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University Daily Kansan Friday, Nov. 8, 1957
Kennedy At The Grassroots
Battling For 1960
Political guns were booming across the nation Thursday and KU was right in the middle of the barrage.
Sen. John Kennedy (D-Macs) raised enthusiasm for political careers and coeds' temperatures Thursday morning in Hoch Auditorium with a plea for more young people in politics (see next editorial). There wasn't much political haymaking in Kennedy's KU speech, but the mere fact he made an appearance here indicates the grassroots campaign for the next presidential election is already underway.
Wednesday night, Sen. Kennedy spoke at a Democratic fundraising meeting in Topcka. The party faithful roared when he jumped on the Eisenhower Administration's handling of national defense. He called on the President to "tell us squarely where we stand today" in the space race with Russia and to withhold the "pious platitudes of faith and hope."
President Eisenhower was expected to answer his critics Thursday evening in a television speech outlining U.S. progress in scientific research and defense. But whatever his answers, the President is bucking some pretty tough talk, including that from the young Senator.
The Democrats believe they smell victory in 1960. As one of their shining young hopefuls, Sen. Kennedy is out beating the hustings. From Lawrence he goes to Oklahoma, then Nevada, sniffing for the heady aroma of voter approval.
Is Sen. Kennedy "available" for the presidency, that is, could he be elected? There are several things in his favor, including a winning political record, wealth, residence in a key state and membership in a distinguished family.
The political skeleton in John Kennedy's closet is the fact that he is a Catholic. That seems a strange qualification for a U.S. President and it is, but we Americans are strange voters. Consider the case of the late Al Smith.
Voter preference moves in strange ways. Sen. Kennedy may be able to overcome his religion handicap between now and election time by appealing to American common sense. If he can do this, and if he can build up the enthusiasm among voters that he received from his KU listeners, then from here the young Massachusetts Democrat can almost see the squirrels on the White House lawn.
Larry Boston
Daily Hansan
University of Kansas student newspaper
Founded 1889, became biweekly 1904,
triweekly 1908. daily Jan. 16. 1912.
Telephone Viking 3-2700
Extension 251. news room
Extension 376. business office
Member Inland Daily Press Association.
Associated Collegiate Press. Represented by National Advertising Service. 420 Madison Ave., New York, N. Y. News press. Press. Mail subscription rates: $3 a month, linenished in Lawrence, Kan. every afternoon during the University year except Saturdays and Sundays. University holidays, and examination periods. Entered matter Sept. 17, 1910 at Lawrence, Kan. post office under act of March 3, 1879.
The Bright Young Man
In case you missed him, girls, he looks just like his pictures. The applause drowned out the ohs and ahs when Sen. John F. Kennedy strode onto the stage of Hoch Auditorium Thursday morning, but the feminine gasps were there, nevertheless.
Any professional politicians looking on may have caught their breath, too, for Sen. Kennedy put on a good show for the about-to-be voters.
Dressed in a matty grey suit, complete with dark shoes and dark tie, Sen. Kennedy looked the part of a successful young man. That forelock of hair was properly mussed, he stood tall and straight, and he followed Chancellor Murphy onto the stage like a young man about to carry off all the awards at an honors convention.
There wasn't much that could be called out-and-out campaigning in the Kennedy speech. He made the usual call for bright, alert college graduates in politics—dressed up with references to local state history. But the young Senator displayed the calm confidence that has helped mark his rapid rise in national affairs.
He spoke rapidly, with a youthful voice that trailed off in broad a's and New England r's. Because he spoke with confidence, there was a kind of confidence rubbed off on the audience that has long been a trademark of audiences caught under the Kennedy spell. From Senate sessions to meetings with factory workers in his home state, Massachusetts, Kennedy has poured on the charm and confidence and political shrewdness. The result has been one of fastest rising political stars on the American scene.
"He looks like he would make a good president, but he's so young," one coed remarked as she left Hech Auditorium.
"Yes, and soooo handsome," ccoed another.
"If I were he, I would be starting my 1960 campaign right now," the first coed concluded.
You don't know it, young lady, but he's started already.
Larry Boston
Mr. White Is Just Bill
If the mail received at the School of Journalism is any indication, the name William Allen White is just another Joe named Smith outside the state of Kansas.
It is weekly routine to receive a letter addressed to Mr. White from some organization pushing everything from pencils to old copies of banned campus humor magazines.
This week two letters were received that should have been intercepted by some secretary along the way.
The first was received early this week and was addressed to Willie White. With that letter went shattered dreams of the Great White Father of Journalism.
To top it all off, we received a letter Wednesday addressed to Mr. White informing him of his credit standing in the Diners' Club, Los Angeles. That just goes to show that the things you do live on long after you.
The Diners' Club notice told Mr. White that his credit was good in any of the 14,000 clubs all over the world.
We actually wish Mr. White could read an item included in the notice. The Director of Internal Revenue (income tax) was quoted as saying that a detailed account of everything spent on travels and entertainment must be written cut before one can receive credit on his income tax form. It is known publicly that any journalist doesn't want to reveal the source of his entertainment
Well buy books and send letters, but we'll go on netting letters addressed to William Allen White, Bill White, Willie White, W. Allan White, and Willie Allen Whitey, just like the chancellor's office will continue to get mail addressed to Chancellor D. W. Malott
-Bob Iartlev
KU has been treated to the big-time and the small-time in politics this week. A national political figure, Sen. John Kennedy, addressed the students Thursday.
Jerks Of The Week
His presence must have inspired the bunko artists who are peddling one chap or another for Little Man On The Campus. The hucksters have been at their raucous worst this week.
A pedestrian would be out of his mind to step out in front of those whirlwind caravans which flash down Jayhawk Boulevard with Our Hero aboard. The object of a Little Man caravan seems to be to put as much pressure as possible on the accelerator, the horn button and the voters' minds.
This sort of nonsense could ordinarily be passed off with another pained smile about "college enthusiasm"—the campaign, after all, seems juvenile and pointless. But this year the politico punks have gone too far.
Wednesday night a group of them burst into a press conference for Sen. Kennedy in Topeka. They asked Sen. Kennedy to pose for a picture with a Little Man candidate and the Senator good humoredly went along with the gag. This outfit tried to print their phony Senatorial "endorsement" as a Kansan news story Thursday.
This sort of juvenile foolishness has gone far enough. The Little Man On The Campus contest should be abolished if antics such as these are to result. What we need are more adult-sized men on the campus and fewer hit-parades of popularity.
Has anyone been elected Little Man On The Campus yet? Nope, but the pushers behind the L.M.O.C. elections get this week's nomination for Jerks Of The Week.
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