“The Night Eugene Went Wild With Joy”

People in Eugene had been agitated for weeks leading up to the Oregon state election on June 1, 1908. The fate of the University of Oregon depended on the electorate. Would Oregon taxpayers approve an appropriations bill for the continued operation of the state’s only publicly funded university? The outcome was far from certain.

Since 1901 the university had depended on an annual appropriation by the state legislature totaling $47,000. The institution had managed to get by with those funds and various fees and interest payments from private funds. Occasionally the university regents requested, and obtained, a supplement to the appropriation. But in May 1908 the regents revealed its financial straits to the readers of Portland’s Oregonian newspaper, the largest in the state. To continue operations and to accommodate various new needs – housing accommodations for women students, increased library support, and building improvements – $150,000 would be needed. Without it, the regents warned that the university would likely need to be closed. 

Opposition to the measure was considerable, especially in the “country” sections of various counties, and support in the cities was uncertain. All eyes were especially on the voters in Portland, the state’s largest city. Significant support in that city and the surrounding Multnomah County could determine the outcome.

Voters went to the polls on June 1st, but the fate of the university appropriations bill remained uncertain throughout the day and evening. Students at the university were unable to study while awaiting the results. They feared their future education was on the line. Supporters retired with one question hanging over their heads: Would the support in Portland hold?

Finally, on the evening of June 2, the vote outcome was certain enough to declare victory for the university bill. Portland held with a majority in favor, along with other cities: Astoria, The Dalles, Pendleton, Baker City, Roseburg, Ashland, Marshfield (today’s Coos Bay) and, of course, Eugene. However, voters in Salem, the state capitol, opposed the measure. Of the nearly 80,000 votes cast, the measure passed with a slim margin of 3500 votes. 

Upcoming Event:
Author Michael Helquist, a former student at the University of Oregon, will discuss with slides his new biography, Marie Equi: Radical Politics and Outlaw Passions, at the downtown Eugene Public Library, Saturday, August 6, 2016, 3 – 4:30 pm. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Marie Equi was a graduate of the UO Medical Department in 1903. She advocated for the passage of the university funding measure.  

University of Oregon campus buildings, 1910

Kincaid Field 1910

UO Villard Hall and Deady Hall

​The Oregonian reported that in Eugene, “The University and the city went mad!” Revelers staged “demonstrations without parallel.” People packed the streets, bands played, “sky rockets” exploded, and rallies filled Kincaid Field on the university campus. Students lit a monster bonfire that blazed fiercely through the night. 

Sources:

• “Where Money Goes, Regents Explain Needs of University of Oregon,” Oregonian, May 17, 1908, 12.
• “Shows Majority of 3569,” Oregonian, June 9, 1908, 10.
• “The Night Eugene Went Wild With Joy,” Oregonian, June 14, 1908, 2.