Evening star., 1949-12-11

lblicans and conservative Demo-
fully employed than ever before,
except during the war period.
The Democrats, for their part,
are claiming everything-almost
They point to the recent, sketchy
elections as proof that the Tru-
man Fair Deal is exceedingly pop
ular. Particularly. too. they claim
encouragement from the New
York senatorial election. when
former Gov. Herbert H. Lehman
Democrat, defeated Senator Johr
Foster Dulles, Republican. by 1885,.
900 votes. In addition. they arc
encouraged by victories in NUM-
cipal elections, where Republican
Mayors were succeeded by Demo
cratic. Singularly enough. tn
are taking a bit C.
courage from the outcome Of th )
Lehman-Dulles race. They con :
tend that the Lehman margin
victory was narrow-as it was =,
a vote of more than 5000, 900
and that if the upstate voters hs
come out in the same percentaf
as the voters in New York Cit.
Dulles might have won.
The future fate of the r;
publican Party could rest on Il
results of the congressional elec
tions next year. If the Democrs
should increase their prese,
majorities in the Senate ar
House. Republican hopes wou
tumble, indeed. A defeat, for e,
ample. for Senator Taft Of Ohio
principal target of the Trum'
Democrats and their allies-t'
labor leaders, would be min
for the COP. However, If t
Republicans should break even
the congressional elections
make some gains in the t'
houses, the boot would be on t
other leg. The Republicans wou
then go to work in earnest
build up for the presidential can
paign of 1852.
Whatever may be the streng ,
of such a proposal as that { F..
Senator Bricker in the future,
may be said right now that tt
great majority Of Republicans a:
for going ahead-as a party-ar
a.. :ng cut the 1850 elections ar
those Of 1852 with the tradition
Democratic enemy. They are lay
ing plans for a restatement
party principles and policies-anri
some Of the Republican member
of Congress are coming ou
strongly for a very definite anti
concrete program-in support Q
Republican legislative proposal
and also in opposition to some Q
the Truman program. In othe-
words, if the Republican Party J.
on its death-bed. the Republican
are not admitting it. What woult
be their attitude, however, If tn
Democrats made a great sweep II
the congressional contests Of mex
year, is another thing.
Democrats Switch
The Democrats have changed
from a States rights party to E
party of great centralized Govern
ment, paternalistic in the extreme
The Republicans. for their part
have become the champions Of
State and local government.
A problem Of the Republicans
is how far to the right the party
should go, as compared to the
sharp trend Of the Democrats to
the left.
To undertake the establishment
Of a new. conservative political
party in this country, would be
like carrying Goals to New Castle
The country already has a recog-
nized conservative party-the Re-
publican Party. But it is not Sc
conservative that many liberals
find 1t impossible to be members.
Had the Republicans in 1912 NOM
mated Theodore Roosevelt fol
President, the history of the party
might have been vastly different
Therefore Roosevelt, who probably
could have been elected, would
have seized the ball and run with
it, and many of the reforms which
were overdue and came In the
Wilson and Roosevelt administra-
tions would have been put through
by the Republicans.