Page 2
Thursday, December 9, 1965
hr BatUj war 5jM j
Opinion! of the Daily Tar Heel are expressed in its :
editorials. Letters and columns, covering a wide range
of views, reflect the personal opinions of their authors.
ERNIE McCRARY. EDITOR
Don't Be Ridiculous
Time was when a protest was just a protest.
These days it appears to be an invitation to become a
fulltime naphew of Uncle Sam.
Four University of Michigan students took part in
a sit-in at the office of the Ann Arbor draft board Oct.
15. All have been reclassified 1-A, "available for
service," apparently because of that demonstration.
For one of the four, 22-year-old Eric Chester, it
was his second "offense." He protested against the
House Un-American Activities Committee in Chicago
six months ago. When his Royal Oak, Mich., draft
board heard of his conviction for trespassing after the
incident, he was reclassified 1-Y. That means he was
considered "mentally, morally or physically defi
cient." Apparently he pushed his luck too far by taking
part in the October demonstration, because now he is
1-A. At best, such action can only be described as
paradoxical.
University of Michigan officials have told The
Daily Tar Heel four students who have been reclassi
fied are in good academic standing one an honor
student, two "safe and comfortable" and one an hon
or student, two "safe and comfortable" and one on
temporary academic affairs, and Richard Cutler, vice
president for student affairs at Michigan, have issued
a statement condemning the possible drafting of stu
dents for any reason other than academic shortcom
ings. "Satisfactory educational progress by the student
is in our judgment the controlling, if not the sole
factor, upon which deferment should be based," they
said.
"This we understand to be the existing national
policy. To introduce other factors into decisions
makes possible either individual favoritism or indi
vidual punitive action, either of which is clearly un
wise and potentially discriminatory."
Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, National Selective Serv
ice Director, has reportedly said, however, "The gov
ernment would be committing suicide if it deferred
students who defied selective service laws."
Apparently the law the protestors are violating in
the eyes of the Selective Service is the Universal Mil
itary Training and Service Act It provides that any
one who interrferes "in any way" with the adminis
traYioh"of the "drdtt may be imprisoned br finecU ."Col.
Arthur Holmes, Michigan Selective Service Director,
has said punishment may also include drafting as de
linquents. Hershey has supported such action.
There is today an obvious trend toward the elimi
; nation of dissent in America, and as it grows it be
; comes all the more disturbing. Everyone agrees that
this is the land of freedom of action and attitude. To
do otherwise would be an admission that we live in
a dictatorship.
Our government is committed to a war in Viet
Nam. We support the goals of that committment, but
j we do not accept every decree from the District of
Columbia as holy writ. May those who ridicule all
protests remember that if our predecessors had not
questioned the status quo we would still be British
subjects.
We have no sympathy for the "leave Asia for the
Communists" ideology, but we refuse to reject the
right of those who do have such sympathy to say so
without fear of "disciplining" from an all-knowng
government or know-it-all individuals.
, Slap the "peaceniks" into the Army and ship
! them off to the war?
Don't be ridiculous.
t
; What soldier would want one behind him with a
' gun?
; Let those who expend great amounts of energy
attacking card burners and the like remember that
nothing is so frustrating and damaging to the pro
tester's aim as to quietly consider his argument and
then ignore it if it is found to be invalid.
Draft him? Send him to jail? Fine him?
Don't be ridiculous.
x-tv
b;e iatlg (Mr ifittl
72 Years of Editorial Freedom
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Letters To The Editor
The Student Speaks
Best System: LaissezFaire
By WILSON CLARK. JR.
Having introduced this series on Dr.
Ludwig von Mises with a quote from Lord
John Maynard Keynes, I shall again in
dulge in the phraseology of the Left, with
remarks from Norman Thomas' book A
Socialist's Faith. But first, a brief review
of Professor Mises' argument,;.
Dr. von Mises represents the Aus
trian school of economic thought, often
characterized as laissez-faire economics,
and rightly so. For Professor Mises is a
t; liberaL in the truest and 'most noble 'sense
"of the term. The original meaning of this
word is inextricably bound with laissez
faire capitalism, as the economic corollary
of the free political state. Leftists of cur
age have twisted and mutilated the con
ception and substance of this epithet once
applied to the advocates of liberty.
Although exasperating, the writings of
Norman Thomas have one great virtue,
clarity. One need not resort to the con
sensus to ascertain the position of Mr.
Thomas, for he is quite frank. By the same
token, von Mises represents the diametri
cally opposed conviction (in most cases).
The following issue proposed by Norman
Thomas should exemplify this:
"The uncompromising laissez-faire liber
alism, the economic system so dear to a
Hayek or a von Mises, never really existed,
and its reign was limited. Its tenets were
worked out of the great misery of the In
dustrial Revolution; its golden age was
short."
Thomas is right in asserting that un
hampered capitalism never really existed
for any extended period of time, but in re
ply, what did limit its reign?. The state,
with its absolute monoply on legalized co
ercion. He wanders astray, however, with his
historical supposition of the origin of eco
nomic liberalism, or laissez-faire capital
ism. Dr. von Mises counters here with the
obscured side of the picture of the Indus
trial Revolution, usually painted in emo
tional overtones. As Mises points out in
Human Action:
"The laissez-faire ideology and its off
shoot, the 'Industrial Revolution,' blasted
the ideological and institutional barriers to
progress and welfare. They demolished the
social order in which a constantly increas
ing number of people were doomed to abject
need and destitution...The outstanding fact
about the Indistrial Revolution is that it
opened an age of mass production for the
needs of the masses."
With numerous historical examples, von
Mises obliterates the commonly propagated
collectivist myths about the Industrial Rev
olution. Thomas' allusion to the "great mis
ery of the Industrial Revolution" is a ra
ther shallow value judgment, often used as
the mainstay of leftist diatribes.
Flip the coin, however, thus exposing
England without the benefits of this capi
talist enlightenment, and the collectivists
flee for cover, without benefit of their hyper-emotional
pleas. To quote one exam
ple from Mises' survey, consider the fol
lowing: "But let us not forget that in 1770 (ac
cording to the estimate of Arthur Young)
England had 8.5 million inhabitants, while
in 1831 (according to the census) the figure
was 16 million. This conspicuous increase
was mainly conditioned by the Industrial
Revolution."
The meticulous and rigorous scholarship
which generally distinguishes Dr. von Mises'
work is clearly demonstrated in his ana
lysis of the Industrial Revolution. The glib
cliches of the collectivists can hardly Stand
rational examination, especially that of an
inquisitor of Professor von Mises' stature.
Norman Thomas continues in his descrip
tion of economic liberalism with a listing of
the prerequisites of the system, such as the
laws of the market, its independent nature,
: the' -gold -itandard, free trade, and "the
"self regulating market between liberal (not
totalitarian) statesCompared with .the
practices of totalitarian states, it had its
virtues. But in its conception of the eco
nomic man and the supremacy of "a pure
and undiluted profit motive it was inhuman
and contrary to age-long human experi
ence under various civilizations." (empha
sis mine)
It is noteworthy that Thomas chooses
only the ethics of capitalism to dispute, and
not its theoretical justification. Could it be
that his logic is more fallible than his pas
sion? Going beyond the basic utilitarian ar
gument for capitalism, the modern intel
lectual, unfettered by primitive shibbo
leths, can and does challenge the simplistic
reasoning girding such statements as
Thomas's on the alleged inhumanity of the
profit motive.
Although the profit motive is usually
connected with capitalism, it is moredvei,
a distinguishing characteristic Of man and
his remarkable history on earth. To fur
ther his very existence, man must provide
for his needs. The problem then shifts to
the economic system that can provide for
these needs best, and that system is unre
stricted laissez-faire capitalism.
As Professor von Mises wisely reflects,
"All those rejecting capitalism on moral
grounds as an unfair system are deluded by
their failure to comprehend what capital
is....Capital is not a free gift of God or of
nature. It is the outcome of a provident
restriction of consumption on the part of
man." (The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality,
Princeton, 1956)
Irony: Peace And Pearl
Editor. The Daily Tar Heel
While walking from the Post Office to
ward Graham Memorial, I couldn't help but
notice the irony in front of me. To my left
on the GM door, encircled by a wreath, was
a sign saying "We wish you a Merry
Christmas." To my right was Silent Sam,
with a gun in hand and the words "Re
member Pearl Harbor" hanging from the
barrel, apparently alluding to Viet Nam.
At first glance, the two seem grossly
inconsistant with each other. And yet, al
though we would like to be able to just say
"...and on earth, peace, good will towards
men." From the outside, man surely must
appear as a totally incomprehensible crea
ture. Edwin Williams
222 Maverick House
They're No Gentlemen
Editor, The Daily Tar Heel:
I feel that the time has come to explode
the myth of the "Carolina Gentleman". Af
ter attending my first UNC basketball game
last Saturday night, I am convinced that
the title "Carolina Gentleman" is a com
plete misnomer and has no basis of truth
whatsoever.
There have been many instances through
out the year that have led me to this con
clusion, but Saturday night convinced me.
In all the years that I have been attend
ing college basketball games, I have never
seen a worse display of manners and alco
holism. There were enough flasks at the
game to start a new ABC store here in
Chapel Hill.
The "Carolina Gentlemen" didn't even
bother to hide the flasks. I'm certainly not
against booze, but I find it rather ridiculous
that "Carolina Gentlemen" have to get
their school spirit from a bottle.
Certain specific instances stand out in
my mind that make the title "Carolina
David Rothman
Gentleman" even more ridiculous. For
example, an old man came into the stands
and was having trouble finding his seat.
He asked a group of "Carolina Gentlemen"
for help and these "Carolina Gentlemen"
laughed at him and told him to bother
someone else.
Another group of "Carolina Gentlemen"
made themselves thoroughly obnoxious both
before and during the game by hurling very
individualistic and profane cheers at the
referees, the opposing players, and every
one that asked them to shut up. Still ano
ther "Carolina Gentleman" tried to amuse
and entertain the crowd by upchucking his
"School Spirit" all over himself and the
guy in front of him. His friends thought it
was funny as hell. A lot of other people,
particularly the guy in front of him, didn't.
After the game, still another group of
"Carolina Gentlemen" were in such a hurry
to get back to the dorm to watch dirty mo
vies or whatever else they do in their
dorms that they were practically knocking
over anybody who got in their way.
These are but a few of the many ex
amples of the behavior of the "Carolina
Gentleman" that I have observed through
out the year. I hope that they are enough
to put an end to the myth.
John J. Foley
39 Oakwood Dr.
LETTERS
The Daily Tar Heel welcomes let
ters to the editor on any subject,
particularly on matters of local or
University interest. Letters must be
typed, double-spaced and must in
clude the name and address of the
author or authors. Names will not be
omitted in publication. Letters should
be limited to about 250-300 words. The
DTH reserves the right to edit for
length or libel. Longer letters will be
considered for "The Student Speaks"
if they are of sufficient interest. How
ever, the DTH reserves the right to
use contributed materials as it sees
fit.
A Nanny's -Eye View
Of JFK
Actm
Author's note: One of the aftermaths of
the Kennedy assassination has been a series
of excessively intimate biographies about
the late president and his family. The col
umn is a satire on these books, not on JFK.
The latest chronicler of JFK's admin
istration is Miss Maude Shaw, the Kennedy
children's English nanny.
I haven't seen Miss Shaw's book, but I
can well imagine what it's like if it matches
anything put out by Sorensen, Schlesinger,
or Mrs.. Lincoln (JFK's secretary). Here's a
brief summary:
"When I first met John-John, I knew
right away he would be going places. True
I had seen plenty of children come and go
at the congressional kindergarten, but John
John seemed apart from the usual crowd.
"Maybe it was that special grace the
way he played with his toy helicopters. Ne
ver did he appear awkward, even while
pulling Caroline's hair.
"And always, he was concerned about
his image.; He refused to be photographed
when he played cowboys and Indians, and
he wouldn't grant interviews with the press
unless the J newsmen praised the way he
handled himself in the sandbox.
"Maybe it was that mysterious aura,
that magnetic personality. Everybody, it
seemed, insisted on seesawing with him.
"All the girls dreamed of becoming part
of John-John's life, but in the end I was
chosen to jbe his nanny.
"Being the nanny of a famous person
isn't the easiest job in the world, and there
were times when I found the work exces
sively demanding, particularly after the
Vaughn Meader record. It was then that
John-John's prestige hit a new low. All o
ver the country, people wondered if some
body so young and inexperienced could
really play touch football.
inistration
"Not that John-John wasn't eager to
learn. During his days in the White House
nursery, he became expert in chess and
Chinese checkers, though Victor Lasky
wrote a book saying that the elder Kennedy
had taught John-John to cheat at monopoly
"He was a hard worker, and he expected
just as much of his staff as he did of him
self. I remember spending many long hours
with John-John helping him clean his room. .
And the lights burned late at night while
I picked up his toys during the Cuban mis-
silc crisis
"But the work had its rewards. John
John even gave me an autographed por
trait of himself he had crayoned at school, .
and he applauded the skill with which I
handled the record player while he played
"musical chairs."
"Nevertheless, at times his temper
flared. Once he threatened to fire me after
I accidentally stepped on his toy aircraft
carrier.
"Still, the work meant a chance for tra
, vel and excitement. Every day I escorted
him as he rode his tricycle around the
White House driveway, and occasionally, he
let me pull his wagon.
"John-John's reading was omnivorous,
though he considered 'The Bobsey Twins'
biased and disliked 'Dick and Jane' on the
grounds that it had little news and less to
report. Yet he read these and Other publi
cations regularly ven The Hardy Boys,'
which was a source of special despair; for
unlike 'The Bobsey Twins, it was well
written. "I sincerely hope my book will not cause
unnecessary controversy within the present
administration. But I think it proper to re
veal that President Kennedy did not intend
to keep Mrs. Lincoln in office after the next
election."
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