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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 1958)
Daily EMERALD Time is Ripe A problem common to every Congress since 1946—statehood for Hawaii and/or Alaska—is currently receiving another look by Senators and Representatives in the na tion’s capital. The two territories have been actively promoting statehood for themselves for three decades. Countless arguments pro and con have been heard in Congressional de bates, reports and hearings, as well as in the press. The arguments have changed little through the years, and the territories have progressed almost daily—yet Congress still haggles on the issue. Why? Perhaps be cause, while the legislators are all but sure, they don't want to make a mistake. State hood, once granted, is final. The Hawaiian case was the strongest lor many years, but now Congressional spon sors of statehood bills feel Alaska will earn the new status before the Islands. Hawaii has all the cjualifications tradi tionally required of a new state—economic self-sufficiency, an up-to-date educational and social system and modern government —but the stickler to its admission has been Southern opposition to its multi-racial population. Alaska lacks most of Hawaii’s attributes, but probably needs statehood much more. Increased population, proper development of immense natural resources and end of US absentee ownershop are hoped for by Alaskan statehood backers. A usual objection to statehood for both areas is their non-contiguity to the United States and their separation in miles. But this factor, with current transportation and communication facilities, is dimming in sig nificance. It seems clear that both territories will eventually obtain statehood (for which pro visions have been made in Old Glory)—the question is when. Hawaii and Alaska are states in all but in name, and they should be given equality long deserved. They have assumed state ob ligations but are not receiving state bene fits. The time, long overdue, is ripe. Pat on the Back A pat on the back is due the ASUO sen ate for a decision it made in its meeting last week. The senate voted to accept an orientation-leadership committee report that recommended a weekend leadership confer ence next fall instead of a "leadership-orien tation class” that had been discussed earlier. The committee recommended that, gen erally, the conference include discussion and explanation of such things as student government here and at other schools, the budget, "enlightenment about bodies with which the senate deals," and “personal characteristics” of a good senator and a good leader. While we feel the senate would be better off forgetting about “personal characteris tics of senators and leaders,” we commend its decision to try to get together for indi vidual and group benefit. The senate was also wise in setting aside any ideas for a “leadership-orientation class” (someone even suggested class credit or making it a compulsory course for freshmen). The fac ulty would turn down such an idea in a flash, indeed as they should, and the senate would appear ridiculous. The idea of a “leader’s conference,” how ever, is a good one. We might suggest that special emphasis be placed on orientation of various student organizations to the leaders who attend. There's plenty of con fusion between campus organizations, and, if more were understood about organiza tional set-up, personnel problems and the role each of the organizations play, chances are the groups would get along a lot better. A Good Phrase Four times a year, the Carnegie Corpora tion sends us a report on its doings—and a headline in the most recent issue helped solidify our ideas on what to say about Brotherhood Week (just ending). ‘Nothing Human is Alien’ ” was the headline—in quotes, as if it had been bor rowed, but we couldn’t locate its source. But no matter where it came from, that phrase is a good one. It deserves some ser ious thought. For it seems to us that, in promoting brotherhood of all men, half the battle is won if individuals can be persuaded that people with “different” colors and religions and backgrounds are not so different, after all; that they’re just people, with the same faults and virtues we all have. Spread the word, as your part in Brother hood Week: “Nothing Human is Alien.” LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Emerald Editor: Concerning Jack Wilson’s sec ond try to defend the week which advertises advertising: The reason many people doubt the worth of advertising is not that they fail to realize the place of advertising in our mass sales economy. They fully realize that present day advertising is necessary for the form of this society. They merely question the value of the form. Such a questioning is obviously beyond Mr. Wilson’s understanding. I am intrigued by Mr. Wil son’s insistence in restricting alternatives. According to his last column, he thinks either of advertising as it is now, or no advertising at all. Can’t he con ceive advertising of such a na ture that it wouldn’t brainwash the “best-informed” populace in the world, while still introduc ing new products? Advertising has probably al ways deceived people about its wares, but present day advertis ing deceives people about them selves. The latter is what I rec ognize during “Advertising Ftec opnition Week”; I recognize it, and I dislike it. I wonder how the colonists ever got this democracy started without the “bulwark” of ad vertising. It is really too bad that Thomas Paine never pub lished “Common Sense” because he didn’t have any advertising to finance it. Oregon Daily Emerald The Oregon Daily Emerald is published four times in September and five days a week during the school year, except during examination and vacation periods, by the Student Publications Board of the University of Oregon. Entered as second class matter at the post office, Eugene, Oregon. Subscription rates: $5 per year, $2 per term. Opinions expressed on the editorial page are those of The Emerald and do not pretend to represent the opinion of the ASUO or the University. ALLEN JOHNSON, Editor WILLIAM COOK, Editorial Page Editor GARY CAPPS, Business Manager PHIL HAGER, Managing Editor vji-'i-'ii v ^tuvci umiik jvidiiaijcr JERRY RAMSEY, JACK WILSON, Associate Editors PEPPER ALLEN, News Editor BOB MULLIN, Sports Editor Editorial Board: Allen Johnson, William Cook, Phil Hager, Pepper Allen, Bob Mullin, Jerry Ramsey, Jack Wilson. How free is a press which is heavily influenced by the gentle men who buy that all important advertising space? I can’t tell from his column whether Mr. Wilson thinks of “art” as an aid in presenting advertising, or as art with a capital “A,” i.e., art as prac ticed by the Artiste. But I can tell that said columnist has no idea of the very basic relation ship of art (with a small "a”) to man. A little investigating in an thropology would quickly show him that it is most difficult to think of homo sapiens sans art. The creating of art is almost part of the definition of man. It is, therefore, nonsense to con sider even figuratively a choice between eliminating art or ad vertising. There is really no choice at all. It is impossible to separate art from mankind. Take adver tising methods of today and you are led to the type of mass conformity thinking which makes a nation ripe for loss of civil liberty. Dennis Davis Junior in AAA The Rationalizers , and then there's the expense of rrplarkiRvHlI those flat's . . /' CkarL WitcU more Oregon’s 85th Anniversary Should Be Celebrated May 7. There should be some sort of anniversary celebration on May 7 this year something other than the educa tional movie or the Browsing Room lecture that the Student Union calendar lists for that date. It is ac tually the 85th birthday of the University of Oregon. R Yes, I know, this doesn't square with the October Char ter Day "birthday” and the MDCCCLXXVI underneath Mt. Hood on the University seal. But May 7, 1873 the day they turned the first ear.h for Deady Hall deserves recognition this year. It was the physical be ginning of the University of Oregon. It’s pretty hard to avoid get ting caught up in the en thusiasm of the University's history from that memorable day for Eugene's citizens, dres sed In their Sunday best for the groundbreaking of a university. It’s pretty hard to avoid even in the single-minded search for a dormitory name. There are names — worthy ones too — plus some interest ing notes on the personalities behind the present building names. Judge Matthew P. Deady for instance, was the leader of the opposition in the Univer sity’s first real fight: whether or not it should be established. He favored the parochial schools system over publicly supported education. (He later crossed to the other side and became one of the University’s strongest supporters.) But speaking of dormitory names, how about Judge Joshua J. Walton, a friend from the start (member of the founding Union University Assn, and early secretary of the board of regents) ? II was Judge Walton who stumped the county for build ing funds, confronting work men coincidentally on pay days and visiting farmers in between. The chickens, pigs, fruit and wheat that lie hauled hack to a Kugcnc storekeeper (X. (», Hendricks) lor conversion inXo cask lunuit slow erasure of thf debt from stUl-rudc Heady Hall IteKim courageously on promise* as a $50,000 project. J he story is moat thorouglyy told in The History of tin* t'nu verslty of Oregon (Rinfords Mort, 1940) by the late Henry D. Sheldon, early dean of the school of education and a mas remembered by George Turnbull and Karl Onthank for his "widt grasp" of knowledge rather thftr the relative specialization < 1 today. His positions as lectiftc professor in education, phi losophy and history bear tfTi> out, Although Sheldon doesn’t meuj tiori the selection of the yellow from the state flower as th* school color (it should be "grape yellow," not "lemonyyeHow" v he does describe the" first Ore gon football game (UO 44, Al bany College 2) which followed shortly. And the story of the Univer sity winds on throug^i 274 pages' from first President J. W. John son and his "ten command ments" (You think the dry zone is tough? "Mr. C.T.F. having been seen going Into severnj saloons, it was moved that Ijis name be stricken from thq roll."; to the 1938 inauguration of Donald Erb, who, anothej writer says, would have made Oregon the "Harvard of the West” but for his untimely death in 1943. In between there’s Dr. Thomil' Condon, the father of science— especially geology—at Oregon standing “straight as an ancicni Druid.” Or the little Eugene storekeeper, Sam Friendly who’ another-author describes, would be lifted to the platform at every pre-game rally for his tradition; al speech, “Wlctory must (jc ours!” If there’s ever a new ROXC building it should be named foi Col. John Leader, the British officer from the Royal Irish Rifles who organized the highly patriotic student body (and some faculty) who had been drilling with wooden rifles ir World War I. 4 (Continued on page 3)
