Evening star., 1949-07-17
Republicans
Undermine
Themselves
Lacking Solid Front
as Congressional
Election Nears
By Gould Lincoln


year the party faces another cleo
ton which conceivably could
shove the COP further down
the ladder and make 1t difficult
for 1t ever to stage q real come
back.
This division is due in part to
personalities and in part to dif-
ferences over legislation. The
present fight to oust Representa-
tive Hugh D. Scott, jr., Of Penn
sylvania from the Craftsmanship
of the Republican National Com
mittee is an example of the per-
sonalities rows. The differences
between Senator Taft of Ohio,
chairman Of the Republican Pol
icy Committee of the Senate, and
House Republican Floor Leader
Martin over the Federal housing
bill. and between Senator Taft
and Senator Vandenberg OF Mich
igan, ranking Republican member
of the Foreign Relations Com
mittee, over the North Atlantic
treaty, are vivid examples Of dis
unity on Capitol Hill.
No Time to Lose
Perhaps nothing can be done
about it. OF course. the Repub-
licans hope to close ranks and
fight the Truman Fair Dealers
and their allies. the labor leaders,
In the congressional campaign
now lust a year away. If they
are to be successful they have no
time to lose.
Nevertheless the energies which
should be turned against the
Democrats are now being devoted
to removing from the chairman
ship of the party's national COM
mittee q Republican member OF
the House with a good record. a
veteran of the last war, and dis
tinctly q fighter. The particular
grievance against him is that he
was the selection Of Gov. Dewey
for the national craftsmanship
last year-and the presidential
campaign. not to mention the
congressional campaign, was lost.
Any national chairman. Of either
party, suffering q defeat at the
polls Is invariably under fire. But
the attitude toward Mr.. Scott is
more bitter than usual-and the
bitterness comes to the greatest
degree from the friends of other
Republican presidential aspirants.
including Senators Taft and
Bricker Of Ohio. Harold e. Stas-
sen, president of the University
of Pennsylvania and former Gov
ernor of Minnesota. The hatred
they have for Gov. Dewey is trans
ferred without difficulty to Mr..
Scott. They cannot relieve Gov.
Dewey Of his job as chief execu-
tvs of the Empire State-but they
can eliminate Mr.. Scott from the
national Craftsmanship. They are
by no means sure that Gov. Dewey
will not run to succeed himself
In next years gubernatorial elec-
tion, and they do not like to con-
template a third Dewey presiden-
tial nomination should the New
Yorker gain another victory in
his own State. If Gov. Dewey
should be reelected in New York
and Scott remain as national
chairman. they fear the advan-
tage might be with the New York
er in 1852.
Taft Causes Dissension
Mr.. scott's State of Pennsyl-
vania went more strongly. re-
publican in the last election than
most Of the others, and Pennsyl-
vania Republicans do not relish
the idea of having their man
kicked around. They are showing
1t quite plainly. Also. they feel
that since Mr.. Scott was able to
defeat his opponents after a
bitter battle at the Omaha meet
ing of the Republican National
Committee last January. he should
have been allowed to go ahead
with his work of building for the
next campaign without continual
sniping in his direction by his
fellow Republicans.
The fact that the Republican
committee Is not receiving the
contributions it expected Is also
being used as an argument to get
rid OF Mr.. Scott. But how much
loyalty be can expect from Re
publicans in number Of the
States may be the answer to this
question-at least in part.
( So deep has become the cleav-
age that Mr.. Scott is now
willing to pull. out-provided a
suitable chairman can be found
to succeed him. On his unsuitable
list are Carroll Reece Of Ten
nessee. Harrison e. Spangler of
Iowa or Guy George Gabrielson
of New Jersey, who have been his
most persistent enemies, and have
been mentioned for chairman.
Almost as disconcerting to many
Republicans as the row over the
national craftsmanship was the
.bombshell dropped by Senator
Taft when he declared in the Sen
ate he could not vote for the
North Atlantic security pact be-
cause he believed the treaty COM
mitted this country to rearming
Western Europe. Here the Re-
publican leader of the Senate
clashed with the party's, principal
spokesman on foreign affairs.
senator Vandenberg, and, indeed,
with a majority of the Republi-
can members of the Senate. His
position aroused again a suspicion
in many minds that the COP
still has a leaning toward the iso-
lationist stand adopted by 1t
during the old League of Nations