ustxtxb_obs_1968_09_06_50_00009-00000_000.pdf

nue to Grant Park where demonstrators, surrounded by hundreds of guardsmen, were huddled together in the cold morning air. Coldwell stated talking with some of the young people about their ideas. In high spirits, he stood and addressed a gathering of about 30 in words to this effect: “My daughter is your age and she’s gone pretty far, but not as far as you all have. I’m thankful for that.” The demonstrators took a liking to the Texan and they decided to nominate him for president. Coldwell, pleased, decided to lead his supporters on a five-block march. The judge led a motley crew of yippies and peace demonstrators, chanting” Coldwell for president” across Michigan Avenue. They in turn were followed by about 15 national guardsmen. After the march had proceeded about two blocks, a guardsman approached Coldwell and politely explained that his group might trigger an incident and would he please return to his hotel. Coldwell acquiesced, and his band of yippies led him triumphantly back to the Conrad Hilton. Erwin and UT kof The influence of Frank Erwin, re gents chairman of the University of Texas system, is felt by many in the UT community to exceed that normally exercised by a regents chairman. If so, this probably is because of Erwin’s forceful personality and his exceptional political connections. He is retiring national Democratic committeeman and is close to the heart of Texas political power, the Johnson-Connally nucleus. Erwin became chairman last year; even before that, however, he was regarded as the power on the board. g/ Erwin is believed to have been in strumental last year in moving former UT president Harry Ransom up and sort of out of the way, to the chancellorship, replacing him with a man whose philosophy is more pleasing to Erwin, Norman Hackerman. And now there are those in El Paso and Arlington, sites of the other two major UT campuses, who believe Erwin is working behind the scenes to install “his” presidents at those campuses. Dr. Jack Woolf and Dr. Joseph M. Ray have resigned the presidencies at Arlington and El Paso respectively to return to full-time teaching. Acting presidents have been named in their places until academic committees can make recommendations for permanent presidents. Ray, the theory runs, displeased Er win last fall when he stood firm by Dr. Clark S. Knowlton, the noted UTEP sociology professor and expert on Mexi can-American affairs \(Obs., Dec. 8 and for his activities as mediator in the flare up of violence in New Mexico in the wake of activities of Reies Tijerina, the Mexi can-American land reform militant. Ray let it be known privately that he viewed with dismay any budding infringement of academic freedom in the Knowlton crisis. After the regents dropped the mat ter, first ordering an inquiry into Knowl ton’s activities, Ray said the inquiry had come about because “some political people have complained to the chairman of our board of regents [Erwin] that Dr. Knowlton is involving himself in an unwelcome way in the affairs of New Mexico.” Ray didn’t specify who the “political people” might be, but a letter from the UTEP student senate had a suggestion: “We are disturbed when Mayor Judson Williams of El Paso calls upon State Reps. Ned Blaine and Ralph Scoggins to request that the chairman of our board of regents bring action against a professor who has fallen into political disfavor.” Williams, the conservative mayor of El Paso, is believed to be Erwin’s man to assume the UTEP presidency, a prospect that is highly displeasing to some on the faculty there. No Reappointment? i # Erwin’s activities in running the UT system have earned him the enmity of some of the senate’s liberals. His term on the board expires in January, a few days before Gov. John Connally, who originally appointed Erwin, leaves office. One liberal senator has told the Observer outright that the senate will not consent to Erwin’s reappointment. This is not idle talk as potentially there are enough votes, liberals, in the senate now to keep Erwin from getting the required twothirds approval. 1/ The extent of Erwin’s impact on UT is exemplified in some bumper stickers an Austin citizen has been distributing, a number of which are seen on local streets: “Pray for Rosemary’s Baby and Frank Erwin.” Rosemary’s Baby is the name of a current movie, the baby having been sired by the devil. Political pressure continues to be applied against UT in response to its active but small number of leftist radical students and faculty members. Sen. William T. Moore, Bryan, was angered by the appearance in his bailiwick of a radical left traveling troupe from UT-Austin, known as the Mother’s Grits Austin Anarcho-Terrorist New Left Beatnik Evangelical Travelling Troupe. The organization was formed to spread word of radicalism to the smaller towns of Texas and has this summer appeared in San Marcos, Denton, and Commerce, as well as BryanCollege Station. Rock bands, political speakers, guerilla theatre, a head shop, draft information counseling, and radical literature are features of the troupe. Moore wondered aloud why UT officials can’t keep such activities damped down. He called for an investigation. 1/ Waggoner Carr has demanded that Larry Caroline, the radical UT philosophy professor who won notoriety last fall by calling for a second American revolution, be fired immediately. Caroline was given a terminal contract this spring permitting him to teach one year more at UT, then be let go. Should Paul Eggers, the Republican candidate for governor, somehow de September 6, 1968 9 DO YOU TEACH political science sociology history civics economics government social science social studies literature journalism creative writing? Your students may welcome the opportunity to receive The Texas Observer for a semester. The orders of ten or more copies of each issue sent to a single address the cost for the semester is just $1.50 per student. Semester subscriptions” will begin with the September 20th issue. In addition we will include, for each student subscribing, the recent issue featuring “The McCrocklin Dissertation” or the September 6th issue on the national Democratic convention. Requests for other back issues as the bonus selection will be filled as long as the supply lasts. \(The 32-page issue on J. Frank Dobie is still availSend your order now, specifying your bonus selection, to The Texas Observer, 504 West 24th, Austin, 78705. You may revise your order as the class rolls settle, at which time we will bill you. We also invite requests from instructors for sample copies of recent issues, as a method of introducing the Observer to your students.