Evening star., 1951-08-18
The Political Mil
The Political Mil
6. 0. P. Expects to Close
Ranks by Election Time
Liberal and Conservative Wings
Foce ReoI Clash in Meantime
By Gould Lincoln

The Republican Party may be ex-
pected to close ranks and fight for
victory in the national election next
year. There is every prospect, however,
for a real clash between the so-called
liberal and conservative wings of the
party during the months preceding the
Republican National Convention, and at
the convention ITSELF over candidates
for President and Vice President, and
over the party platform. Such a clash
might be avoided if the draft-Eisen-
hover movement should become over
whelming-and Gen. Ike" makes him.
self available"
The liberal wing of the party can
claim such leaders as Dewey of New
York, Warren of California, Stassen Of
Minnesota and Pennsylvania, Lodge Of
Massachusetts,, Duff of Pennsylvania.
Aiken of Vermont and Morse of Oregon.
The last is so far over in the book he is
almost in class by himself.
Leaders of Conservatives.
On the conservative side are ranged
for the most part the Republican Party
leaders in Congress-particularl Sena-
tors Taft of Ohio, Wherry of Nebraska
and Millikin of Colorado, the triumvirate
which heads the party organization Of
the upper house. Representative Martin
OF Massachusetts, minority leader of the
House and its prospective Speaker
should the Republicans win, usually
goes along with them. In addition
there are many members of both houses
from the Midwest and West who fall
into the pattern of the more conserva-
tive wing. Indeed, the Midwest today,
so far as the Republicans are concerned,
tends toward the conservative side, while
New England the East Coast and the
Pacific Coast is the home ground of
the more liberal Republicans, decided
shift in the last quarter century.
The conservative Republicans have
their candidate for the presidential
nomination-Senator Taft. They may be
expected to put up hard fight for his
nomination. and many OF them believe
it is already in the bag. The more liberal
Republicans have centered on no po-
tential candidate outside of Eisenhower.
and, while they hope, they are still not
certain he will get into the race.
Senator Lodge Stands Out.
Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, jr.. Of
Massachusetts stands out today as one
OF the strongest of the progressive or
liberal Republican leaders in Congress.
He was chairman of the platform COM
mlttee at the 1948 Republican National
convention. He was leader of the group
in the Senate who, after the 1948 cleo
ton. challenged the Taft -Wherry lead
ershlp OF the party. He himself made the
run for chairman of the Republican
Policy Committee of the Senate-and
was defeated. He has differed with the
ONO Senator again and again, parti-
cularly on international policies, and
now and again on domestic He may
nave his own ambitions regarding the
party's national ticket. In the event
ne is passed over, he comes up for re-
election to the Senate next year.
Beating Senator Lodge in Massachu-
settS is no slnecure Democratic Gov.
DeVer has been pondering the question
OF Offering himself as candidate to de-
1eat MI. Lodge-but the latest reports
are he will seek reelection. If Gov.
Dever decides not to make the race for
the Senate, there are two younger mem
bers OF the House who might try for it.
Representatives John F. Kennedy and
Foster FurcoIo. Mr.. Kennedy, son of for
mer Ambassador Joe" Kennedy, is serv-
Ing his third term in the House, and Mr..
Furcolo his second. Both are war vet
erans-and so is Senator Lodge.
The decision of the Republicans in the
matter OF a presidential candidate may
be as hard fought as in 1912, when Will
nam Howard Taft, father of the pres
ent Senator, defeated Theodore Roose-
welt; or in 1920, when Warren G. HARDING
won over Gen. Leonard Wood. Hiram
Johnson and the rest of the field. On
us outcome-as on the outcome in those
carrier conVentions-may we'll depend
the entire trend of the G. O.P, as we'll
as its victory or defeat.