+ EMERALD EDITORIALS +
“Sound and Fury ”
The Inter-fraternity council's fear of ad
verse publicity and the Emerald's* desire to
get all the news clashed again Thursday night
at the joint meeting of I EC and Canhellenic
to discuss plans for a Greek Week.
The roots of the controversy may he found
by tracing the matter back to the 1FC meet
ing of January 20, at which time the IFC
considered a motion to go on record as oppos
ing the WRA Carnival, then tabled the mo
tion because of the poor timing—the Carni
val was to be held the following evening.
The motion was obviously newsworthy,
and no honest reporter could have sup
pressed the story. The Emerald took the
action later approved by the men who had
made the motion, and which appeared to be
more than fair—he did not make the con
troversial motion the lead item in his story,
but placed it in the sixth and following
paragraphs.
A meeting Thursday night between the
Emerald news editor and IFC leaders, how
ever, indicated that the group was also an
noyed by the Emerald’s editorial stand on
Greek Week—one which was adopted and
has been followed with the idea of construc
tive criticism.
With this as a background. Emerald Re
porter Pete Taussig >vas told to leave Thurs
day night's meeting. The previous time, he
had been given the distasteful alternative of
printing only what IFC wanted or of leaving
—and he left.
As a closed group, the Inter-fraternity
council has every right to request a change
of reporters when it feels that the current re
porter does not have its best interests in
mind. No such request was made.
Now the IFC has said that the reporter in
question will not be allowed to attend future
meetings. If the Emerald is to get the news,
it must assign a new reporter.
The aspect which is being overlooked
is the fact that no reporter is subject to any
control except news judgment and good
taste. Does the IFC believe that another
reporter would be any more willing than
Taussig to suppress the news and thus gain
favor?
The matter thus appears all the more ri
diculous- The Emerald can, as some news
papers do, get its news second hand from
members of the group. Significant news has
a way of getting out. We’d rather get it from
the original source and get it right, but we
could slide into the type of journalism one
frequently sees with stories beginning, “An
unidentified source close to the IFC said
Thursday ...”
We don’t want this type of situation on
the Oregon campus.
The quest for all the news can be carried
too far—the desire to have none of the un
favorable news printed can also be carried
too far.
The Emerald wants to work for the best
interests of the campus, just as the IFC
claims it does. But this carries a responsibil
ity to uncover the distasteful as well as to
report the good news.
No honest reporter, and no honest news
paper. professional or student, can offer a
blanket promise to suppress “unfavorable”
news.
Footnotes
Either the service has improved at the SU
or we have gotten used to waiting. We think
it is the former. A hamburger in less than
five minutes is almost unbelievable.
* * *
Wonder why the lights above the circular
booths in the SL' have to be replaced flur
ing business hours. Coffee time can be quite
nerve-racking with a shaky ladder waving
overhead.
* * *
People you'd like to kill at five minutes
to eight on Monday mornings: the people
who enter the Emerald hall parking lot the
wrong way and park across two or three
parking places—usually the last ones.
INTERPRETING THE NEWS
Current Formosa Problem Raises
Important Issue of Future Peace
By J. M. ROBERTS
Assiciated Press News Analyst
Secretary Dulles’ speech Tues
day night suggested that if the
Chinese Communists attack Que
moy and Matsu against the back
ground of a mainland buildup
for an invasion of Formosa, the
United States will move in to de
fend them.
The secretary of state left the
field open for action on the basis
of assessments of Communist in
tent at any time.
The islands would not be de
fended by the United States
merely because they are Na
tionalist-held positions whose
loss would be political. The
commitment is to defend For
mosa and the Pescadores, and
that the Keds are not to ob
tain important military step
ping stones without a fight.
If I read this correctly, it
means that an invasion of For
mosa will not be permitted to
go part way unmolested. How a
decision will be made as to what
constitutes a limited island ac
tion which might be used later
to aid an attack on Formosa and
what will constitute a direct
threat to be met immediately, is
not clear’. The secretary pie
Letters to the Editor
llllf
Hi
Smdll World
(Editor’s note: The following
letter fjwra Don Collin, ASUO
vice-president for the first
half of the 1953-54 school year,
is concerned with the wide
spread publicity received by
“The Investigator” when
Springfield Legion officials
conducted their unofficial boy
cott of the record. For this
reason, as well as Collin’s for
"mer prominence as a student
and campus politician, we pass
it on.)
Emerald Editor:
Having earned my nose for
news by serving under the il
1C
lustrious predecessors to the
Journalism chair, I was curious
to see this story in the Fort
Worth, Texas paper. Beinb my
old “beat,” I immediately picked
it up from the floor. (A clipping
of “The Investigator” story was
enclosed.;
Unfortunately, I haven’t heard
the little gem, but it sounds like
a clever idea to be controversial
about — especially Legionaires
and “do America gooders.”
But it shows the world is
small; stories about Springfield,
Oregon in Fort Worth newspa
pers on latrine floors in Ft.
Benning, Georgia.
2 Lt. Don Collin
Ft. Benning, Ga.
sumably left it that way on pur
pose.
The secretary spoke about five
different facets of the world sit
uation — Formosa, Southeast
Asia, Europe, the effect of atom
ic weapons on politics and Rus
sia. There was much generali
zation.
One of his most interesting ap
proaches was to the possibilities
of eventual peace with Russia.
He tried to contrast the revo
lutionary interests of the Com
munist party and the true wel
fare of the Russian state.
That is a point, of course, at
which Allied policy has been
directed during ail the years
of the cold war. It is the snag
upon which all hopes for peace
get hung up, because of the in
divisibility of the Russian gov
ernment from the Russian
Communist party. As long as
the Russian slate remains as
an instrument of the party’s
determination for conquest,
coexistence could he only a
very temporary thing, and
peace out of the question.
Dulles said he believed the
time will come when leaders w" 1
arise who will put the welfare
of the state ahead of interna
tional Communist objectives.
He thinks maybe a conflict of
this sort was involved in the re
cent unhorsement of Malenkov.
If so, it would seem that instead
of giving ground the forces of
conquest have become even more
firmly entrenched.
— Paid Advertiiament—
'On Campus
Kith
MwSMman
(Author of "Barefoot Hoy With Cheok," etc.)
THE MAIL BAG
If the spirit should ever move you to write me n letter-mid
it’s always a pleasure to hear from you take pen and paper and
address mec/o Philip Morris, 100 Park Ave., New York 17, N. Y.
Or if you don’t have any paper, snap open your Snap-Open
park of Philip Morris, remove the fine vintage cigarettes, turn
the neat brown wrapper inside out and use it for stationery.
The regular size Philip Morris pack is perfect for short notes.
For longer letters use the king size pack. For chain letters and
petitions, glue several packs together.
This week’s column is devoted to a few of the many interest
ing letters that have been coming in:
SIR:
Maybe you can help me. I came up to college eight years ago.
On my very first day I got into a bridge game at the Students
Union. 1 am still in the same bridge game. I have never gone to
a class, cracked a book, or paid any tuition. All I do is play bridge.
To explain my long absence and keep the money coming from
home, I told a harmless little lie. I suid I was in medical school.
This made Dad (my father) very proud. It also enabled me to
keep playing bridge. We were both terribly happy.
But all good things must come to an end. Mine ended last
week when I was home for spring vacation. I arrived to find that
Sister (my sister) was in the hospital with an ingrown spleen.
Dr. Norbert Sigafoos, the eminent ingrown spleen surgeon, was
scheduled to operate, but unfortunately he was run over by a
hot-food cart on the way to the scrubbing room.
“Oh, never mind,” chuckled Dad (my father). “Harlow (me)
will fix Sister (my sister).”
Well sir, what could I do? If I told the truth I would make a
laughingstock out of Dad (my father) who had been bragging
about me all over town. Also I would get yanked out of school
which would be a dirty shame just when I am getting to under
stand the weak club bid.
There was nothing for it but to brazen it out. I got Sister
(my sister) apart all right, but I must confess myself com
pletely at a loss as to how to put her back together again, fan
you suggest anything? They’re getting pretty surly around here.
Harlow Protein
Dear Harlow,
Indrrd I do Harr a aolnlion for vou-the solution that ha. never
failed me whenever things rlo.r in: Light up a Philip Morris!
Knots untie as you pufT that rirh vintagr tobarro. Shade heroine*
light a* you ta.le that mild fragrant flavor . . . And as you watch
lh«- purr while smoke drift lazily upward, you will know that
nothing is as had as it seems, that it is always darkest before the
dawn, and that the man worthwhile is the man who ran sniiir!
SIR:
Do you think a girl should kiss a fellow on their first date?
Blanche Carbohydrate
Dear Illanrhr,
Not unless he is her escort.
SIR:
Here is a rather amusing coincidence that may amuse your
readers.
Just off the campus where I go to school there is a lake called
Lake Widgiwagan where students from time immemorial have
gone fishing. Thirty years ago when my father was an under
graduate here he went fishing one day at Widgiwagan and
dropped his Deke pin into the water. Though he dived for it for
many weeks, he never recovered it.
yesterday-thirty years later, mind you-I went fishing
at W idgiwagan. I caught a four pound hass. When I got the fish
home and opened it up, what do you think I found inside of it ?
You guessed it! Two tickets to the Dempsey-Firpo fight.
Fleance Fat
Dear Flranee,
It certainly i» a »mnll world.
fMu flhtilfitgn.
Thi» column i. brought to you by the maker. of PHILIP MORRIS
Cigarette., who .ugge.l that if your mail ho. recently been ble..rd
with .ome money from home, In ten a little of it in the be.t .moke
that money can buy .. . PHILIP MORRIS, of cour.e.
Th. Diilv Emerald I. ,n,l,li.b«.l fi.r d.y. . w.-k during the .chord ye.r r.rrpl
,* f ‘('n vacation pnrioda, by the Student i'ubli. aiion* Hoard of Hu- ln. verity ol Oref.ii.
ichooiy *Tr **2™ Vto ro<l‘,ef “* ,he ,’°*1 oH“r’ *•“«*«*. Oregon. 5ub.crlpt.or. rale. : pet
Opinion* expr*Med „n the editorial
sent the opinion* of the ASIJO or the
initialed editorial* by member* of the
pn«r* afr thoae of the writer and do not pretend In repre
liniver*itv. I.'nktaned ediloriaU are writle# by the editorj
editorial board.
JERRY HARRELL, Editor
DONNA RUN HERO, Huaineaa Manager
__DICK LEWIS, SAU.V KVA\. AmocUte Editor.
PAUL KEEFE, Managing Editor_BILL mXTnwAIMNC, AdrertMwg Manager
GORDON BICE, New. Editor NANCY SHAW, Office Manager
JLRRV CLAUSSEN, CHUCK M1TCHELM0RE, Co-Sport. Editor*
K W-irdeSl1 RiiefsaKy Rya^rry Harrei1, ,v ‘‘ Dicli Lewi*. Cordon Rice. Jackie
V 7‘ 'V. up waiter: ^am Yahey
Asst. Managing Editors: Valerie Hersh,
Dorothy Her
AsVi. News Editor*: Mary Alice Allen,
i. i u Va,K’ Am,c Am.c Kitclie),
nor) Kooin&on
Feature Editor: Dave Sherman
Morgue Editor: Kathy Morrison
W omen s Page Co-Editors: Sally Jo Greig.
Marcia Mauuey
Ass’t. Sports Editor: Hu/.* Nelson
Managing Assistant: Sanford Milkcs
XatM. Adv. Mgr.: Laura Morris
< irculation Mgr.: Kick Hayden
A'Vt. OOiicc Mgr.: Ann llaakkoncn
1 lassificd Adv.: Patricia Donovan
( '<> Layout Mgrs. : Jon Wright and Hick
K otr
Executive Secretary : Beverly Landon
A-*‘t. Adv, Mgr. : Evelyn Nelson
Photography Editor: Dale Turner
Photographers: Larry Spaulding* Rodney
Sunderland