, A Special Report on: £> CjeAmatuf.
Two Former German Students Write Comments
On West Germany's Ratification of Treaty, EDC
DFSSELDORF-GERRESHEIM, '
GERMANY
The West German Bundestag,
the house of representatives, has
given its final approval to the
European Defense Commitment.
The vote of 224 to 165 with two
abstentions made the Bundestag
the first legislative chamber in
Europe to ratify the six-nation
army pact to create a two-million
men, one-uniform continental de
fense force.
At the same session with 226
to 164 and two abstentions, the
the Bundestag approved the Al
lied-Bonn peace contract which
would restore a limited sover
eignty to West Germany.
The decision of the Bundestag
was the most significant, al
though not final, step in German
ratification of the European
army treaty and the peace con
tract. The Bundesrat, the repre
sentation of the several states
composed in the Federal Repub
lic, must still vote on the pacts
which the President of the Fed
eral Republic has to sign yet.
Finally, a court battle looms
on the constitutionality of the
rearming.
The vote came after nine hours
of debate in which Chancellor
w^vvwvv^
The two letters here printed
concern what Walter Schwarz
lose, special student in journal
ism from Germany last year,
call “the most important event
in German-American rela
tions.” It is the ratification of
the peace treaty and the Euro
pean Defense Community by
the West German parliament.
The letters are from Gunther
Barth, also a special student in
journalism from Germany last
year, and Schwarzlose. Barth’s
letter provides an analysis of
the facts and some interpreta
tion, while Schwarzlose goes
into further interpretation.
Dr. Konrad Adenauer’s three
party coalition held virtually
solid. The Chancellor’s forces
gained a total of eight votes on
each of the treaties since the
semi-final vote last December.
The anti-rearmament votes
were cast by the Social Demo
crats, the Communists, the neut
ral Centrists, and some scattered
independent representatives of
Right-wing groups. The leader of
the opposition, Erich Ollenhauer,
demanded in the discussions that
the Germans scrap the idea of
joining a European army and in
sist instead upon a “grand al
liance” of Britain, Scandinavia,
and the West European nations.
Dr. Adenauer's decisive victory
overshadows the visits of French
Prime Minister Mayer and For
eign Minister Bidault in Wash
ington. Dr. Adenauer hopes to
give President Eisenhower some
more important argument for hfs
talks with the French statesmen.
Some circles in Paris claim
that, with its vote, the Bundestag
avoids sharing any responsibility
if the European Defense Commit
ment shouldn’t find the approval
of the six nations, in order to
have a good position in new
talks about a different German
contribution to the defense of
Europe.
The speculation in Paris could
be based on the joint agreement
which a declaration of the coali
tion parties found in the Bunde
stag after the vote on the
treaties. The declaration says
that the government should con
centrate its efforts to secure the
newly-won limited sovereignty
by a NATO membership.
Gunther Barth.
MUNSTER, GERMANY
Last week the parliament of
the German Federal Republic
ratified the general treaty for
Western Germany and the agree
ment on the European Defense
Community with a remarkable
majority. •
Therewith a very important
step in post-war political events
has been made: Western Ger
many now will be a sovereign
state, the high commissioners
will become ambassadors, the
German Federal Republic can act
independently in foreign affairs.
As a member of the European
Defense Community she has the
closest alliance with the United
States, and only in military af
fairs which are connected with
security and the defense of the
Western- 'world do the big powers
have special rights—a fact which
was vividly disputed by the op
position (the Social Democratic
Party), but which meets at the
bottom of the whole problem our
own interests.
It is a sort of “wit of history”
(as the saying goes in our coun
try ), that Germany, which was
often blamed—for good reasons
—of being loaded with a sense of
stubborn nationalism, is the first
of the European nations involved
to pass those treaties in the par
liament.
France, which rang intensively
the bell for the overthrow of na
tionalistic attitudes—one may re
call her excellent initiative in set
ting up the Schumann plan—ob
viously feels kind of uncomfort
able as European political and
military matters are really put
into practice. She requests addi
tional novels to those agreements
in order to get out as much as
possible for her own nation.
It looks like Italy, Belgium,
Holland and Luxembourg will
follow soon in ratifying the un
dersigned treaty, so that France
is necessarily forced to check
again her position, if she does
not want to become responsible
for a possible failure of a realis
tic and strong political and mili
tary conception in Europe.
As far as the relations between
Germany and the United States
are concerned, the events of the
last week in Bonn mean a very
decisive link in our cooperation,
and Dr. Adenauer’s visit to the
United States in April will dem
onstrate this to the American
people.
Walter Schwarzlose.
ON SODA BAR 'N THINGS
Only Count the Chick That Hatches
The crowds really used to mill
around the Student Union soda
Bar.
A student trying to order
something found himself in the
middle of a massive mob. Even,
if he were the first in line (ex
cept that there Was no “line”),
he was likely to end up the last
person served.
That was until November,
1951, when “cattle chutes” —
rope railings along the soda bar
—were installed. These railings
channeled patrons through in an
organized manner, and ever
since, students have been served
in order. Any delay, at least
while ordering, is caused by the
time taken by cogitating cus
tomers.
The chutes were set up after
a suggestion by Mike Lally,
then junior class president, in
an ASUO senate meeting, and
a follow-up suggestion by then
Emerald associate editor
Gretchen Grondahl. Dick Wil
liams, SU director, said at the
time of the railings’ installa
tion in the two-year-old Stu
dent Union that they were tem
porary.
They’ve been in _• for over a
year now, and they look as if they
will be somewhat permanent. The
improvement over the old “sys
tem” is pretty obvious.
Why do we bring all this up
now? Well, while we were look
ing through old Emeralds (a per
verted egocentric trait in Emer
ald shacksters), we came across
an "Inquiring Reporter’’ on the
subject of those rope railings.
Several students were asked,
“Do you believe this plan will
be a good one?" The answers, in
light of hindsight, were interest
ing.
Samples:
"Horrible idea. It will spoil
the beauty of tbe Student
Union and cheapen its appear
ance. There really isn’t an.f
serious problem about the
service.”
“Never! Up at Oregon State
this problem never occurred to
us.”
“No, it won’t be any faster and
they can’t possibly serve any
faster than they do now any
way.”
“Install an automat and let
it go at that. A rope won’t
help.”
“It would make me feel
like a monkey in a cage to be
roped in like that.”
“No. People will just have to
be content to take their turns.
A rope would be torn down in
a minute.’’ (It’s been there for
more than 15 months.)
Now we’re not the one to take
lightly public opinion. The “mass
es" are often ahead of most of
their leaders on many things.
Other Emerald "Inquiring Re
porters,’’ for example, showed
most interviewees predicting that
Gen. Eisenhower, not yet a def
inite candidate for the Republi
can nomination, woul(|^>e elected
president, and also predicting
that Harry Truman would not
be a candidate for the Demo
cratic nomination.
Perhaps even the student
whd was asked, “Do you fa
vor the use of grades in col
leges and universities or would
you favor their abolishment?”
had the answer we’ve all
overlooked. The answer was,
“No, because for the amount tof
effort that’s put in on each
subject there should be some
reward and the people who
have studied would not get
anything out of it. There would
not be any point in coming to
school if grades were abol
ished.”
We’d just like to point out the
danger in going overboard on
anything. (“Skim milk mas
querades as cream . . . dogs are
found in many mangers . . . only
count the chick that hatches. . .”
the Gilbert and Sullivan lines '
go.) a
Or would you rather be a r
mule?—(A.K.) e
And We've Got Liberal Arts
“Picture of an admirer of mine over at th’ school of mines.’’
notes to the editor -
MEMORIES AND A PLAN
In 1950 I visited an uncle in
Berlin, and we saw all four sec
tors. I had a U.S. passport. Later
on, near Blankenburg, I also
traveled in the Harx mountain re
gion of the Russian zone, with
out permission.
In the interest of world peace
and solution of the German geo
political problem I have some
suggestions to make. Germany is
united now better with respect to
interzonal trade than politics.
We and the Soviet Union should
tell the German draftsmen, finan
ciers, and construction engineers
of all three zones to get together
and build a new capitol building
and a new capitol city for the
new Germany at the place where
the three zones meet.
After the building is started,
the government officials and po
litical scientists can get together
to draft a new constitution and
decide on methods of voting.
When the time comes, represen
tative inspectors from each of
the zones should be free to travel
HOOKER AGREES
Concerning the Emerald's edi
torial, “Our Political Dilemma,"
of March 31, I believe the Emer
ald has hit the nail on the head
in condemning the extreme
party polarization of UO student
politics and in blasting residence
in living organizations as the ba
sis of party membership.
Since polarization does exist
(thus, harmfully leaving no mid
dle ground) and since party re
sponsibility (whether on a fed
eral, state local, or college level)
can not be attained and main
tained without discipline, the Em
erald is fully justified in uphold
ing the axiom that "one side has
just as much right to throw up
barriers (i.e., exclusion clauses
and two-year penalty period) as
the other.”
But the parties, notwithstand
ing the evil in the arrangement,
have more than a right to do this.
They have a duty to do so if the
party is to assume responsibility
for its candidates, regardless of
in all zones to inspect and Keep
track of equalized withdrawal of
the various armies of occupation.
Also, the top executives of the
police forces would have to work
out a single police organization,
etc. If Gennany wants an Amer
ican or Swiss kind of democracy,
okay. . . If they decide on na
tional socialism like Britain had,
let them try it out. If the ma
jority vote that they want com
munism (this I do not expect!,
let them have what they want
until they get tired of it.
Berlin is a ‘‘powder keg." If
we really want world peace, we
will not try to show off there.
We need not make any more in
vestments in, Berlin, such as a
Henry Ford institute or a new
university.
It would be more conducive to
world peace if we moved out of
Berlin as soon as we agree with
Russians to let the Germans
build their new capitol building
by themselves and for them
selves. Jerome E. Frederick.
the burden which this may en
tail.
But, as the Emerald claims,
"this situation (of polarization)
can’t help but increase the stupid,
bitter friction which exists be
tween greeks and independents
. . . there is no difference between
one who lives in a house and one
who lives in a dorm. None. Ab
solutely none.”
There is no reason for advocat
ing living organization residence
as a qualification for member
ship in a party here at UO unless
we are to be resigned to the
“easiest way out." Principles,
and not residence, should be the -
key to lock the strength within
a party.
Residence should come in only
to achieve those principles. Resi
dence should be cast in a sup
porting role for the foremost ac
tor, principle. The Emerald has
done a service in pointing thfs
out. Bob Hooker,
Kappa Sigma.
Daily
EMERALD
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