Evening star., 1950-02-14
The Political Mill
Dewey Still Interested
In Gubernutoriul Race
Sounds Like q Candidate In
His Princeton Lectures
The Political Mil
By Gould Lincoln

Gov Dewey of New York in his recenS
lectures on The American Political Sys-
TEN" at Princetown University sounded
like candidate.
Further, the fact that Governor and
the Republican legislative leadership in
New York took shot at the statement
of principles and objectives," adopted by
a majority of the Republicans in Con-
greSs, on the ground that the statement
did not go far enough on FEPC legisla-
ton, shows that the Governor still has
keen interest in the gubernatorial contest.
In his Princeton lectures Gov. Dewey
very clearly resented the attacks which
have been levelled at him by some Re-
publicans, especially those who charged
he had been a ''me-too" candidate for
President in 1914 and in 1948. He was
sharply critical, too, of those Republicans
who had sought to belittle the Truman
administration by calling it "the Welfare
State"
Clumsy Republican" Rebuked.
In this latter connection, Mr. Dewey
said: "It must have been some very
clumsy Republican, do not know the
origin of the phrase or who perpetrated
it-who tried to pin the label, Welfare
State, on Mr.. Trumans government
tack on the fundamental idea of security
and welfare is appealing to people gen.
orally, is living in the Middle Ages
OF course Mr.. Dewey is not setting him.
self up as an apologist of the Truman
administration. He prefers to tie the
big Government label on the Fair
Dealers, and to point to the many ills
that are coming and will come from GEN.
tralization of Government authority in
Washington. He prefers to stick to the
principle of freedom for the individual
and freedom of enterprise. He prefers to
attack the creeping paralysis of social
ism and bureaucracy.
The loud outcries that are coming,
however, from some Republicans, and
presumably from Mr.. Dewey as we'll as
from Senator Ives of New York and
Senator Lodge of Massachusetts,, because
in writing the recent statement of party
policies and objectives, the Republicans
in Congress and the Republican National
Committee merely declared for civil
rights legislation without promising a
last-ditch fight for Federal FEPC law,
are out Of tune with their demands that
Big Government be cut down.
Can Rise Above Principle.
They prove, too, that Republicans, like
Democrats, can rise above principle when
politics calls. Imagine the size of the
bureaucratic agency that must eventually
be created to operate Federal FEPC
law
Gov. Dewey speaks with pride of the
State FEPC law, in effect in New York
for several years. But a Federal law.
which must operate in New Orleans and
Houston and Memphis and Richmond
and also in New York and Detroit-will
call for lot of enforcement and the
enforcing agency, whatever 1t may be,
will add to the army of civilian employees
Of an already Big Government.
Yet Mr.. Dewey said: Human freedom
demands that we develop a better way
than that of Big Government" And
later, he added; "Our time is faced with
the problems of unemployment. old age,
medical care, housing discrimination and
agricultural price stabilization. Each Of
these problems can and will be met But
the road to Washington Is not the only
road" In this, Of course, Mr.. Dewey
IL right.
There Ii something Mr. Dewey and
other Republicans might take into ac-
count. If by any chance an FEPC law
should be enacted ct the present session
Of Congress, and be signed by President
Truman, as 1t would, the credit-and the
political benent-would 90 10 Mr.. Tru.
man and his Welfare State.