Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-12-28
The Political Mill
Five Defeats in Row
Fail to Kill G. Spirit

rive DefeutS ~ koW
Fail to Kill 6. O. P. Spirit
Republicans Show Visor in Fights
for Party Leadership in Congress
By Gould Lincoln
Those early days of November, when Repub.
licans were talking about changing the name
of the COP, or making the party ultraliberal,
or ultraconservative, In order to breathe new
life into it, are gradually lapsing into the past
most unhappy past. There are increasing signs
the Republican Party Is not completely out,
notwithstanding five successive defeats In presi-
Dental races. Among them Is the vigor with
which contests for party leadership-in the
Senate and in the Republican National Com
mittee now are being pressed.
Further, the Republicans are coming to
realize that the Truman victory was not over
whelming. but rather huge surprise more
impressive because 1t was unexpected. They
have reached the conclusion that party that
can poll upward Of twenty millions votes, and
lose to the Democratic candidate by plurality
of the total vote cast instead Of by O majority,
is still in the ring
So the Republican Senators are to meet soon
to fight out their reorganization problem for
the next Congress. And the Republican
National Committee has been called to meet
in Omaha, Nebr., January 26 and a to settle
the squabble over the craftsmanship of the
committee, and to consider holding Repub-
lican policy conference toward the middle Of
the year-or well after President Truman has
exposed his whole legislative program to the
country, and Congress has had the time to
deal with at least part Of that program.
Rule by Three Again Seen.
At the present writing 1t looks as though
. triunvirate would run things in the Senate,
50 far as the Republicans are concerned-much
as in the old Congress now running out. In
the old Congress it was Senators Vandenberg
Of Michigan, Taft of Ohio and White Of Maine.
In the new, 1t will be Senators Vandenberg
and Taft-and either Senator Millikin Of Colo
RADIO as floor leader, or Senator Lodge OF
Massachusetts,, backed by the young Turks"
Senator Vandenberg will be chairman Of the
Republican conference, an office he held before
he became president protempore, and Senator
Taft will hang onto the craftsmanship Of the
Republican Policy Committee There are the
makings Of a good row, however, before all
of this Is settled.
The Republican National Committee meeting
in Omaha will bring another outburst against
the old order, with the so-called Progressive
Republicans seeking the scalp Of Representative
Hugh Scott of Pennsylvania who was picked for
national chairman by Candidate Thomas Z.
Dewey after his nomination last June.
Mr.. Scott, who belonged to the 0rundy-
Martin faction Of the Republican Party In
Pennsylvania as opposed to the Psw-Duff fac
ton, has said natly he will not step aside.
Those who wish to get him out are trying to
h,yi1d I'm tive nrksay, ~ Yllfrnas
the job Mr. Dirksen did not run for reelection
to the House last November. One Of the
reasons advanced for removing Mr.. Scott Is
that he should not continue to hold two Jobs,
chairman of the National Committee and mem
Der of the House. It has been suspected that
Mr. Dirksen may seek the Republican nomina-
ton for the Senate in 1850, and II that Is his
plan, he might not care to 20 after the
national Craftsmanship.
Back to Grass Roots.
The selection Of Omaha for the meeting Of
the National Committee takes the COP organi-
zation to unusual territory, and into Q State
which has been safely Republican for o dozen
years. Chicago, If not washington, has been
the scene Of most Of the committee meetings
in recent years. It was apparently deemed
better to get out Of Washington and back to
the grass-roots country this time Chicago.
either because it was unable to get the necessary
hotel accommodations or because the Illinois
Republicans did not want to do q lot Of explain
ing why they lost their State last month, did
not want the meeting
Newsweek and its Washington editor, Ernest
Lindley, have had q minor problem on their
hands. Following its usual custom In presi-
Dental election years, Newsweek polled 50
Washington correspondents Of newspapers
ranging from New York to San Francisco and
from Houston to Minneapolis on the outcome
November 2. Not one Of them turned up with Q
prediction that President Truman would be
elected. The Newsweek Committee on Honors
and Degrees reluctantly, but perhaps UNDER
standably, has concluded that none Of the
candidates for Master of Prophecy this year
earned the diploma" as Mr.. Lindley wrote to
the So individually. Several entrants" he
added, came close to the mark with their
figures on the electoral te-unfortunately
they transposed the party designations"
Accompanying his letters, Mr.. Lindley APP
propriately sent along bottles Of Old Grow.