The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1950-04-20
Undesirable Issue


The foreign policy Of this country
should have no place in the congress
sional campaign this year. Yet. there
seems slight doubt now that it will
be the chief issue Mr.. Truman him
self has made that plain. With a
record of almost complete failure for
his domestic program in this Demo
cratic Congress, he proposes, if he
can, to convict the Republican party
Of sabotaging bipartisanship and aid
ing the Soviets by outrageous as
saults upon the State Department.
If the President follows his present
intention of making personal po-
litical tour Of the country, speaking
along these lines in his effort to keep
his party in control. it means an ex-
ceedngly bitter, name-calling, charges
and countorcharges campaign. This
would not be good at any time, but in
a crisis such as confronts us it hardly
could be worse Whether Mr.. Tu-
man is justified or not, some of his
advisers are exceedingly dubious
about the political fruits Of the Presi-
dents plan There is. however, no
reason to think they will be able to
deter him. Since his 1918 victory Mr.
Humans disposition is to give rather
than take political advice. 1t is his
firm, not to say cocky, conviction that
in that campaign he demonstrated he
knew more about politics than anyone
else anywhere, any time. Considering
the odds and the result. one can
understand this feeling.
Nevertheless, whether they started
it or not, it is too much to expect the
Republicans to take lying down the
sort of campaign Mr.. Truman seems
determined to wage. To the allegation
that they have wrecked the bipartisan
foreign policy and to one that the
State Department has been cleansed
Of Communists and the Democratic
party has not profited by Communist
support and affiliations, the Republi-
cans have concrete and rather con-
vincing answers. Concerning the BIZ
partisan foreign policy, they assert
that since his 1913 nomination Mr..
Truman has proven himself one Of
the most partisan Presidents we ever
had; that there never has been a BIZ
partisan foreign policy, as the Re
publicans even Senator Nanden-
berg were never kept fully informed
nor consulted before policy was de
termined.
They further assert-and with con-
siderable tluth-that Mr. Truman in
the last two years, instead Of making
it easy for Republicans to cooperate,
has kicked them in the teeth every
chance he had; blamed them for a lot
of things they didn't do; called them
names and otherwise showed himself
a politician without regard for the
facts. Until recently he has had no
good word to say of any Republican
except Senator Nandenberg - and
his gestures, such as the appointment
Of ex-senator Cooper, OF Kansas, are
meaningless and forced. Nor does his
recent appointment OF ex-senator
John Foster Dulles as a State Depart
ment consultant greatly change the
situation. If Mr.. Truman, it is con
tended, had been sincere about the BIZ
partisan policy he would have wanted
Mr.. Dulles to remain in the Senate.
where he would have been worth a
dozen Lehmans so far as the bipaI'ti-
san policy is concerned Instead, the
Administration, with his approval,
threw its full weight into the New
York campaign last year to defeat Mr..
Dulles, joined with the CIO and the
Communists in abusing him like a
pickpocket.
AS to the Democratic Communist
affiliation and support, it is pointed
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