It's Unfair—If...
The preferential voting issue revolves around one central
conflict, between voting to “get an office’’ for someone, and
voting to select the candidate best qualified for a particular
office.
There are elements of both these tendencies in anyone’s vot
ing, but preferential voting emphasizes the importance of the
"“getting’’ angle, since it lumps all offices together on the ballot.
All candidates are eligible for any position.
So January’s freshman elections saw 20 candidates for
president, despite what the petitions said, with the runners
up by the intricate ballot-counting system “getting” vice
president and the two frosh representative spots.
The freshmen Voted No. 1 (president) for a man, as is the
natural tendency, right or wrong. Since No. 1 votes give quite
an advantage to a candidate, men were elected to all four
'Offices, repeating like results of last year.
The ASUO senate tried to prevent an all-male lineup by
planning a double ballot-one part for president-vice-presi
dent, the other for representatives. But an informal opinion
"by the constitutional committee that the plan would be illegal
forced a reluctant withdrawal of the plan.
There is no reason why women should hold political offices
if they don’t get the votes, and schemes contrived to get
them into office whether they get the vote or not would be
ridiculous. But if a woman (or anyone else) would be elected
representative were she not competing with male candidates
for president, then a system which prevents this is unfair—
if . . .
It’s unfair if we're electing officers on the basis of being
^qualified for a particular position. If we're picking them just
to provide offices for four people, then preferential voting
■does the trick.
It has been stated that there isn't a great deal of difference
between the office of freshman class president, vice-president,
and representative. At least for vice-president and representa
tive as has been true in the past, the argument is certainly
.good. Their duties are concerned mainly with serving on the
senate. The president has some special duties, though they are
not necessarily great.
If there isn’t much difference, then a “getting" system is
adequate.
It seems a bit illogical, though, that a person should fill
an office “by defualt.” One student once called the ASUO
vice-president under the preferential voting system “the per
son the students don’t want for president."
Preferential voting does apportion offices to political parties
and other groups proportionate to the voting strengths of their
•candidates. This, too, follows the “office-getting” basis.
Another pretty good argument against preferential voting
Is the complexity of the system. Actually, it isn’t overwhelm
ingly deep, but it is hard enough for anyone to comprehend
without a certain amount of intimate study of it, so that it
hazes up the voting.
But when one does realize that friend Mary Doe won’t
get any office without a sufficient amount of number 1 votes,
he’ll tend to vote number 1 for her, even though he wants
Johnny Doe for president and Mary for representative.
Preferential voting is facing reality in its resulting emphasis
on the “getting,” a strong factor in campus elections. But if
we want to make it easier to select a candidate for the single
office we feel he is qualified for more than the other posts,
if we want him to run for just the one office and sink or swim
in trying to get elected to it and no other, then we ought to
adopt a one-race per office system. That would mean abolishing
preferential voting.—A. K.
Hi There, Dad
It’s good to see you again.
Of course we welcome you anytime, Dad, but it’s especially
nice to have you here this weekend, when we can make a little
fuss over you.
Hope you like the things we’ve planned for you. The basket
ball games, “Death of a Salesman,” the Dad’s Day luncheon,
and dinner and open house at our living organizations. It’s
nothing fancy, but it will give you an idea of what we do down
here.—(H. J.)
Die Oregon Laily Emerald published Monday through Friday during the college year
except Jan. 5; Mar. 9, 10 and 11; Mar. 13 through 30; June 1, 2 and 3 by the Student Publi
cations Board of the University of Oregon. Entered as second class matter at the post office,
Eugene, Oregon. Subscription,rates: $5 per school year; $2 per term.
Opinions expressed on the editorial page are those of the writer and do not pretend to
represent the opinions of the ASUO or of the University. Editorials are written by the.
editor and the members of the editorial staff.
Jim Haycox, Editor Sally Thurston, Business Manager
Helen Jones, Larry Hobart, Al Karr, Associate Editors
* • « - Bill Gurley; Managing Editor*
SAP AN
Special Report on
Hikari, Japan
Jan. 28, 1953
This year we shall have the
centenary of the opening of our
land to the United States. As you
know, Commodore Perry request
ed Japan to open her several
ports for his squadron one hun
dred years ago.
Since then, however, Japan
has imported much more from
Europe than from the U.S.—
until at last the war broke out.
It's too late to regret it, but we
Excerpts from a letter to the
Emerald by Keiji Miyoshi.
should have imported more things
from the U.S.
Now the Ryukyu Islands in
cluding Okinawa (where Perry
also landed) are under U.S. trus
teeship. But almost all the people
of the islands have been petition
ing to return to Japan again.
People inside Japan, too ,are sup
“Got a study date with Worthal tonite.”
porting their brothers' hope.
In my opinion, if the Ameri
can government does return
the islands to Japan, It will be m
an effective action to show
American generosity and con
sequently, make them much ,
more pro-American.
Stalin very often offers the
Kurile Islands to us in exchange*
for our becoming anti-American
As Secretary of State John Fos
ter Dulles said in his first official*
speech, “Stalin thinks that if he
gets Japan he is almighty.” “Sta
lin is using every method to com-4
munize Japan.”
Indeed, another troublesome
year has begun over here too.
All the Japanese are watching
Klsenhower’s clear cut policy
towards Korea.
That President Eisenhower
made Bedell Smith (former head
of the Central Intelligence Agen
cy) undersecretary of state show.<A
us that the IT.S. is focusing its*
eyes on the USSR more keenly. '
—o— «
Right after the 64-day strike^
of coal miners and power worker.*
ended in December ... a Japanesf
n o >vi o/l llr,il n »■ i L* . . < i .1 4.1
named Wataru Kaji reported to
the police that he had been in
terned by Americans. He was in*
China during the war and col
laborated with Chiang Kai Shek
and the U.S. in Chungking. i
He asserts thut men of the
American CIA have forced him
to spy on Red China. The Amer
ican embassy denies it and
says it has protected him upon ^
his request. Japanese people
cannot judge which is right.
Thousands of spies now in Ja*i
pan are doing their utmost to
report to Russia and Red Chinafl
. . Tokyo now i» just the same al
Shanghai in pre-war days.
SUNDAY
CAFETERIA LINE SUPPER MENU
February 8,1953
5:30-7:00 p.m.
Tomato Soup . 10
Cheeseburgers . 35
Hot Ham Sandwiches—Horseradish Sauce . 35
Turkey Turnovers—Gravy . 35
French Fried Potatoes . 15
Cauliflower Au Gratin . 15
Mixed Green Salad .......1 . 10
Fruit Salad in itowis ........ 25
Molded Salad.-. 10
3 Deck Sandwiches—Chicken, Lettuce and Tomato 50
Salad Roll Filled with Tunafish Salad . 35
Pie . 15
Cake .. 15
£*& Memorial
STUDENT UNION