Evening star., 1949-08-14

Party strategists realize the sh
year balloting will have an impo
poets in the presidential race two
years later. When 1852 rolls
around the COP will have beer
out of the White House for 20
years.
If the party makes a poor
showing for Congress next year
it's outlook will not be bright fol
ending it's presidential losing
streak in 50. On the other hand
if it makes substantial gains in
the House and Senate next year
even short of taking control
party hopes will rise.
Preliminary Skirmishin&
OF course. the party leaders
will set out to win all the seats
they can in 1850. but some side
line observers believe they might
be better off If they made nu-
merical gains just short of a ma
jority. President Truman demon
strated last November what the
man in the White House can dc
to, the opposition party when ii
controls only the legislative branch
OF the Government. And Repub-
lican control of Congress between
1850 and 80, with President Tru-
man still in the White House
would set the stage for a repeat
performance.
A small-scale workout for 1856
is going on now up in eentra
Pennsylvania. where a specia'
election will be held September /;
to fill the seat left vacant by the
death of Representative Robert L
Coffey, jr.. early this year.
Later this fall there will be an
other preliminary skirmish in New
York to elect a Senator for thu
remaining year of the Wagner
term, and to f1ll one House vacanc!
from Brooklyn.
These isolated special election,
will be watched with interest ant
the winning parties may be count
ed on to herald them as signs O.
a 1850 trend.
They are taking place too fal
in advance of November, 1850, how.
ever, to furnish conclusive evidence
one way or another. Much coule
happen in IL months, either il
economic conditions at home or il
the unsettled field of foreign af
fairs, to create an entirely differ
ent set of campaign issues whel
all of the 435 House members ant
at least IS Senate members Seel
election.
Disagree on Procedure
For example. unemployment
which has become a local problem
in scattered areas recently. coul'
become a major issue if it contin
ues, or it could disappear as
| factor if business takes an upturl
next year.
After the Republican Nationa
Committee elected Mr.. Gabrielsol
10 days ago it adopted a resolu
ton authorizing him to name {
joint group from the Senate
House. the National Committe,
and from State Republican Com
mittees to draft a statement o.
1850 party principles.
Prominent Republicans in Con.
gress are divided, however, ovel
the wisdom of going to work OF
such a document. and there ar,
no indications it will be attempted
in the near future.
For the time being. therefore
the new Republican regime prob.
ably will concentrate on strength.
ening the party organization. Mr.
Gabrielson has been represented
as a strong believer in organiza
ton work.
The Republicans are planning
some regional conferences on spe.
cif1c issues, starting with a farm
meeting at Sioux City. Iowa, Sep.
tember % and "a. This may bt
followed by a meeting on problem.
Of industry at Hartford, Conn, fol
which no date has been set. Thes,
gatherings are expected to serv;
more as forums to find out wha,
particular groups of voters art
thinking, than to agree on specific
remedies at this time.
Local Issues Important
One reason why influential Re-
publicans in Congress are cool to-
ward the idea of drawing up new
statement of party principles for
an off-year congressional election
is their belief that the party record
is made in the day-to-day pro-
ceedings in the House and Senate
Individual members of both
houses, it is argued, must run for
reelection on their voting records
Furthermore, in an off-year, when
presidential candidates are not
travelling across the country ex-
pounding national issues, the races
for Congress are apt to be don,i-
mated by local issues, which vary
even in different parts of the same
State. This makes the prepara-
ton of a Nation n-wide statement OF
party principles seem academic to
many in Congress.
In their drive to capture the Al
seats needed to win the House, Re-
publican campaign managers will
look first to those districts in
which their candidates lost last
year by 5 per cent or less. BY CO.
incidence. there were AZ such dis
tricts in 1948, when the COP suf-
fered a net loss of rs House seats.
Those. whose job it is to plan
Republican strategy for next year
figure they will have to make
some Of their gains in the cities,
and not rely on normal Repub-
lican strength in rural areas, to
win back the House.
AS of today. it is virtually Ger