Evening star., 1948-12-26
Taft Urges New Life
In 6. 0. P. Campaign
Tactics 10 Win in 50

Senator Taft, Republican, OF
Ohio, said yesterday the Republican
Party must put some new life into
its campaign tactics if it wants to
win back Congress in 1850.
In another Republican comment,
Senator Cooper of Kentucky, de-
feated for reelection, blamed three
of his colleagues for their party's
rejection by the people in the No
vember election. He named
Speaker Martin, House Majority
Leader Halleck of Indiana, and
Chairman Wolcott of the House
Banking Committee of the 80th
Congress.
Their comments were made as
Representative Scott of Pennsyl-
vania, chairman of the Republican
National Committee, called meet
ing of the committee in Omaha
January 26 and 27. At the time, it
was announced, Mr.. Scott will place
before the committee numerous Sug-
geStions for holding a Republican
policy conference in 1949 to deter
mine on a Republican program.
The meeting will be the party's
first step toward finding out why
their party has been defeated five
times in a row for the presidency
and how to win the next time.
Taft Scores Tactics!
Senator Taft's views on the party's
campaign tactics were given before
he left Washington for the Christ
mas holidays. He said he thinks the
party is not doing a good job of
selling its program to the public.
We don't get much of break
from the commentators and COL
umnists," he said. We've got to
get busy and see that the public
hears our side of the question"
While he did not criticize publicly
the strategy used by Gov. Dewey,
there is little doubt among Repub-
licans here that Senator Taft would
have made a fighting campaign if
he had been the presidential nomi-
nee.
He intends to make that kind of
drive for reelection in Ohio, prob
ably challenging labor openly on
the Taft-Hartley Actor what re-
mains of that law after the new
Democratic-controlled Congress gets
through with it.
Senator Taft said he thinks the
Republican record for the 1850 cam
paign will be written in Congress
this year. For that reason he was
somewhat cold to the proposal of
Mr.. Scott for a national policy con-
ference.
Delay Till Fall Proposed.
"It might be all right to hold
such conference next fall, after
the session of Congress is over and
we can see what happened not only
to our program but to the presi-
DENTS" the Ohio Senator said.
Senator Cooper said the action of
the three House members he named
prevented action on housing, edu-
cation and health Legislation and
"didn't represent the will Of the
Republican members of Congress
and certainly not the will of the
party as a whole"
president Truman convinced the
mass of voters that the Republican
Party did not represent their in
terests and their aspirations" Sen
stor Cooper said. ~---
II do not believe it is essentially
true but he could net have convinced
the voters without some supporting
facts. He found his ammunition in
certain acts on nonaction OF the
Eightieth Congress.
Il don't criticize the right of these
men to have their own opinion but
I do criticize their right to throttle
the expression of the will of the
people"
Proposals for Farley.
He said the Democratic Party had
been guilty of using the Congress
as a rubber stamp for executive
decreeS,' and added:
The action of Martin, Halleck
and Wolcott was the other extreme"
Cooper coupled his criticism with
an analysis of what he thinks the
Republican Party should do.
He called for:
l. A change in leadership of the
Republicans in Congress to provide
a more responsible representation
of the will of the mass of Republi-
can voters.
2. A rebuilding. of the party Or
ganization, through the State,
county and precinct levels, with an
accent on the interest of young
voters.
3. A restatement Of the party's
principles based on some positive
political philosophy which can stand
the test of changing events and
circumstances.
The party" he said, must be
essentially middle of the road
party. 1t mus recognize change,
the need for continued progress
and an obligation to meet the needs
of the people.
1T must say plainly that it is the
party of all the people and not the