Friday, December 22, 1918 53
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Biting Criticism Underlies New Von Hoffman 'Presidents' Book
By ALLEN A. WARSEN
"The American Dream
now is of an idealized past.
'Our grandparents dreamt of
a bigger, better, farther,. a
more perfect nation. We
have moderated our hopes
and dream -only of a future
that is as good as the past."
So wrote Nicholas von
Hoffman in "Make-Believe
Presidents," subtitled "Illu-
sions ∎ of Power from McKin-
ley to Carter" (Pantheon
Books).
"Make-Believe
In
Presidents" von Hoffman
set out to prove that Nixon
and Watergate culminated
a tradition that started with
Theodore Roosevelt.
He attempts to show
Americans have been sus-
picious of Washington ever
C a19A RS
orl id gel-
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It is beyond the scope of-
presidency, whose primary oners, including Eugene
purpose was to protect de- Debs, who for years lan- this review to comment on
all of von Hoffman's re-
positors and borrowers in guished in American jails.
However, in a note at visior...st views, judgments
times of economic uncer-
tainties. But during the-de- the end of the book he and opinions of 20th Cen-
tury American history. Suf-
pression of the 1930s, von writes, "In fairness
Hoffman states, the Ameri- -son was the first fice it to say they are legion
can banks collapsed "taking President to appoint a and controversial. 4••■•■•■■,
people's sayings with Jew to the Supreme
Court."
them."
Biting is von Hoffman's
Von Hoffman debunks evaluation of the New
Woodrow Wilson's broad- Deal's "National Industrial
mindedness, noting that Recovery Act" cflaracteriz- •
' Wilson in his "History of the ing it as a form of "volun-
American People" wrote, tary wage-price guidelines"
". . now there came mul- that included, among
titudes of men of the lowest others, an "inefficient sys-
class from the south of Italy tern of tax incentives," Luc-
and men of the meaner sort kily, he observes, "a merci-
out of Hungary and Poland, ful Supreme Court declared
men of the ranks where the whole mess unconstitu-
there was neither skill nor tional."
energy nor any initiative of
quick intelligence . . . Yet
the Chinese were more to be
desired . . . than most of the
_coarse crew that came
- Popcorn
Bar Mitzva s
crowding in every year at
Cotton
Sweet -16s
the eastern ports." -
He asserts that Wilson,
Candy
Birthdays
who equated "free-market
Caramel
Fund
freedom with freedom-
Apples
Raising
freedom," after World War I
was over, stubbornly re-
- AND MORE
Similarly, Nixon's use of fused to grant pardon or
profanities and obscenities amnesty to political pris-
CALL 542-8460
von Hoffman compares to
those used by other "foul-
mouthed chief executives."
Nevertheless, in recent
yearg, the revelations of
conduct unbecoming the
men- who had occupied
the White House - since
1933, with the exception
of Harry Truman, von
Hoffman states, pro-
foundly, shocked the
Amerie-an people and
provoked feelings of re-
vulsion.
Typical
are
von
Hoffman's laconic descrip-
tions. Some read: "Lyndon
Johnson's ears stuck out as
- far as his principles, and the
New, New,. New Dick Ni-
xon's nose swooped as low as
his ever did."
Incisive is his analysis of
Teddy Roosevelt's "New
ationalipm," Woodrow
ilson's "New Freedom,"
Warren G. Harding's
"Normalcy," Franklin D.
you are Invited
Roosevelt's "New Deal,"
to BLOCK'S
John F. Kennedy's "New
Frontier," and Lyndon B.
Johnson's "Great Society."
Von Hoffman, moreover,
disparages the innovations
and reforms of these high-
sounding prograrris. Accord-
ing to him, the civil service
reform was an ingenious
"device used to lessen the
SELECTED GROUPS
ability _of immigrant-based
political machines to con-
Suits,
trol patronage."
He points out that the
new forms of municipal
Turtleneck Sweaters
government, such as the
, -$20 Imported rtalian Full-
"Commission" type, were
Fashion:Wool Blend
created to eliminate
minority participation.
"In Dayton, Ohio," he
notes, "before reform, the
Socialists with 25 percent
of the vote elected five
public officials; after re-
form in 1913 with 35 per-
cent of the vote they
elected zip and in 1917
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just
1/2
vote they elected zilch."
Critical are the author's
For This Sale Week: Tues. Through Fri. 10 9; Sat. 10-6; Sun. 12.-5)
comments on the Federal
Reserve System, estab-
lished during Wilson's
since Pierre L'Enfant de-
signed it, and that Ameri-
cans from the earliest times
of the Republic "have loved
their country and hated
their government, revered
the presidency,and despised
those who sought to occupy
it."
He claims that Nixon's
and his helpers' so-called
misdeeds were not
unique. Liddy-Hunt's
conspiring to ensnare
leaders of the Democratic
Party with call girls, did
not' differ from Teddy
Roosevelt's "using the
Secret Service to keep
track of which Con-
gressmen were patrons
of Washington's bordel-
los." The information
thus obtained, Teddy
would use it to coerce
members of Congress to
support his proposed
legislation.
To counteract this tactic,
Congress passed a , law re-
stricting the functions of the
Secret Service_to protecting
the President and fighting,
counterfeiting.
-
.
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dock's
Starting
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December 26,
YEAR-END
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locks
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