, 1951-04-09
" TO BE Or Not To Be- .

Young Democrats and Young Republicans, those
organized as such, are not always young people. Some are
middle-aged. And they are not necessarily of young ideas.
Rather they are disposed to put their youthful energy at
the service OF the tired old-timers in their respective part
les. The leaders among them seem chiefly concerned with
the opportunity to train themselves for careers in practi-
cal politics. Nothing really wrong in all this, of course.
But there are those who have a different notion regarding
there young organizations. They look on them as offer
ing to the old parties an infusion of fresh, unsullied ideals
as an offset to the Establishments that come with age.
Observing the Young Democrats and Young Republicans
i'll action does not encourage this view.
If staIry-eyed idealism is not conspicuous among
the Y. DIS and RS, where then is it to be found !? Among
the poIiticaIly-minded boys and girls still in school,, you
might think.
Well, I've been reading reports of the Eastern Col
lege Conference Of Young Republicans from 81 schools
met at the University of Virginia, as part perhaps of the
G.O.P. plan to develop a stronger party in the South. At
any rate, much Of the discussion was devoted to that pro-
ject. And what aid the eager young college politicians
decide? They decided that the best hope of breaking up
the solid South and promoting a real twoparty system
in those parts lay in an alignment with the conservative
Democrats or DEiecrats. They would take advantage Of
the wrath President Truman has aroused within the latter
element by his liberal approach toward civil rights.
So the conference voted down a proposed platform
plank favoriug a modified" F.EP.C, as we'll as all other
civil rights suggestions except the repeal of the poll tax.
The young disciples of Abraham Lincoln, indeed,
did all they could to persuade the South that so far as
their party is concerned its immortal founder really is
dead.
There was considerable talk about political NOR
atty, to be sure. The principal guest speaker, Senator Ro-
bert A. Taft, talked about it. The morality, or lack of
same, that bothered him was the sort recently revealed
by the FulbTight committee in connection with the op-
erations Of the RFC. He gave the budding young poll
ticians an excellent demonstration of how to pin the OPP
position party down in matters of that kind.
Nobody could dispute his assertion that there has
been "a dangerous decline in political morality Nobody
could when he proceeded to indicate the state of his own
political morality.
There is no coincidence" he asserted, that Com
munist Influence has been eliminated in strategic Gov
eminent positions -. Whether or not Senator McCarthy's
charges went to far, an honest Government would have
probed the charges to the bottom and brought out every
fact. Instead the Tydings committee adopted a complete
whiteWash technique to prevent the facts from coming
out"
This, of course, is false. Senator Taft knows it is
false, knows the Tydings committee gave Senator Nc
Carthy every possible opportunity to make good his reck-
less and baseless accusations. In saying what he said Sena-
tor Taft could only have been moved by a belief that his
young listeners did not know the truth. Either that, or he
wanted them to understand that his remarks regarding
political morality were not to be taken seriously.
-LOWEL MELLETT