Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1952)
Daihf EMERALD The Ougon Daily Emerald is published Feh. 4 thru 8, 11 thru 15, 18 thru 22, 25 thru 29, March 10, Apr. 2 thru 4, 7 thru U, 14 thru 18, 21 thru 25, 28 thru May 2, May 6 thru 10, 12 thru 16, 19thru22, and May 26 by the Associated Students of the University of Oregon. Entered as second class matter at the post ofhcc, Eugene, Oregon. Subscription rates: $5 per school year, $2 per term. . , , . . . . . . Opinions expressed page on the editorial are those of the writer and do not pretend to represent the opinions of the ASUO or of the University. Initialed editorials arc written by the associate editors. Unsigned editorials are written by the editor. __ Wanted-Campus Polling Places It seems to us that one of the chief attributes of \ irginia Wright’s proposed ASUO-sponsored primary for both campus political parties—the Associated Greek Students and the United Students association—is its provision for campus polling places In past years USA has held its primary election at an after noon nominating assembly on campus. Many party members, due to jobs or afternoon classes, or just to general lethargy, failed to attend the assembly. AGS members, including ASL O President Bill Carey have pointed this out (and rightly so) as a failing in the USA system. But although the AGS-dominated ASUO senate stalled ac tion this year on Miss Wright’s proposal by sending the matter into committee, USA is proceeding to correct it’s former fail ing. That party will utilize voting booths located throughout the campus on April 16, so now a member can drop his vote in the box while hurrying to class. Now AGS argues that it's new system, of going around to each of its 33 member houses with the ballots and box during meal time is really much more democratic because ALL party members will be polled. All who eat at the houses, that is. And all members living off campus—married or single—may come over to their respective houses at the specified time and vote too. So is it a fairer system than a polling booth method? It would seem that social pressure would just about force a student to vote, under the AGS plan. And although we think everyone should want to vote in an election, national and state as well as campus, not everyone does. I hat is our privilege in a democracy. The practice of one house calling another and saying “we'll vote for your candidate if you’ll vote for ours ’ has been com mon in the past. This new system, where all the members are voting together—though on separate individual ballots—would seem to intensify the power of vote trading. The woman who didn’t really know anything about the candidates would have only to lean over to her sorority sister and find out for whom she was supposed to vote. The factor that makes it so difficult to say a certain some thing is good for BOTH parties is their incompatability. How could USA, with its individual membership basis, at least theoretically, use the AGS system. \ et AGS could easily follow the ASUO-sponsored proposal. - - Letters to the Editor - - The Opening Blast Emerald Editor: I have petitioned and desire to 'be nominated and elected to the ASUO Senate from the next jun ior class as a candidate of the Associated Greek Student party. If elected, I will support the fol lowing policies which are needed for the betterment of the Uni versity of Oregon. 1. “Hell week” vs. “help week” —the doctrine of popular sov ereignty should be applied with in each Greek living organiza tion, since it is a matter for each fraternity to decide for itself. Each house should decide for it self whether it wants A "hell week” or a “help week.” 2. Grant the Emerald more freedom In printing news. A free press ceases to operate when the school administration takes steps to censure some news so it is never printed. If one boy or group of boys do wrong, their wrong should be known to all so that their actions reflect on their living organization. In turn, the living organization will prob ably take steps to prevent fur ther misfortunes. 3. Inaugurate a speakers’ for um. Have interesting speakers such as the governor of Oregon, the mayor of Eugene, etc., ad dress the student body at noon once every two weeks. Following these talks students would be allowed a period to ask the speakers questions. 4. Less restriction of fraterni ties by the administration. By extensive Restrictions the admini stration’ has hindered school spirit until it has been reduced to a whisper of what it was three years ago. And what school spirit does exist now is mainly due to the efforts of the frater nities. How many dorms had signs up for Dad’s Day? The administration has or ganized the so-called “indepen dents” until they are no longer independent living groups. If a student wants independent life, he should not be organized into a semi-fraternal organization by the administration. The administration upholds de ferred rushing and living for freshmen. What happened last fall term ? The two lowest grade point averages for living groups were those of Chere.ey and French halls, both composed of freshman boys. I challenge the administration to apply the doctrine of popular sovereignty in the forthcoming spring elections among the fresh men to determine whether those freshmen prefer the present system or whether they would like to return to the old plan of getting it done in September be fore school starts. In conclusion; I will support these proposals along with the constructive planks of the AGS platform, but if I am not nomi nated by the AGS, under no cir cumstances will I consent to run on the USA ticket or as an inde pendent candidate. If a man can not abide by the decision of his party, of what use is he to that party ancl that party to him ? What is most needed in politics is party responsibility. Robert E. Hooker Communism in Japan Leaders of Japanese Reds Going Underground (Ed. Note: Outbreak* of Com uiunlst activity have occurred In termittently In Japan since the end of the war. For Instance, Thursday's Oregonian contained a photo of a recent raid on a Communist hideout. Naturally we are interested in the Intensity of the Communist program In Jap an, and Its present degree ttf success. So some time ago we asked a Japanese student, Mrs. Kuinlko Kurata, for Information, and she mentioned this Interest of ours to her hushund, a Tokyo journullst. A short time ago the mailman brought u letter from Tokyo containing the article be low written especially for the Emerald.) By Yasuo Kurata TOKYO The present plight of Communists in Japan is one of a cat belled around but not caged yet with eight Communist party leaders having gone underground since early June, 1950, and hav ing remained ''incommunicado'' to date, in spite of all-out, nation wide “sherlock-holmesing" by police authorities. These Ked leaders went under ground immediately after they had been purged and banned from political activities under the directive of General MacArthur’s headquarters, which was issued shortly before the outbreak of the Korean war. A total of nine leaders had originally vanished, but one of them was fished up by police a few months later, while the re mainder are still at large. Most of them arc believed still hiding within the country and pulling the wires of the party machinery 60,000 Registered According to a recent govern ment estimate, the present Com munist strength in Japan is broken down into 60,000 regis tered party members, 20,000 secret members and about 250, 000 sympathizers. The Japan Communist party, while it is yet to lx- outlawed, has been almost completely de vitalized as a political organiza tion, and it now retains but a modicum of seats in the National Diet—23 In the 462-seat Lower House and only 3 In the 250-seat Cpper House. It seems almost certain that the Japanese Communist party then and now has been under the direct control of the Russian engineered Cominform and thus groomed to act in accordance with specific decrees issued by the Kremlin. Before its 24 Politburo mem bers, including the above eight "AWOL’s", were purged in 1950, the Communist party had been outspokenly advocating the over throw "by force” of the Govern ment and the establishing of a “peoples government" through its available organs and stump ing tours by party members throughout the country. After the purge and the sub sequent tightened control by the. government Over their subversive activities as such, the Reds switched their tactics to under ground propaganda activities based on clandestine publication of anti-government and anti-oc cupation pamphlets put into "hush-hush circulation” with in nocent-looking trick covers de signed to fool the eyes of govern ment agents. At the same time, they ap parently moved the center of activities to Hokkaido, a north ern island of Japan, which is bordering perilously close to USSR-occupied Sakhalin. (Hok kaido Island was severely rocked by a series of earthquakes Mar. 4. The tremors left in its wake 20 persons killed, four missing, 235 injured and nearly 3,000 houses and buildings either des troyed or washed away by sub sequent tidal wave.) The island's northernmost tip has already been known as a rendezvous be tween Soviet and Japanese Com munist couriers. The government has already sent a sizeable force of police reserves to Hokkaido Island where the Reds havo been al legedly mustering their strength. Patrolman Murdered Indicative of such Communist build-up, is the recent frequent occurence of Communist-geared organized attacks against police on the island, culminating in the latest cold-blooded murder of a local patrolman. Another Communist - inspired plot is held responsible for the murder of a patrolman in a su burban district of Tokyo late in February, which occurred amidst reports of a catalogue of riotous incidents Involving mostly young factory workers in the nation's major cities since the beginning of this year. As Hiich, there is no denying that the ComniimlNtH are nmt set to spread organized terrorism by staging hit und run guerrilla ut tueks mainly against policemen and law-enforcement Offices on u regional Imsls. Their propaganda campaigns, in the meantime, are being under taken In the direction of stirring up the public opinion against the garrisoning of American forces in post-war Japan “for the sake of liberating our fatherland from foreign colonialism." As a matter of fact, however, the Japanese people are now gen erally developing a sound think ing about their security positioh after the coming into effect of the peace treaty and therefore supporting in principle the gov ernment's bid for American mili tary assistance in tooling up Japanese prepardness to meet the present threat of aggression. in this Hense, the current Com munist activities in Japan should amount to hut a helled cat, and the government, having under its control a 150,000-man police force, ineluding 75,000 nest-egg poliee reserves, Is now in con stant readiness to squelch any vest-pocket Communist upris ings. It is a fact that Japan, follow ing the end of the occupation, is bound to give birth to a vacuum of power which is quite allergic to Communist aggression as in the case of Korea, but this dan ger can be largely met by the presence of TJ. S. garrison forces under the U. S.-Japan Security Pact. It is a foregone conclusion that an independent Japan must have her own defense to cope with the danger of foreign aggression, but the present situation par ticularly from an economic standpoint does not allow her to carry out any full-dress re armament plan. Police Reinforcements Under the circumstancea, the government lma already decided to reinforce the present 75,000 police reserves up to 110,000 by this autumn and eatabliah a 20, 000-man marine security force. These forces ure to be inte grated into a single defense corps equipped with modern arms to la- mrpplied by the United States. Meanwhile, the government proposed a defense budget of 180 billion yen ($50 billion) or about 20 per cent of the total budget ary outlay of 850 billion yen ($23.1 billion) for the fiscal year of 1952, which is now under Diet consideration. It is to lie noted In this con nection that a recent public opin ion survey conducted by Japan's most widely - read newspaper Asahl Hhimbun (circulation <i million) revealed that a total of 56 per cent of the Japanese people believed that Japan needs un army to build up her security strength against the danger of agression. It is to be recalled, incidental!}!, that Japan, under the existing constitution, is not entitled to maintain "land, sea and air forces, as well as other war po tentials” In accordance with her avowed principle of renouncing war forever. Peace Offensive Turning to external aspects, while party wheel-horses are savagely prancing around at home to the tunc of Communist underground big shots, the Krem lin authorities have been making eyes at this country in what is believed to be a new Russian peace offensive in the Far East since the beginning of this year. The curtain-raiser of tins of fensive was Stalin's New Year message to the Japanese people, expressing the hope of establish ing "friendly and peaceful rela tions" between the peoples of Russia and Japan. Close on the heel of this move came various seemingly juicy trade offers, including Japan's badly needed coal, followed by an official invitation of leading Japanese businessmen to the In ternational Economic Conference to be held in Moscow in April. In conclusion, Japanese’ Com munists, though presently strait jacketed in their internal ac tivities, are still “a formidable f!y in the ointment” for the nation's post-war security position, par ticularly when considered against their alleged link-up with the5 Soviet Union. ... And Speaking of Politics ... re?T *e/i€W LJ f fcpf )