Evening star., 1949-02-06

Dewey of New York to deliver an.
address at the dinner in the Ma
tional Capital next Tuesday. As
titular head of the party dts presi-
Dental candidate in the last two ma
tional elections) Mr.. Dewey's re-
marks will be followed with interest.
Even more interest will attach, how
ever, because good many Repub-
licans want to know, as definitely as
they can, whether Mr.. Dewey in
tends to seek third nomination in
1852. Some Of them believe they
have seen evidence that Mr.. Dewey
is seeking to keep control of the
party's national organization in his
or his friends hands.
Most Agree on Change
The Republicans in Congress, with
the Truman program finally and al
most completely before them, have
begun to make their positions clear
on many of the items in that pro-
gram-particularly labor and tax
legislation.
Almost all the Republicans agree
that something must be done to
improve the party's standing with
the American people If it is to sur
vive. A lesser number take a cynical
position that the party has only to
wait until hard times catch up with
the Truman fair dealers" and the
Democrats will be tossed out and the
COP restored to power.
Generally speaking. leaders in the
Republican Party stress that the
party must stand for "principle"-
for individual liberty, free enter
prise and equality of opportunity,
for free competition-and many of
them also take the line that it's
time the party woke up to the
fact that there are things that the
Federal Government can and should
do for the American people, and
which can be done without aban-
doning 'princippe."
The conservative and the pro-
gressive wings of the party have
resumed their struggle for control
Senator Taft of Ohio, who is the
darling Of the conservatives, al
though at heart he Is far more
liberal, won reelection as chairman
of the Republican Policy Commit
tee of the Senate, defeating Sena.
tor Lodge of Massachusetts,, who
was backed by a group Of the young.
er. Republican Senators. But if tn,
conservatives won this fight, the
Old Guard in the Republican Ma
tional Committee was unable Il
cast out Representative Hugh Scot
OF Pennsylvania, who was elected
chairman last June for a four-yeal
term. While the issue was no.
quite 50 closely drawn in this con.
test, Mr.. Scott's $3.50 victory wa.
a defeat for the conservatives.
Taft Still Key Man
So much for the postelection
sparring. It is what the Repub-
licans do from now on-and what
their opponents, the Democrats, dc
that will count with the Amer.
ican voters and will be reflected in
the congressional elections mex,
year.
Senator Taft remains at the pres
ent moment the dominating Re-
publican figure in Congress. He has
the position because he has borne
the burden of policy making as well
as of leadership, and because he
has fought for it. In an interesting
address Mr.. Taft delivered at the
Mckinley Memorial in Niles, Ohio
January %, he not only laid down
the creed of the Republican Party
but he outlined a course which he
believes the Republican Party must
follow.
Mr.. Taft called attention to the
fact that the Republican Party was
founded in 1854 "as a party deter
mined to restore the actual practice
of liberty in this country in ac-
cordance with the theory of liberty
which brought about the founding
of the Republic"
1T enjoyed long lease of power
from 1860 to 1884," Mr.. Taft con-
tinued, but for 20 years prior to
1896 it was a weak party, living on
its Civil War reputation and hardly
ever commanding the support of a
majority of the people. Then in
1896 it had a new birth, because in
that campaign it presented fairly
and frankly and effectively its con-
servative philosophy" That was
the year of the full dinner pail"
issue, the argument used effectively
by the Republicans in their fight
against the Democrats under the
leadership of William Jennings
Bryan. Asserting that the Repub-
lican Party will continue to live and
will prevail If it dedicates itself
again to the principles for which it
was founded, the Ohio Senator
asked-and then answered-"What
is the Republican philosophy?
Definition of Liberty
First and before ALL" said Mr..
Taft" it is the same philosophy of
human liberty which created the
United States Of America. Every
American today pays lip service to
the term liberty But he does not
feel it as he did for a hundred years,
when the idea Of liberty inspired all
Americans and they boasted of it
until it became tireso1ne to every
visiting foreigner. - But today,
many Americans and most people
throughout the world have forgot
ten what it means. The limitations
on liberty have grown until in many
totalitarian states the substance Of
liberty has completely disappeared.