+ EMERALD EDITORIALS +
Encouraging Figures
Some important changes in military draft
policies have been made recently which, it
seems, have received little publicity. They
are bound to be of interest to all college
men. at least those who haven’t already ful
filled their military obligation.
An article in the Jan. 6 issue of US News
and World Report is the best we have seen
to date giving the strict lowdown on the
situation.
Entitled “Young Med Can Relax Again."
the article points out that “draft calls now
pose less of a threat to youths’ plans and
careers than at any time since 1948.”
It goes on to say that, barring unforeseen
developments, officials expect the draft to
hit only about 100,000 young men each year
from now on. For those who are unable to
interpret this number in light of its true
significance, this means that only one out of
15 eligible for the draft will be called an
nually.
These figures cannot help but encourage
those who want to make specific plans lor
their future after graduation from college.
The fact is that those college men who see
fit to “take their chances” with the draft
and don't enlist in the advanced reserve of
ficers training course now have an exceed
ingly good chance of avoiding military serv
ice.
Those who do enroll in the ROTC course
are also finding their outlook different than
in years past. Army seniors at Oregon this
year have been given a choice in their ap
plications of a six-month or a two-year tour
of duty. There is no guarantee that they will
get the length of tour which they apply for
but at this time the chances look pretty
good.
For the older students, those still eligible
for the draft’s beckoning call but past their
early 20s, a new policy is even more impor
tant. A change in draft rules being pushed
by Selective Service headquarters at present
calls for all fathers and older men to be
pushed to the tail end of draft lists. With
one in 15 being taken now, this makes the
likeliness of them getting a call only remote.
And just what is causing this big change
in draft policy when the administration con
tinually emphasizes the importance of na
tional preparedness?
The article has an answer for this ques
tion. too. It is a combination of a decline in
draft calls and an increase in voluntary en
listments. The latter has probably had the
most influence although both have been im
portant in bringing about the change.
The increase in enlistments lias been
brought about by two factors. In the first
place there are more youths reaching the age
of 18 each year than has been true in the
past seven years. The children born in the
era of the low birth rate during the “('.reat
Depression" years are all past 20 and the
wave of youths now reaching 18 are the
“New Deal’’ babies. The second factor is a
10 per cent raise which was put into effect
for the armed services recently.
We fear that we are making this sound
much too encouraging for those who wish
to avoid military service. In order to dispel
some of the illusion we might add that a de
crease in enlistments or a decision by Con
gress to increase the draft would imme
diately change the whole picture.
This leaves a couple of pretty big “ifs”
but still it appears that, at least for the next
few years, draft calls will definitely be much
lower than they lmve been.—(H R.)
Who s Craiy Now?
The Civil Aeronautics administration
came out with an interesting release the
other day. It will be especially eye-catching
to those students who attended the recent
showing of "The Court-Martial of Hilly
Mitchell” at a local theater.
According to the announcement nearly
42 million passengers flew on scheduled do
mestic and international airlines during 1955.
This is an increase of 19.1 per cent over
1954.
We looked at these figures and couldn't
help but wonder what the pessimists who
thought Billy Mitchell was crazy in the
1920's think of air travel today.—(B.K.)
Footnotes
A word of advice from a frustrated driver
trying to avoid getting wet: if you live
within two miles of the campus, walk to
class. You’ll get there faster, have no trouble
finding a parking space, won't have to walk
as far, and you’ll be in a nice rosy mood for
your 8 o'clock.
INTERPRETING THE NEWS
Democrats Face Big Problem
In Persuading Voters This Year
By James Marlow
Of the Associated Press
WASHINGTON UFI — Adlai
Stevenson himself, without say
ing so, put his finger on the
No. 1 problem facing the Demo
crats in trying to persuade the
voters to throw the Republi
cans out in 1956.
“America,” he said in a
speech recently, “is well and
strong above all nations in all
times. We are the luckiest peo
ple in the world and we know
it.”
If that’s the case, the vo
ters might ask, why should
they take a chance on chang
ing administrations in next
November’s election? Steven
son’s reasons seemed to add
up to this: “We can do every
thing better.”
He was very vague on how.
That can't be held against him
at this time. It was just a gen
eral outline of what he’ll say
later.
It was also pretty much the
outline of what the Democratic
party will be saying. There
were no surprises. It was pretty
much along the lines on which
the Democrates already have
indicated they will attack the
Republicans.
It was just enough of an
outline to show there are no
fundamental differences be
tween the two parties and
that the differences which do
exist are matters of degree
more than of kind.
Stevenson attacked the Eis
enhower administration’s farm
program. On this subject he
seems unusually hazy and, if
he has a solution, he has kept it
to himself.
He was critical of the admin
istration’s foreign policy but
did not indicate specifically
what was wrong with it except
to complain there was too
much talk and backing away
from it.
And — there was no sur
prise about this—he accused
the Republicans of being the
party of “special interest,”
meaning it was too cozy to
ward big business. This has
been a steady complaint of
the Democrats for genera
tions.
Stevenson complained — or
seemed to be complaining —
that this country was not giv
ing enough foreign aid to na
tions outside the Communist
bloc.
If he pursues this line he may
suffer some embarrassment in
1956 because it is almost cer
tain his own' Democrats 'will
try to ram through a tax cut in
the election year.
v Catting taxes means cut
ting revenue. It is hard to see
how the Democrats could
logically call for a boost in
foreign aid if the government
has less tax money to spend
on it.
Stevenson took pains to de
scribe his views as “moderate,”
although anyone who listened
to him in the 1952 campaign
must already have reached that
conclusion about him anyway.
Since President Eisenhower
is considered a moderate, and
is popular in that role, Steven
son could hardly make himself
unpopular following the same
line, which also happens to be
his natural one anyway.
Taffy Pull
by Fudge
'Ver out of the game; that's tour fifth |n-rson.”
THE LOOKIHC CLASS
Swashbucklers Buckle
Instead of Swashing
By Bob Davis
Emerald Columnist
It is the recent Hollywood
trend to test the virility of a
male star by setting him up as
the principle defender of jus
tice in a middle-ages horse op
era. In "The Warriors," Errol
Flynn is given his chance to
show what he can do with arm
or, sword, and the lady in dis
tress.
Sadly, the years have had
their mellowing influence on
actor Flynn. He has put on
some unknightly weight and
can capture his old agility only
through some good camera
work. He now looks like Robert
Taylor's double.
"The Warriors” uses the
basic formula of most of the
Hollywood history spectacu
lars. Flynn is the English
Prince of Wales who is left
to reign over the French
Aquitaine* after their defeat
hy the British in the One
Hundred Years War. The
French noblemen give him all
sorts of trouble and finally
take a.B English woman host
age which neatly provides the
lady in distress ingredient
and the Inevitable love angle.
Joar.nc Dm dutifully provides
the pretty scenery and the
chance for Kind to prove that
he can still coj«- with a castle
full of villains and still not ap
pear too ruffled. Naturally a
cast of thousand'; - well hun
dreds anyway, a id to the pa
geantry ami there are some
nice shots of th<- Knglish coun
tryside. "The Warriors" is no
worse arid little better than
preceding Cinemascope adven
tures into the days when chiv
alry was in flower.
One Mg disappointment in
the film was the defense of
the castle scene which is the
high point of this type of pic
ture. The attack lasted only
a few minutes and there was
complete absence of any tnolr
ten lead or flaming oil that
traditionally flows so abund
antly over the extras* heads.
Perhaps a Burt Lancaster
could have injected some life
into the Prince's part for it was
quite clear that. “The Warriors'*
and Knot Flynn, both billed as
swashbucklers, too often buck
led when they should have
swashed.
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