Th Ortp* Mfy
^EMERALD
Tax Troubles
State senator Warren Gill, GOP candi
date for governor, reiterated here Thurs
day the pledge that he will veto any in
crease in income taxes or a state tax on
property. It's a fact that Oregon has been
bypassed by industry, and that the state tax
structure has been responsible for at least
part of this failure to attract new income.
Presently, an authority from Princeton is
studying the tax structure and will make
recommendations.
Until then, however, a feud over the
sales tax has been hot between the guber
natorial hopefuls. Gill, one of the most ve
hement voices, pointed out the unfairness of
the current property tax in that it penalizes
the poor family who has to pay the same
milage rate as the wealthy family.
“One of the chief differences,” said Gill,
“between communism and capitalism is the
right to property." This right is endangered,
he charged, when a heavy property tax is
causing an Oregonian to buy back his hoi^e
from the government every 10 or 12 years.
Another drawback to the property tax,
which most states have abandoned, is that
the assessed valuation of property may be
distorted by shifts in the business cycle, in
competent assessors, unfair administration,
and other complexities.
Gill proposes the obvious alternative to
the property tax, a sales tax, which 31 states
now have. The regressive-tax argument
was thrown back at him. though, by a mem
ber of the audience who asserted •hat the
sales tax actually penalized the poor, too,
since the lower income group spends a larg
er share for taxable goods, food and cloth
ing, and simply because they spend greater
portions of their incomes.
Using a hypothetical example, Gill then
demonstrated that the property tax is even
more regressive than the sales tax.
Dunking Wear
*“ Other arguments against a sales tax are
. that it is an inconvenience to pay bits of
change constantly whereas other taxes are
paid in lump-sum, and that it is harder to
collect than a "lump” tax.
At any rate, the state does not have a uni
form or up-to-date tax plan, and some
changes should he made.
Higher Quality
Wendell II. Stephenson, professor of his
tory, struck at many good points last w eek
in his talk on the quality of education at the
University.
We especially agreed with him on the
value of reading from many sources for a
course rather than just the cut-and-dried,
and often flowery, textbooks. For one thing,
a text, say in political science, will outline
the various components and cases for be
liefs whereas a book bv Lippmann or Ma
chiavelli goes deeply into the ideas and
causes the reader to form an opinion. And
this, instead of memorizing values of this
and functions of that, is the learning pro
cess.
Stephenson’s comments on the value of
getting into the “reading habit” were ex
cellent. we thought. The seminar course
“politics and the novel” is an example of
this direct connection between learning
and books other than texts.
Quality education and Oregon’s “country
club" reputation run parallel in a number of
respects. The causes, effects and “remedies”
for the reputation are extremely difficult to
pin-point. The Emerald's three-part series
on the subject has brought a wide range of
comment and opinion. We’re happy to see
this. It's doubtful that any one person can
come up with a “solution,” a- such—but an
interest in ourselves as students and what
other- think of u^ is certainlv a healthv one.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Emerald Editor:
As I walked down Hello Walk,
Monday at 1:15 p.m., I was in
a hurry to get to the Side in
order to finish preparing my
assignment for my two o’clock
class. However, as my size does
not command respect from boys,
nor does the fact that I am a
member of the other sex, it was
deemed, by some young men in
want of something constructive
to do, that I was not to carry
out my wishes but must enter
tain them.
These “noble, shining examples
of American Youth,” “Our Hope
for the Future,” Order of the O
boys ordered that I greet them
all with “Hello” which I happily
did and asked me whether I was
a freshman. I respectfully an
swered that I was a “Sophomore
in a Hurry to Get to the Side
to Study.” Evidently the tra
ditions have changed again this
year for in the ensuing fight
between me and these gentle
men they succeeded in skinning
my elbow, bruising my arms,
spraining two fingers on my
right and writing hand, and
tearing my petticoats, and fi
nally these strong young men
succeeded in hoisting me, legs
flying and skirts up to my neck,
into the pool.
If I am criticized for not sub
mitting meekly to their tactics
for attention and notoriety may
I say that my ladylike behavior
equalled their gentlemanly be
havior. I was and am indignant,
embarrassed, and ashamed.
Indignant because of the rude
rough, authoritarian manner in
which they carried out their
"fun.” Indignant also because
they ha/e changed traditions to
fit their desires. Have they the
right to do so ? Or is it the right
of the student body to change
them ? And if they are tra
ditions, why must they be
changed and enforced? Isn't the
dunking traditionally carri£\
out at Fenton Pool and since
when is it traditional to dunk
upper class women?
Embarrassed because in the
process of the dunking these
young gentlemen did not care
where they were handling me
nor did they care where my
skirts were.
Ashamed because these young
men represent the University of
Oregon and thus represent me.
Their actions are not actions of
which anyone can honestly say
they are proud.
I would like to know if fhis
group will take the responsi
bility of the $5 damage done to
my clothes. I will not ask them
to be responsible for the cuts,
bruises and sprains—they will
heal in time. But as for my re
spect for the Order of the O—I
am afraid neither money nor
time will pay for the damage.
These opinions are held by
many individuals on this cam
pus. Individuals who do not
wish to comply with “traditions”
that vary each year. Students
who do not believe that their
rights as individuals make it
necessary to react to such treat
ment with laughs and screams
and admiration for the hyper
masculinity of the young men.
If this letter is criticized for
being an emotional instead of a
rational reaction may I say it
was written in indignance, em
barrassment, and shame; but
may I defend it by asking
whether such action can be
handled with reason or whether
this example of their behavior
shows that perhaps the correct
approach to such action is like
action.
Kathy Erickson
Sophomore in
Pre-Medicine
Emerald Editor:
Realizing full well that the
editorial page is a form of privi
leged communication and that
an editorial writer does not have
to justify his opinion with an
analytical approach, we feel
that comment should be made
concerning the editorial, “The
Amendments,” appearing in the
Mav 9, 1958 edition of The Em
erald.
In the first paragraph, the
writer states that the two
amendments were "conflicting.”
In succeeding paragraphs he
says that the first amendment
provided that senatorial candi
dates could not be elected presi
dent, and that the second amend
ment says living groups would
elect their own representatives.
We fail to see how this points to
any "conflict.” Apparently, if
there is a “conflict” involved,
the editorial writer did not see
fit to make this known to his
readers, who supposedly are less
informed than he.
The writer states that the pe
tition amendment should not go
into effect and gives his reasons
therefore, in total disregard of
the fact that the amendment
was passed upon by the voters
and has in fact been adopted
and is presently in effect.
The writer’s prejudice, which
is shown by his handling of the
issue, comes too late, as it
should have been pointed out in
(Continued on page 3)
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University Is Not Free
From Conformity, Apathy
Someday, when a very erudite
man surveys the tortuous grop
ings of 20th Century America,
he will be ap
plauded in soBie
very scholarly
journal as hav
ing discovered
"conformity” as
the nexus that
brings all into
focus.
Mi. lakenly or
not, this man
will see. through
this concept, the explanation
of such varied events as our
lemming-like adherence to po
litical shibboleth, the glorifica
tion of the smutty, the depths,
as real life, the undulating cur
rents of fad und fashion Killy
Graham, the sack dress, and
the "beat generation."
The question that this man
will have to ask is, was this
more than a superficial con
formity? Certainly, ho will rea
son, in their "mass production"
society (of goods, the arts, and
soulsi a great deal would have
to be the same over wide areas.
But underneath all that, when
the individual’s soul was bared,
how much of this seeming same
ness was only illusory ?
Certain matters would betray
this sort of naivete. Opulcn «*
has not been an iinqiiailfii-d
Rood, nor rail it lie, as the social.
1st reformers would like u. i •
believe. Its price has been to a
large extent brazen materialism,
and an intense desire to fill the
void of lesiure with the trivial.
For many the trivial and ma
terial have become the end-all
of life, they have no deeper self.
And values such as these are
the most amenable to conform
ity. The decision isn’t between
a house or a fine picture, but
between types of houses.
I'm always rather surprised
when somebody shows signs of
hurt at my suggestion that a
nice car isn’t the most important
thing in life, but in fact, far
from it. Also beyond the scope
of the imaginative powers of
many people is that clothes, or
saying the right thing, may not
be central.
The conformity is even more
disciplined than this agreement
on ultinmlc values; the “right''
car or the “right" clothe» are
Just as important.
Blit lx*yond these that exist,
that think little if ut all, the
problem shifts to the realm of
ideas, .x'ot only is thought dis
couraged, lint particular brands
of thought arc inveighed against.
From the security of the belief
that what Is Is rigid, we have
the scorn of new thought or the
<|Uestioning of old.
You might feel compelled at
this point to cry out, things
aren't this had that I'm talking
about the “great unwashed.''
that wiiat I'm saying will be
true of the masses In any so
ciety.
True. But, can such a reality
long coincide side-by-side w(Jh
the American ideal, which ic
ceives great homage hut little
thought? If the hope of our
generations lies with an elite,
what about the question of com
putability? And how effective
is such an elite without a dras
tic revision? The childish ac
tivities of very capable political
leaders, as well as some not so
capable, lead me to wonder if
the two aren't mutually ex
clusive.
Aiwl don’t kid yourfsclves about
our Intellectual elite. Their
14rent bastion, the university, is
subject to this pervasive in
fluence. Witness the prolifera
tion of business administration
schools. And academic speciali
zation is not free from the
dangers of dogmatism, conform
ity, and narrowness.
The dilemma is this: the two
sides of the coin of opulence
are conformity and apathy, the
alternative is bread and cir
cuses.
Neither is desirable, but no
other path seems open. What to
do?
OREGON DAILY EMERALD
The Ortgon Daily Emerald in publithrrf
four time* in September ami live days a
week during the school year, except dining
examination and vacation period*, tty the
Student Publication* board of the Univer
sity of Oregon. Kiltered as second class
matter at the p*>:.t offioe, Eugene, Oregon.
Subscription rates: $5 per year, $2 per
term.
Opinion* expressed on the editorial page
air those of The I.frier aid and do not pre
tend to r* pi e»ent the opinion of the ASUO
or the Uni rsity,
PITH. HAGER, Editor
liii.l. lilt V \NT, Business Manager