
the recovery of Europe is creat
ing an “acute problem” for both
the United States and Europe —
finding markets for vastly in
creased production of goods.
On the election question, Par
rish held that the public reac
tion toward newspapers after the
November election was “much
more serious" than after any of
the contests won by Franklin D.
Roosevelt.
After those elections, he said,
“Our critics rejoiced boisterous
ly.” But, he added, “after this
election, some of these critics
have dared do a more disturbing
thing they have shrugged, as
though we were no longer so im
portant.”
Oregon H Emerald
Thf Orcgon Daily F.mf.«al.d, published daily during the college year except Sundays.
Mondays, holidays, and final examination periods by the Associated Students, University of
Oregon. Subscription rates: $2.00 par term and $4.00 per year. Entered as second-class matter
at the post office, F.ugene, Oregon.
BILL YATES, Editor
VIRGIL TUCKER, Business Manager
Associate Editors: Jane Goetse, Boldee Bropny, Diana Dye, Barbara Hey wood
Advertising Manager: Cork Mobley
BOB REED, Managing Editor
Assistant Managing Editors: Stan Turnbull, Don Smith
BOB TWEE DELL, City Editor
Assistant City Editors: Ken MeUler, Ann Goodman
Another Small Timer?
Prom Deserves 'Big' Band
By Michael Callahan
It’s beginning to sound like the
same old song and dance.
Paul Johnston, chairman of
Dick Williams,
this year s Jun
i o r Weekend
prom, admitted
recently that
the powerszat
be have “found
it Very, very
difficult1’ sign
ing a band for
the dance . . .
acc o r d i n g to
educational ac
uviues manager, a uanu nas
been selected, but the name will
not be released until later.
To an ordinary guy about to
shell out $2 for a dance ticket,
this Johnston report makes in
teresting reading. Last term we
commented on the fact that cam
pus dances here at Oregon are
losing prestige and money so fast,
that at least one—the Frosh Glee
-—has already been cancelled. At
that time we observed that the
dances would stay in red ink until
a really big drawing card came
along to start the ball rolling the
other way.
Time was, we are told by the
old goats, that the ali-campus
prom had top priority on any so
cial calendar. One small reason
for that might be the all-star or
chestras that were booked for
the pre-war dances, outfits in the
Kay Kyser and Harry James and
Tommy Dorsey class.
Looking into the Johnston re
port, however, we find that he
and Williams have been “work
ing on a band’’ for all of six
weeks. Since the middle of winter
term, to be exact. Some dicker
ings with Charlie Ventura’s band
were claimed by Johnston, but
this fell through.
Big namers of the caliber need
ed to insure the success of to
day's all-campus dances simply
do not work on such short notice.
Jaunting around the country
with a fifteen or twenty piece or
chestra costs money, and requires
a long-range schedule to insure
that green stuff will be available.
Knowing this, we can’t see why
more vigorous action was not
taken last fait term. A top-flight
band approached then with one
or two possible dates for our
prom might have been persuaded
to include us in a northwest tour.
Such a tour, once planned, might
have been strengthened by dates
up at Corvallis and then into
Portland, and the Washington
colleges. May also seems to be a
favorite month for proms in the
California universities, so a Kyser
or Beneke might play here and
then swing southward.
It should be obvious by this
time, viewing the red ink records
of our past big dances, that some
thing new is needed. Without a
doubt what is needed is a band
importannt enough to supplant
decorations as the chief attrac
tion for student prom goers.
If new ideas to attract such
orchestras are wanted, what
about this one ... a concerted
schedule of prom dates on all
coast colleges, for fall and spring
terms. Such a tour, filled out with
short appearances in cities on the
way, would be rich enough to at
tract almost any band. As educa
tional activities director with
contacts on other campuses, this
should be right up your alley,
Dick Williams.
No such plans are going to
help this year’s prom, though. It
may be that the mysterious and
unnamed band may draw enough
of a crowd to show a profit. We
certainly hope so, if only because
so many committees are doing so
much work on the dance.
Footnote: Win, lose, or draw on
this dance, we deserve a better
deal on the next one!
Thrill of a Lifetime
You've NeverBeen onTelevision?
By Hay Boyle
NEW YORK— (API-Is tele
vision any more than keeping
your mouth a-wide and your eyes
a-g'leam 7
I don’t know
for sure except
I’ve been on
the darn thing.
That is. I’ve
been on a tele
vision program.
Just how to
talk to the rest
of you who
haven't had
this adventure
I’m not sure. After all, you don t
know, do you?
In other words, life has passed
you by. And I, like a good fellow,
want to tell you what it’s like.
I would say there are two
ways to meet television—male
and female. I am male. That is
the downstairs technique. You sit
there on a couch until the pro
gram starts.
Ah, but if you are female ?
That is a different matter. That
is the technique above. The lady
goes upstairs and gets herself
overhauled—as if a simple thing
like that would surprise you when
she came back down.
But it does surprise you. If it
doesn't—you are no gentleman
at all. It is like little girls run
ning up the steps and playing
Mamma Red Indian. When the
girls come hoppity-step down,
you just have to mention that
Miami sunburn on their faces.
Of course the selfish male—
and what male isn’t selfish?—
may wonder why they don’t
bother to put an indoor tan on
his face. The answer is very sim
ple. Who cares about him any
way?
At the present stage of televi
sion the only people who take
care to see that they lodk right
on television are those who earn
their daily bread that way. And
guest ladies. You know guest la
dies always want things done
right.
And guest men? Well, I was a
guest man. There I was—and
what was I to say?
They don’t tell you that. All of
a sudden the lights come on. The
lights really come on under tele
vision. They come on fast and
hard.
And all of a moment there you
are with two or three cameras
pointed at you waiting for you to
say something important. And
all you can think is “what will
posterity think?”
And posterity isn’t even on the
program—that is one thing that
isn’t scheduled by television yet.
Well, you are between two
girls and you are supposed to be
(Please turn to page eight)
From Our Mailbag
Letters to the Editor
Dear Mr. Marquis:
Your sweet (and evasive) rea
sonableness at Thursday’s Same
Old Stand left me discouraged.
You continued to defend with
vague generalities the law that I
choose to attack on the basis of
specific performance.
Saturday you undertook to
chide the Eugene ITU local for
their ad asserting the unfairness
of the Taft-Hartley law.
Tuesday I challenged your very
general conclusions as unsupport
ed by any acquaintance with the
realities of the situation. I out
lined briefly the experience of
ITU members under the T-H law
and claimed that, contrary to
American concepts of justice, the
union was being treated as guilty
over a great length of time before
their case was tried.
Thursday you revealed that
your stand was based on your
“fundamental philosophy of life.”
Concerning the predicament of
the ITU you said you were not
“familiar” with the struggle of
the Chicago printers and in fur
ther extenuation suggested “Per
haps” there are pending cases in
which employers are being
wronged by unions. I don’t know.
Mr. Marquis, it is customary to
know first, before you advance
such an implication in support of
an attitude. If you want to use
such an argument, find such a
case—if you can. I don't believe
you will, because section 10(1)
of the Taft-Hartley Act gives
cases under section 8(b)(4) (all
of which concern unfair labor
practices by unions) priority over
all other cases.
Can you imagine an employer
about to be w ronged by a union
who couldn't find some charge to
lodge against the union? That is
all he would need to do to have
his version considered before any
union’s charges against any em
ployer for any cause could he
acted upon.
Here. Mr. Marquis, are some
specific questions upon which to
exercise your “fundamental phil
osophy of life”:
1. Do you consider that the
Taft-Hartley Act is fair in giving
one party (the employer) prior
access to the legal machinery?
2. Can you find a pending case
to support your implication that
unions may be wronging employ
ers under the Taft-Hartley Act?
3. If you could find such a case
of injustice, would you say that
it made the Taft-Hartley Act a
better law?
Merrill E. Samuelson