Speaker Ban
“Experience should teach us to be most
on our guard to protect liberty when the
Government’s purposes are benefiicient. Men
born to freedom are naturally alert to repel
invasion of their liberty by evil-minded rul
ers. The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in
insidious encroachment by men of zeal,
well-meaning, but without understanding.”—
Justice of the Supreme Court Louis D. Brand
eis, 1928.
There are those who would argue that
the above statement could be applied to
the bill for a speaker ban at state col
leges introduced Wednesday in the Ore
gon State Legislature. We believe those
veterans who sought to have the bill in
troduced are well-meaning. We will never
forget a conversation we had with a vet
eran of the Korean War during the Gus
Hall controversy last year. He spoke bit
terly of “friends dying in order to allow
a man like Hall to speak at the University
of Oregon.”
But the lack of understanding of such
veterans is also apparent. If fighting Com
munism is their aim, they must realize
where the battleground lies. It is within
the minds of men. And they must also
realize that fighting on this battleground
requires an understanding of the weapons
needed. They would fight the battle by
keeping inquiring minds from being ex
posed to the ideas of Communism. We
would not.
A man, exposed only to ideas which re
inforce his beliefs, is much less able to
deal with ideas that finally come before
him contrary to his own. The man who
has been forced to test his beliefs against
strong opposition, who is cognizant of
what he is fighting against, will, by defini
tion, be more able to defend his belief.
And the defenders of a nation and its ideals
will be much stronger if they have a clear
understanding of what they are fighting
for and against. It is time for those who
fight Communism by seeking to censor in
formation about it to realize they are op
posing their own ends.
Communism is a political fact of life.
If we ignore it, it won’t go away. If stu
dents are confronted with it, they can bet
ter understand its fallacies. If they do not
find fallacies in the system, then that is
a chance we must take in a free society.
But what about those w’ho would pro
hibit men from speaking here on the basis
that they are criminals. Take, for instance,
William Walsh, president of the Oregon
State Board of Higher Education, and a
man we respect highly. Wednesday he said,
“I favor the bill if it relates to a person
who is representing a subversive organiza
tion and is speaking in their behalf.” He
added, “My objection last year to Gus Hall’s
appearance was on the grounds that he was
a convicted criminal. . .”
Walsh, we believe, should take a sec
ond look at his statement. Because Mr.
Hall w'as a convicted criminal, did that
make w;hat he had to say any more or less
valuable at an educational institution?
Hall was not, at the time he spoke here,
under indictment from the Federal Sub
versives Activities Control Board, nor was
he barred, under law, from publicly air
ing his views. Because a man has been
accused of a crime, should that prevent
him from being free to speak as he sees
fit.
Tnere are also those who say that there
is no need for speakers on Communism at
this University. True there are a number
of books dealing with the subject in the
library. But books have a second-handness
that lacks the immediacy of an idea which
is presented verbally to a student.
Finally, the issue of freedom of speech
is involved. Democracy, in theory, is found
ed on a belief that the people are wise
enough to discover the truth in a given
issue. This is why historically we have
allowed criminals and Communists to
speak. Perhaps it is a sentimental view,
even foolhardy. Yet it is certainly no
worse than the idea that men should be
prevented from speaking at a University
because their beliefs are considered danger
ous and, perhaps convincing.
When Gus Hall appeared here, Uni
versity President Arthur S. Flemming and
the faculty made us proud to be students
of the University. We can think of no act
which enhanced this University in the
eyes of educators and the educated more
than the decision to establish a speaker
policy consistent with the ideal of free
speech.
The individuals who had the bill intro
duced in the Legislature believe it will
pass. The members of the legislative com
mittee it is in believe it may make it out
of the committee onto the floor of the
house and senate. If that time comes we
hope that students and faculty of this Uni
versity will bring all the pressure they can
to see that this bill, which can only dam
age the educational quality of this state,
does not pass.
Closed Week Needed?
We reprint the following editorial from
the February 6 issue of the Washington
Daily. Although not necessarily in agree
ment with the conclusions it reaches, we
believe some of the comments it makes are
particularly pertinent to the corning week
at the University which concludes with
finals on Saturday.
* * *
It only takes one quarter at the Univer
sity to realize the importance of finals
week.
If professors are going to emphasize
their final tests as much as they have in
the past, it is time something was done to
aid the students who have to take them.
Whiv not get rid of that hectic week be
fore finals?
Unfortunately this week has tradition
ally become a tension-filled rush of mass
academic activity for most students.
It never seems to fail that professors
suddenly realize they are four weeks be
hind in a course and assign all the reading
to be done the last week to catch up.
Then there are term papers due the last
day of class, and those last math assign
ments and lab reports have to be done.
Of course there are always those pro
fessors who think it is a good idea to
squeeze in just one more midterm that
week.
By the time students finish the mad
rush of last week assignments, they are
already beginning to suffer the first ef
fects of academic battle fatigue.
Then all they have to do is review texts,
notes, outside readings and old tests for
three or more classes. Coffee, cigarets and
pills are consumed in mass amounts as
everyone fights to stay awake “just an
hour longer to review that last chapter.”
Soon they’re nothing but walking IBM
machines hopefully full of grade-winning
knowledge to be sleepily scratched down
on a couple of notebooks. It’s certainly not
the best state to be in when 30 per cent
or more of one’s grade depends qm that
last big test.
If the week before finals were looked
upon as a week of lectures only with no
term papers or reports due, no assign
ments made and no midterms given, stu
dents could properly prepare for the all
telling exams that decide how many grade
points they will receive on their official
transcript.
Such a Stop Week, as it is called at other
universities, would be a welcome addition
to the academic traditions of the Univer
sity. Both students and professors would
benefit.
AN&LLR
—/V\Aui_fcv IJ
W*.V^4
Letters to the Editor
Evaluation of Arguments
Emerald Editor:
With reference to the letter
of Mr. Bandak, the secretary of
the Arab Students' Organization,
and the reply by Mr. Toor, the
instructor in English, I would
like to give a brief comment
First, I have nothing to do with
either party. Mr. Bandak gave
a brief definition of the policy
of Arab Nationalism, as any
other political institution which
should have some kind of pol
icy, and it is up to whom it may
concern to accept or reject the
policy However. Mr Tour's com
ment seems to be below the
standard of an instructor in this
institution to ignore the belief
of millions of people by using
“dirty politics" by means of
such phrases as "meaningless
gibberish and double talk . . .
hypocrisies and fallacies", and
so on If each human individual
describes the belief of every
people in the way of the Eng
lish instructor, then human so
ciety cannot exist, I hope that
Mr Toor can explain the meth
od of testing the validity of his
statement i would like to asl.
Mr Toor if he has spent the
weekend, at least, in Egypt to
observe the political, cultural,
and social change that is taking
place I have the statistical data
on the facts of this change.
I do not find any mention in
Mr. Bandak's letter about Nas
ser, Isreal, Eichmann, or Nazi
sm. What do these things have
to do with what Mr. Bandak
wrote? Arab Nationalism means
more than meaningfulness or
sense to millions of the Arabs,
and there is no obligation on
any body to believe it or not; it
is rather an individual matter.
Mr. Toor develops a “we feel
ing” in his comment, and I won
der; who are the “we” that he
represents, the English depart
ment, the University of Oregon,
the American nation, or a cer
tain interest group? The criti
cal analysis of Mr. Toor shows
poor judgment, and it is cieai
ly a value judgment.
Ann McDonald
Junior—Education
End the Draft
Emerald Editor:
Do you young men 17-18 years
old, who hope to plan a career
now ... Do you college teachers
hoping to have dedicated men
among your students ... Do you
girls who should be able to meet
a variety of fellows as marriage
years approach. . . .
Know that the draft will ex
pire June of 1963? And that
Legislation to extend the draft
will be considered in Congress
very soon? If you believe that
the draft should be ended your
voice needs to be heard today.
Some of the nation’s leaders
have this to say:
Adlai Stevenson. The draft in
terferes with the advanced train
ing of many young men and ulti
matcly weakens the real secur
ily and strength of our nation
I think I speak for every person
in America, that we will count
it a better day when we find that
these military needs can best be
met by a system which does not
mean the disruption of the lives
of an entire generation of young
men. which lets them plan their
education and get started more
quickly along life's ordained
course.
Senator Mike Mansfield. An
armed service of professionals
cannot b*- built by conscription
As in any profession there must
be a certain amount of incentive.
The current situation in the
branches of the armed services
gives very little incentive to a
young man to make a career.
Prof. John Galbraith, Harvard
University. The draft survives
principally as a device by which
we use compulsion to get young
men to serve at less than the
market rate of pay. Presumably
freedom of choice here as else,
where would be worth paying
for a shift from compulsion
to fully paid service would give
us a better trained force—some
thing that modern weapons make
most desirable.
If you want your opinion
heard write to; President John
T Kennedy. The White House,
Washington 25, DC.
Senator Wayne Morse, Senate
Office building, Washington 25,
D.C.
Representative Robert Dun
can, House Office Building,
Washington 25, D.C.
Further information may be
obtained by writing “End the
Draft in ’63”, P.0. Box 254H,
Washington 13, D C.
Jeanne Kenyon
Phyllis Thomas
72 \V. 2Cth Ave., Eugene,
• • 0
Wise Selection
Emerald Editor:
The Emerald Footnote con
cerning Gary McCormack’s elec
tion to the Senate (Mon. Feb.
25th) is an example, in my opin
ion, of the Emerald being dead
wrong. The footnote stated in
part:
“Hut we were very surprised
that the Senate decided after
fiive minutes of questioning, by
a vote of 14-11 that they would
rather have him (McCormack)
than an ex-student body presi
dent of Vassar on the senate.”
(Continued on puric 3)
OREGON DAII.Y KMERAJ.D
The Oregon Daily Emerald is published
seven times in September and five days a
week during the school year, ex< * pt dur
ing examination and vacation periods l»y
the Student Publications Board of tie
University of Oregon. Entered a *<<-ond
class mater 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 opinions of the
ASUO or file University.
BOX BIJKL, Editor
MARTY KKTKLS, Business Manager