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.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