Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-05-20
Grundy Defect Is Hailed
By G. 0. P. Proqressives
Young Turks Envision End
Of Stondpot Leadership
The Political Mil
By Gould LINCOLN

vi StonoPot ISuoeTShip
BY Gould Lincoln
No happening in recent years has
given Republican ProgresSives so great
q lift as the overwhelming defeat OF the
Grundy organization In last Tuesdays
Pennsylvania primary The group OF
Young Turks" on the Republican side
of the Senate chamber. including Sem
ators Lodge of Massachusetts,. Ives Of
New York. Morse Of oregon and Know
land of California. take JOY Of 1t, believ-
ing that the victory Of Governor Duff
Of PENNSYLVANIA not only means an ad-
dition TO their group in the next Con-
gress. but that the vote given Gov. Duff
and his ticket in the primary is indica-
tive that the rank and file Republicans
desire to get away from old. standpat
leadership.
None Of them. however. so so far as
foreseeing sweeping changes in the Re-
publican leadership in the House and
Senate in the SD Congress. Their atti-
tude is:
WE cannot tell what Is going TO hap
per until after the elections next Novem-
ber"
None Of them wish to see q defeat for
Senator Taft Of Ohio-the dominant
Republican congressional leader today
although he has been regarded as the
symbol of conservative RepublicaniSm.
They wish Senator Taft TO be reelected
next November but they would like TO
move him out of his present position as
chairman of the Republican Policy Com
mittee Of the Senate end substitute one
of their own number. This. they contend.
would give the COP new look" They
add that Senator Taft is valuable Sen
ator-but they do not want him for
presidential nominee in 1882 Some so
so far as to admit that Mr.. Taft has
been far more progressive in his views
and in his support OF new legislation
than he has been given credit for. They
Just do not see how he can escape the
conservative label.
Emphatically these Republican pro-
gressives deny they wish to outpromise
the Truman Fair Dealers or to initiate
them. They resent any suggestion they
are "me-tooers". What they insist, how
ever. is that the COP shall work out
and develop legislation and programs
which will meet and solve social prob
lens Of the day; that the party shall not
merely occupy a negative position-op-
posed to anything and everything the
Truman Fair Dealers put forward.
The recent victory Of Representative
George A, SmatherS over the leftiSh Sen
ator Pepper in the recent Florida Sena-
torial primary had been advertised as
showing a swing toward conservatism.
The progressive Republicans have no
love for Senator Pepper, but they didn't
like the implication Of the Smathers VIC
tory So the trouncing that Governor
Duff gave the Grundry Old Guard Re-
publican organization in Pennsylvania
came as breath of fresh and pleasant
air.
New Faces Appearing.
AS a matter of fact new faces (Which
means the road to new leadership are
appearing in important Republican races
IN several States For example, former
Representative Dirksen is the Republic
can nominee for the Senate IN Illinois.
Mr. Dirksen's is not new face literally.
for he occupied an important place IN
the House for number of years. But
he Is decidedly new as compared to the
old Republican leadership in Illinois,
headed by former Governor Green and
former Senator Brooks-which took a
bad licking in the 1948 elections.
In Connecticut, too. Representative
John Davis Lodge is being put forward
for the Republican nomination for Gov
ernor. He is brother of Senator Lodge
of Massachusetts, and a member OF the
more progressive group Of Republicans.
California Republicans. too. are expected
to run Representative Dixon for the
Senate, young and aggressive party
member.
Depending on how the elections go,
therefore, is the next move on the part
of the progressives Senator Lodge, at
the outset of the present Congress. Of
fered himself as an opponent OF Senator
Taft for chairman of the Policy Com
mittee He received only IA votes out
of the total Republican membership OF
the upper house AZ. But If the Young
Turks" feel that the election results
warrant another effort to unhorse the
present Republican Senate leadership
they will aim their guns at both Senator
Wherry of Nebraska. the floor leader.
and at Senator Taft.
New ideas as well as new faces are the
goals of the Republicans who are press
ing for new leadership in their party.
They believe that Gov. Duffs victory.
won by a slashing attack on the Old
Guard, typified by former Senator joe
Grundy. overturning an organization
which dominated the party for more
Than a quarter century. has done more
than point the way.