What now, President Nixon?
God only knows what the next four years
and President Richard Nixon will bring.
His inaugural address, meant for inspira
tion, leaves us only with apprehension. The
speech could have just as easily been
spoken by Lyndon Johnson. Yet Nixon has
promised us change.
The ambiguity Nixon exhibited both dur
ing his campaign and in his address leaves
us with little basis to predict how effective
a President he will be. He has been careful
to outline his plans in only the most gen
eral of terms. He has made no great prom
ises, and thus can anticipate no great fail
ures, such as Johnson’s “Great Society.”
So behind the rhetoric, is there anything
we can reasonably expect of the Nixon
administration? Yes, but it doesn’t leave
us with a very optimistic perspective.
We can expect the war to end. It appears
that the Vietnamese are more worn out
than we are by it. Nixon will get the credit
for being a peacemaker, though he is by
no means the single catalyst for peace.
President Nixon said: “Let us take as
our goal, where peace is unknown, to make
it welcome; where peace is fragile, make
it strong; where peace is temporary, make
it permanent.” In the name of such noble
goals, we entered into the Vietnam conflict.
If the new administration holds to these
principles righteously, we can expect more
undeclared wars in other parts of the world.
Nixon also said: “The essence of freedom
is that each of us shares in the shaping of
his own destiny.” Can we then expect that
men between the ages of 18 and 20 will
have the option of choosing their own des
tiny without having to carry a card which
commits them to wars they consider un
just? We look for the draft to end in the
next four years, though it may be less a
result of Nixon’s efforts than something
he will be forced to do.
Nixon, speaking Monday, said: “Standing
in the same place a third of a century ago,
Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed a na
tion ravaged by depression and gripped in
fear. He could say in surveying the nation’s
troubles: ‘They concern, thank God, only
material things.’
“Our crisis today is the reverse.
“We have found ourselves rich in goods,
but ragged in spirit; reaching with mag
nificent precision for the Moon, but falling
into raucous discord here on Earth.”
But our crisis today still concerns ma
terial things. The nation is the richest the
world has ever seen, yet over 30 million of
its citizens live in poverty. Our nation allo
cates $70 billion of its resources for de
fense purposes, yet schools everywhere
have trouble getting money to build class
rooms and pay their teachers.
An “answer of the spirit” is not all that’s
needed to remedy these problems. We will
need programs, blueprints for some con
crete action. We have heard of none, so
far, from the new President. We expect,
then, a slightly more conservative version
of the past administration’s domestic policy,
and certainly not the kind of policies which
will solve our problems.
This is the President that is supposed
to unite the nation. He has asked us to stop
shouting; he wants us to give him half a
chance to prove himself. Okay, all we want
right now is to know what he plans to do.
We have made some guesses, and we would
like to be proven wrong. There are too
many unanswered questions.
If the people of the country are to unite,
they should know' first what they are unit
ing behind.
Oregon
daily
EMERALD
Opinions expressed on the editorial page are tli°se oft he ®
and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the ASUO or the
University. However, the Emerald does present o ' Uus page column
ists and letter writers whose opinions reflect those of oin
readership and not those of the Emerald itselt.
RON EACHUS, Editor
RICH JERNSTEDT
Business Manager
Associate Editors
Cindy Boydstun
Rick Fitch
Stan Horton
Chris Hougium
Gil Johnson
jL/uug uii
Sally Schippers
Jaqi Thompson
DOUG CRICHTON
Advertising Manager
ELLEN EMRY
National Advertising Manager
University of Oregon, Eugene, Wednesday, January 22, 1969
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Emerald Editor:
‘Progress’
Emerald Editor:
Your editorial of January 21
concerning the "Words of Wis
dom from the New President"
was magnificent. The way you
equated Mr. Nixon’s wisdom
with emptiness was superb.
In fact, I would go so far as
to say that this editorial is the
best example that I have seen
in a long time of the basic anti
intellectualism of the more
“progressive” elements of the
academic community.
No longer is it necessary to
consider the merits of an op
ponent’s thought: if he dares to
disagree, one merely obliterates
his ideas. Keep up the progress.
William H. Brennan
Graduate, History
* * *
Stop ROTC
Emerald Editor:
ROTC programs are located
on every state supported cam
pus in the United States to
train officers for the U.S. Army.
After four years in the program
and two summer camps t h e
graduate becomes a 2nd lieu
tenant. The ROTC program rep
resents one overt form of cam
pus militarism and should be
moved to a National Guard
stcit US
As a member of ROTC, the
student enters into an authori
tain relationship with his com
mander-professor. The com
mander-professor is a part of
the military machine and is not
subject to the direction of the
State Board of Higher Educa
tion. His job is to produce sol
diers not teach military science.
Many students see ROTC as
a “Better” way to dodge the
draft only to find the possibility
of tours being extended and up
to six years in service. The Viet
nam war has brought up many
questions concerning American
foreign policy, imperialism and
counter-revolutionary warfare.
Throughout today’s world the
ROTC trained officer will be
fighting against revolutionaries
and nationalists for their right
< Continued on page 71
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“Mr. Ilickel, could you step down for a few questions . ,
Conrad
takes
a look
at the
new
administration
. . Watch that first step!”
r
President-elect Nixon with members of his cabinet