Under New Management
A new staff takes over The Emerald
today. With a change in staff, some natural
changes in policy are to be expected. Frank
ly, we’ll do our best to stick to a number of
principles and ideas that have been set forth
by this year’s previous editors, Charles
Mitchelmore and Allen Johnson. We’re
proud of the work that's been done by these
two men and hope we can keep it up.
We do plan some changes, however, and
it’s only fair to “warn” our readers of our
policy.
The Emerald will attempt to get a wide
range of opinion on its editorial page. We
believe a college newspaper should be con
cerned more with stimulating opinion than
with influencing it. But don't for one minute
think we'll take neutral stands on contro
versial issues. The Emerald hasn't backed
down from fights in the past, and we’ve no
intention of doing so now.
To attain this wider range of opinion we
plan to run more individual columns than
in the past. When there is room, two col
umnists’ ideas will be published. In the
past, letters to the editor have livened is*
sues greatly. We will continue to welcome
letters to the editor, provided they are
signed and within a 400 word maximum
limit. Once a week a “guest” column will
be written by a faculty member, who may
write on any subject he chooses. Other
“guest” columns are planned, too.
The editorial board will be extended
from seven to ten members. The ten board
members we re sure will offer ten different
opinions to draw ideas from in order to
mold vigorous, intelligent editorial stands.
An editorial cartoonist will be on hand to
add color and campus interest to editorial
page art.
In presenting its views, The Emerald is
often forced to “step on toes.” We’re not
out to hurt feelings, damage reputations or
sabotage any particular organizations or
groups of individuals—but if “stepping on
toes” is in the best interests of the students
we won’t hesitate to do so. We are par
ticularly fortunate that the University al
lows a “free press” with no direct control
of editorial policy. While welcoming criti
cism of editorial policy, we will always de
fend the principle of the free press.
One change you’ll notice is the "World
News In Brief” column. Certainly, our aim
can not be “completeness” in this column.
Rather we hope that it will serve as a guide
to further investigation of important world
happenings. Emphasis will still be on cam
pus news coverage, but we believe the
world news column will serve a definite
purpose for the reader.
These aren't the only changes that will
be made, as you’ll see from day to day. But
they’re the most pertinent, we felt, to the
purpose of The Oregon Daily Emerald: to
present information, to present ideas, and
to serve its readers as best it can. (R.ll.)
«- +
A Victory, But—
Xo matter how small the act, there is a
commanding advantage in having taken
the offensive in any political struggle.
The Soviet veto of President Eisenhow
er's open skies plan for the Arctic Friday
was somewhat of a “propaganda victory”
for the West. It, moreover, was an example
of what can be gained when a nation is will
ing to take the initiative and force an is
sue.
More explicitly, in saying to the Rus
sians, “Will you agree to a mutual arms
inspection plan for the arctic area?” the
United States was forcing the Soviet Union
to tell the world that she either was not
willing to move forward in the direction of
demilitarization, or that she would follow
the lead of the U.S. in working for some
ease in the international tension.
In either instance, the United States is
in the command position.
There is, and has been in this country,
the danger in putting too much stock in
words without actions. This is not to mini
mize the value of a propaganda advantage.
In an ideological struggle, which the Cold
War is, what the uncommitted people hear
from the central figures will do much to de
termine those countries’ future actions.
Yet, as George Kennan pointed out in his
controversial Reith Lectures, since the
Russians are waging an ideological battle
on the “imperialist” nations, they are not
deterred by our shout- and threats, but only
by the positive actions which we take
against them. Kennan says that the Soviet
have no real deadline when they w ill have
had to conquer the world. Rather, they plod
along, trying to persuade, disillusion, and
blackmail countries to their side, content to
let us defeat ourselves.
This we can surely do. And this we shall
do it we consider idle talk and threats
to be a substitute for foreign policy.
Country Club Tag
The Emerald starts today a three-part
series of articles on Oregon’s so-called
“country club” reputation. Also, editorial
cartoonist Les Cong for the next few days
will present his impressions of this reputa
tion.
Virtually everyone on the campus agrees
that we aren’t really a country club—at
least in the full sense of the words. We
don't disagree. We would like to examine,
however, how this reputation is developed,
howr it hurts the University and its stu
dents, and what people want to do about
it.
The “country club” reputation may be
totally unfounded—but it’s still there, and
it should be discussed.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Emerald Editor:
At the last meeting of the
Committee for Student Aware
ness, over 250 signatures had
been obtained in support of the
ending of nuclear bomb tests. In
view of the limitations on our
time and objectives Thursday,
May 8, will terminate our efforts
to secure signatures. We have
received letters from Senator
Morse and Representative Por
ter thanking us for our activity
and interest in this issue.
I have been asked to present
the arguments in favor of end
ing nuclear bomb tests. In the
following paragraphs I have
listed for the benefit of those
who could not attend the panel
discussion on this issue those
questions whose answers, I feel,
favor ending the tests.
1) Why should we go to a lot
of trouble to develop a clean
bomb when we have no assur
ance that a war will be fought
with clean bombs ? Isn’t our pur
pose to keep the weapons large
and horrible enough so that no
one will want to play .the war
game ?
2) Are the returns from test
ing so great that it would be
foolish not to continue ? Are we
really changing the essence of
the atomic bomb from these
tests and making improvements
we could not do without?
3) What would happen if we
stopped testing? Would Russia
be forced to stop because of the
risk of a propaganda defeat?
Would our ability to build
atomic and hydrogen bombs be
impaired? Could we not detect
Soviet tests ?
4) What are the hazards of
not stopping tests ? Is not radio
active fallout a danger to health
and an assault on personal
rights? Will not a continuation
of the precedence of tests allow
many nations of questionable
political stability access to those
weapons whose wide possession
(Continued on page 3)
The Oregon “Country Clubber”
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COMMGNT'. ACUHDtSACtODlSACUTO ISACU?0
2w C
Writer Says Election System \
Leans Toward Small Group
Having been around for a good
number of years. I fee! that !t'»
only fitting that I make some
cryptic comments regarding lant.
wees k a .> i, u
election.
Xhis was an
i m u h i n k elec
tion not so
i m using as
cotne and defi
nitely more so
hnn others. As
i c ampus elec
tion it would
range in the
middle of a .scale with its ex
tremes in the abortive flounder
ings of the OSP and the sparing
manifestations of serious carica
ture.
Don’t interpret this as dis
gruntled or bitter. Nor is what
follows necessarily a reflection
on those elected, any more than
it’s a reflection on those elect
ing. Let what is said fall where
it must.
One of the most amusing
things was the candidates who
seemed to feel the call of the
electorate. It seemed that every
body and his brother decided to
run. Each house jumped into
the middle for prestige.
This would have been fine ex
cept that many of those organi
zations offering have only loud
mouths or intellectual dissipates
at their disposal. The weak
nesses of student government
are not minimized by the elec
tion of some smiling idiot whose
qualifications run along the lines
of serving on one SU committee,
chairman of the Let's Keep
Alive the Rosebowl Spirit com
mittee, Greek Week Chariot
Race time keeper, forceful, dy
namic, aggressive, a scholar
(three point in Ed.).
The campaigning was in
keeping with the quality of the
candidates and interested voters.
As a matter of fact, some of
these people would do quite well
in Southern primary battles. (It
might pay for some graduate in
political science to forget his
amateur politics for awhile and
attempt to correlate this trend
toward mo^e irrelevant cam
paigns and increasing Democrat
registration). The relationship
of posters all over hell and a
candidate’s abilities escapes me,
except that it seems to be in an
obscure is this same relationship
with car parades or their torch
variety. I always wonder what .
Much enthusiasm in all about.
The actual voting. In me. -
chanlcs and results, was enough
to unnerve Klrno Roper. All -
manner of corruptive possibili
ties presented themselves in the '
way in which actual balloting '
was handled. The voter handed
his ballot to some election offi
cial who would then monkey
around with it before placing it
in the ballot box. What this illus
trates is not so much the farcical
nature of the voting as the ab
solute superfluity of the vice- „
president, who is supposedly in _
charge of elections.
That two partially contradic- *
lory amendments were both *
passed needs no comment. I only '
ask you to speculate on tRe
passage of the other amend
ment. reducing the number of
qualified voters needed to pass
an amendment from 13 to
Math majors: caluclate this pro
gression and the number of
years before it takes no voters
to pass an amendment!
The most important point is -
that none of these amendments *
rectifies the central weakness •
of the present electoral set-up, -
preferential voting. On top of *
this they only partially amelio- *
rate the method by which un
successful presidential aspirants
become incompetent vice-presi
dents and sure-thing senators.
Per haps at one time both these
were necessary to perpetuate a „
clique of fruternity boys in _
which there may have been a -
dearth of quality. Perhaps the
same is trire today. But It can- -
not be disputed that at the heart -
of the weak student government -
and even weaker support lies -
an election system that caters -
to a small group, which of neces
sity has no monopoly on either '
talent or imagination. This was '
abundantly expressed last week. *
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 Hoard of the Univer
sity of Oregon. Entered as second clast
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 pre
tend to represent the opinion of the ASUO +
or the University.
PHI E HAGER. Editor
|UEL HRYANT, Husiucss Manager ♦