EMERALD EDITORIALS Giveaway Today? This is the day they give politicians away. Or at least they will unless considerably more people find their way to the polls today. What’s on sale? Student government. Stu dent control. Student participation. And your representation. Both presidential can didates have presented their views at the ASUO coffee hour and at speeches in the living organizations. Both parties have re leased their platforms*. Granted the issues are notably uncontro versial. Granted there are no constitutional amendments on the ballot. Granted some of the races were uncontested in the primaries. But today’s election is different. There are close races. There are some good candidates, even some outstanding ones. In Monday’s Emerald we listed who we felt to be the best qualified candidates for the next Senate. We hope that you will refer to that list when you vote today. Through our editorial stand and through our news columns we have attempted to explain the candidates and the issues. You may not agree—that is your privilege. But we hope that you will at lease think: think and vote. —(S.R.) 4 Wise Move The budget board is to be commended for its action on the request brought to it for funds for an all-University rifle team. By its action, the board deferred action on the request until the new ASUO senate has reconsidered the request. The board acted on two basic principles which budget boards of the future would do well to follow: First, the budget board, as guardian of the Student Union and Edu cational Activities budget, should not be put in the position of supporting a minor sport; and second, that there was no dis cernible consensus of student body opinion on the establishment of an all-University rifle team. To enlarge upon the first principle, the budget board could conceivably he put in the position of supporting a multitude of minor sports, especially m view of the fact that non-paying sports are always in danger of being abandoned bv the athletic depart ment as a simple matter of necessity. Following this line of reasoning, it's not too hard to envision student funds support ing all non-profit-producing sports—like ten nis, golf, bowling (which the Student Union program already supports), girls’ archery, etc. Proceeding with the second principle, this is the type of thinking that should guide all arms of student government when they meet to discuss specific issues in terms of long range policy—does a sizable portion of the student body really want this? Will there be a continuing interest? The money, though extracted somewhat painlessly as a part of tuition, is nevertheless paid by all the students, and a sufficient num ber should be involved before funds are al loted. Certainly in some cases the particular activity will merit money, regardless of the number of participants, but those cases are not numerous. The so-called argument that “If one stu dent is interested, we should support it," is evidence of an immature impracticality. It’s a nice thought, but extent it to the indi vidual interests of some 4200 students, most of whom could make a good case for their own activity. The ASUO senate knows how to handle tlie problem—it has established a procedure tor handlihg requests for student funds. Why didn t the senate use this procedure tn this cas» and thus prevent this double handling of the problem ? INTERPRETING THE NEWS 'Walk Softly Is Good Advice For United States in Viet Nam By J. M. ROBERTS Associated Press News Analyst The United States has seldom been in a situation where she needed to walk more softly than in Viet Nam today. It’s not merely that she has be come involved in a multiple sided family fight. That’s bad enough, especially when it deep ly involves relations with France. There is the additional dan ger that, even though. she is backing the side of independ ence, she will appear to other Asiatic peoples as replacing France in the colonial picture. This is something Washington has studiously sought to avoid. That France is losing the po litical battle for Indochina seems just as obvious as her loss of the military battle last year. But she has been fighting hard to do what the British did when India finally gained her independence. That is to preserve her indepen dence. That is to preserve her commercial interests, in Com munist-held as well as in non Communist territory. One of France’s great handi caps in this stems from the fact that she has been forced to ac cept American economic aid for South Viet Nam, which gives the country dollars to pay for Amer ican imports when reduction in expenditures by the French armed forces has reduced the supply of France. Ideology also plays an impor Letters to the Editor Lost Movies Emerald Editor: The SU Movie Committee wishes to express its apprecia tion to the people who waited so good naturedly for the arrival of both the Wee Theater film, “Pyg malion,” in 138 Commonwealth, and the Sunday feature, “Tight Little Island,” in the Ballroom. In the first case, the film did not arrive at all and the distributor failed to contact the Audio Vis ual department so that it could be announced to the public. The much awaited comedy, “Tight Little Island,” was held up in the mail and, due to its late ar rival, was locked in the post office and not found until Mon day. These unusual circum stances caused much concern among the SU personnel and surely inconvenienced the movie patrons. We wish it were pos sible to guarantee against such future happenings; however, the matter being so completely out of our control, we do not feel in a position to do so. We thank you again and add the proceedings are being started whereby “Tight Little Island” might be available for showing the weekend before closed week end of this term. This will be an nounced upon confirmation. Most Regretfully, JoAnne Rogers Chairman of the Movie Committee tant part in the split. The United States hones to see a stable gov ernment in Viet Nam before next year's voting when it is feared the Vietminh Communists might take over the whole country. Americans have never fallen for the French effort to present chief of state Bao Dai, the form er Emperor, as a symbol of loy alty for all Viet Nam. He has always looked like a playboy puppet through whom the French sought to maintain then control while making noises about extension of independence. Now there is armed rebellion against the established gov ernment of Premier Diem, ap pointed by the French through Bao Dai, at American urging. The chief rebel force is led by unsavory characters who ap pear to have been connected with Bao Dai, or at least shielded by him, as they or ganized vice and rackets. The sources of the money to sup port his lavish life on the j French Riviera, including heavy play at the gambling casinos, has never been clari- I fled. Diem, on the other hand, has the reputation of an honest man — nationalistic, but dead set against the Communists in whom many Indochineses nationalists have placed their faith. If Diem wins his fight, as now seems likely after a very shaky period, the United States will take on increasing stature in Southeast Asian affairs, and by that very token the tightrope she must walk will become more slippery,. College Capers... From Coast to Coast By Elliot Carlson Emerald Celumniil PICK UP A NEWSPAPER and as many times aa not you’ll read about the aimlessness Hnd worldliness of contemporary col lege students. It's not uncommon to read complaints of collage townspeople about the alleged rabble rousing of Joe Colleges. However, an Incident has oc curred on the Louisiana State College campus to make even the most boisterous punt y raid seem like an event of Re ligious Evaluation Week. Apparently days of lynching aren’t over as a crowd of 500 to 1,000 people pelted LSU students last week with jeers, rocks and eggs. Don’t think these people were acting impulsively or with out reason. The Southern Bell Telephone Company hired LSU students to work out the dura tion of a strike while negotia tions were being carried on with the union. The result was the above mentioned primitive dem onstration. It’s getting so it’s not safe for sober college students to live in college towns any more. COMPARED WITH THE Uni versity of Washington the Uni versity of Oregon has no apathy problem. The Washington stu dents who are concerned with campus affairs recently pro posed three badly needed amend ments to their constitution. The students who did vote voted al most unanimously in favor of the amendments. The amendments failed however, not because there wasn't enough affirmative votes, but because there weren't enough voters. According to the Washington constitution an amendment can’t be passed unless at least 25% of the students vote. Small as 25% Is, the amount needed was still missed by 50 votes. Neither the University of Ore k *•*»•