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University Daily Kansap
Tuesday, Jan. 13, 1953
Grant Study Proposed For General-President
Seventy-four years ago another popular general was counting the weeks until inauguration as President of the United States.
Gen. Ulysses Simpson Grant also could look back on preceding months in which he had swept the country's electoral vote and reunited a reeling Republican party.
History identifies the Grant regime chiefly with some of the blackest scandals ever to mar the government. In a true evaluation, his greatest sin was one of negligence. He was honest, but childlike in the ways of statesmanship and politics.
As he awaited inauguration early in 1869, his position was similar to that said to be President-elect Eisenhower's today—untrammeled by party commitments.
Many have called President Grant "the victim of his times." He assumed the Presidency shortly after the Civil war, in a gilded age of bonanza mines, gushing oil wells, railroad building, watered stock, and business expansion.
When U. S. Grant completed his second term as President, he was a crushed and tragic figure—the prey of journalists when living; the prey of historians after his death. A successful general, he failed as President because he was incompetent and was no politician.
Profeiteering, "fixing," and swindling of the government, which had ballooned during wartime, were followed by a tide of speculation and money grabbing. Society carried on with flowing champagne, red plush, and gilt mirrors. Political morality ebbed in city, state and federal government.
President Grant clung to many of the ways he successfully had used as a general. He seldom consulted party leaders and remained Grant the commander, silently making decisions without consultation of his generals.
In 1872, a strong anti-Grant movement among the Liberal Republicans—with New York Editor Horace Greeley as standard bearer—failed to defeat the general's try for a second term.
The President's first four years were blighted chiefly by the famous "Black Friday" panic over gold speculation in 1869. Hundreds were ruined financially in a resultant frenzied market before the President awoke to the true situation.
The Credit Mobilier scandal, first revealed to the public on election eve, involved Schuyler Colfax, the former vice president, and 11 members of Congress, all of whom had accepted gifts of shares in the construction company of the Union Pacific railroad.
Subsequent scandals were revealed touching other members of Congress, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the speaker of the House. The President's role in crippling prosecutions into scandals of the federal treasury, and of bribery in the administration of Indian agencies, has been called "the darkest single page in the history of the Presidency."
Scandals highly overshadowed the creditable features of the Grant regime, such as his leadership against all ideas similar to the "Ohio idea" to redeem all U.S. bonds in paper money.
U. S. Grant, a truly great general, made his biggest mistake when he compared a Presidency with a generalship. An account of his miserable reign as President should be required reading for any other general with ideas of being chief executive.
Bob Stewart.
Nominating conventions are fun we think, remembering the hours we spent in TV slippers last July. But such a strain, too. It's nice that the founding fathers were as considerate as Father Time and that things like elections and leap years only come quadrennially.
In The Editor's Eye
BY ROGER YARRINGTON
The heralded statement from the Jyhawker board has been received and frankly is quite a disappointment.
It seems the intention of the board to overlook any serious consideration of recommendations made to it and to occupy its time in systematic denial of any charges made.
The fifth criticism, "The quality of the finished book is not satisfactory," was the outstanding criticism and is dismissed by the board with "The board feels that through the yeters the quality of the Jayhawker has been high." That is an answer but hardly an argument.
It was the purpose of the editorial which the board criticizes, to be as specific as possible both in complaints and recommendations. The board's statement, on the other hand, seems as vague as possible.
I LOOKS LIKE the fellows helping in the kitchens at the Greek houses are in for a wage drop. In fact they may find their wages disappearing altogether.
The first of the semester will see many of the houses pushing for the non-wage setup due to rising costs.
THERE WAS A GREAT SIGH of relief heard over the campus last week when the winners in the English Proficiency contest were published. The joys were followed by griefs this weekend when Western Civ exams showed their ugly heads.
It seems the houses are finding it too expensive to feed the employees and pay them too. Work would be done on a feed-as-you-go plan. Pretty soon they will be weighing guys before hiring them.
However, now that the two biggest wastes of time at KU are out of the way, it appears that the weatherman has still a third torture in store.
With exams only a week away students must face the books with temperatures around 50 degrees luring them into a premature spring fever.
OUR CONGRATULATIONS go to the University and to its initiative in a survey of campus religious problems and administration.
Not only is the project a very commendable effort but also we believe the committee on religion is to be congratulated on its choice of experts to study the situation. We spoke to Dr. Nash and Rev. Sagester Saturday and found them very friendly and impressive.
POGO
“It’s taken me 27 dates to convince Intellectia I wasn’t going with her for her chemistry workbook, ‘an’ now I find out she’s never taken chemistry.”
Letters
University of Kansas Student newspaper News Room KU 251 Ad Room KU 373 Member of the Kansas Press Assn., National Editorial Assn., Inland Daily Press Assn., Associate the Magazine Assn., Assoc the Network Service, 420 Madison Avenue, N.Y. City,
Austrian Dislikes U.S. Isolationism
To the Editor of the Daily Kansan
To the Editor of the Daily Kansan:
Recent months have witnessed a growing tension between nations of the Western world. In many conversations with American friends about this subject I have encountered certain widespread opinions with which I, as well as the majority of my colleagues from foreign countries, violently disagree.
Little Man on Campus by Dick Bibler
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editor-in-Chief Roger Varyington
Editorial Assistants Charles Burch
Isolationism is making progress at an alarming rate, in this country. Impatient over the fact that all world problems do not solve themselves all of a sudden in some magical way, many Americans favor putting an end to the Korean war no matter at what cost, taking most, if not all, GIs home from overseas, stopping long and tiresome negotiations, and reducing drastically or, still better, serving completely all foreign aid.
Managing Editor           Dianae Stonebraker
Astr. Mgr. Editors       Moory Cooper, Bob
NEWS STAFF
ors... Mary Cooper, Bob
Stewart, Chuck Zuegner
Mottram Thompson
City Editor... Door Johnson
Society Editor... Jeanne Fitzgerald
Sports Editor... Don Nielsen
Asst. Sports Editor... Clarence Kane
Chuck Morelock
Telegraph Editor... Phil Newman
Picture Editor... Daron Sarten
Nikki Watson
It is true that the world situation calls for more patience than is comfortably put up with; but it seems unlikely that it can be improved by any radical measures. As a citizen of one of the "begger nations" my attitude may be called prejudiced; but nevertheless I want to express my sincere belief that the ERP has done a better job in checking Communism than the McCarly charges did or the McCarran Act ever will do.
BUSINESS STAFF
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Business Manager ... Clark Akers
Advertising Mgr. ... Elbert Spivey
National Mgr. ... Virginia Mackey
Circulation Mgr. ... Patricia Vance
Classified Adv Mgr. .. Tom Creekanridge
Professional Mgr. ... Linda Land
Business Adviser ... Dale Noyvath
at Lawrence, 1847. under act of March 3, 1879.
I admit that it costs more money, too, at least from a bookkeeper's view. It is very delicate a question, however, exactly how much money the lives of American soldiers that may be saved thanks to it are worth.
Quarreling, ununified Europe may look like just another nuisance to the American observer. But how should German youth show any enthusiasm for military virtues overnight after precisely the same things have been condemned and denounced for five long and bitter years; how can the labourers of France and Italy, working hard for roughly one third or one fourth of the real wages of their American colleagues, show any moral resistance to Communism if their standard of living is further reduced by cutting American aid? How Can Europe as a whole have faith in military help from the USA in the event of an attack when her future Commander-in-chief publicly announces that he was contemplating a plan to let Asiatics fight for themselves?
Weak as the old contingent may appear at present, a simple calculation tells that only together with it is the US, materially stronger than the Soviet bloc, whereas a Communist-dominated
Flashbacks
JANUARY 13
5 Years Ago
The future of a trailer camp at 21st and Louisiana streets, occupied by 21 University students and their families, remained in doubt today following the purchasing of the land by the Lawrence Board of Education for the erection of a new high school.
The ISA council voted last night to cancel the Wednesday night dance because of the Drake-KU basket ball game.
10 Years Ago
Wives of the approximately 700 University students living at Sunflower village will be offered eight adult education short courses starting the second week in February.
Lindley hall, the new mineral resources building, will not be ready for use until it can rate a priority number given only to those buildings which are considered essential to the war effort.
In spite of the increasing difficulties in obtaining food, the men's residence halls are operating more smoothly than ever, according to reports from the housemothers at the halls.
25 Years Ago
The success of the first vesper organ service given last Sunday was so satisfactory that a large crowd is expected at the second recital which will be given by Laurel Anderson of the Fine Arts faculty at the University auditorium Sunday afternoon.
The number of people served at the University cafeteria has been increasing steadily since the Christmas vacation. More than 400 meals are served each noon and about half that number at each of the other two meals during the day.
Europe which might easily result from irresponsible isolation policies would put the U.S. into an all but hopeless spot.
Nobody with any sense likes war; but if America cannot endure defending one fourth of the battle line in Korea, only one of the troublespots at the moment, the free world might as well surrender now before a war starts which would without any question be a much greater strain on nerves, lives and material resources. Americans must realize that America cannot be made strong and prosperous by letting the rest of the world go by.
R
Egon Sohmen
Egon  Schmen
Austrian exchange studen
James Buchanan was the only president of the United States who never married.
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