Evening star., 1952-07-09
GO.P Dirty Linen Hung in Living Room

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CHICAGO, July 9-Perhaps the most
~ deeply significant development of
the Republican National Convention has
been the hearings on contested delegates
before the Committee on Credentials. The
fight scheduled for today on the con-
vention floor. OF course, will be more
dramatic. Its outcome may influence
the conventions final choice Of a candi-
date.
But the hearings themselves probably
outrank anything else that will take
place at the convention in depth Of
meaning.
Representative John w. Heselton Of
Massachusetts,. who has been directing
the Eisenhower forces in strategy and
tactics during the hearings. was the
chairman Of subcommittee which made
the arrangements for television cover
age Of this part Of the delegate fight.
He said yesterday that an estimated
audience of some IS million watched
the proceedings. The estimate, he said,
was made by the television people and
it sounds excessive. But divide it by
TO- and 1t would still outrank any
political development Of recent times.
Here, for the first time in political
history. political party was exposing
70 the cold eye of the television camera
mess OF dirty linen that would other
wise never have been exposed. The
public would have obtained glimpses of
1t, through the printed word, and per-
haps noted the disagreeable odor. In
fact. all of the same evidence was well
Vl1no L.
before the National Committee. But the
impact OF the printed word. in situations
OF this sort, can never approach that
OF the picture and the living voices of
those who form it on the television
screen.
The television audience was undoubt-
edly amused by the comedy and the
tragedy OF what they saw. There was
much OF both. But many Of them must
have been conscious of witnessing the
early rumblings of what is destined to
become revolution of sorts in Amer
lean politics. They were able to get
some comprehension of one of the chief
factors responsible for the retarded de-
velopment Of needed two-party system
in the South; system which In itself
is capable of correcting numerous evils.
This is the factor represented by the
Southern Republican boss, whose selfish
interests are served by keeping the party
small and tightly under his own control,
with the prospect that his occasional
patronage will go further when shared
among the few.
To keep it small, he resorts to some Of
the skulduggeries exposed by the hear
ingS in places like Georgia, Florida,
Louisiana and Texas. This time the
exposures have taken place before mill
lions of watchful eyes. And for prac-
tical, not moral reasons. political parties
in the future will bend every effort to
prevent repetition Of the undesirable
notoriety accompanying such exposure.
with the inevitable damage to the can
didate who has benefited from the
ShenaniganS.
Newspaper publicity first brought the
contested delegate scandals to public
notice. It resulted in the public reaction
which may become Gen. Eisenhower's
greatest boost and Mr.. Taft's greatest
blow. It also resulted in the big build-up
for the television show made of the
hearings themselves. And If the dele
gates have been impressed by the great
amount Of mail and kilograms from back
home stimulated by what people read.
greater amount of mail and kilograms
If there is time-will follow in the
wake of what people saw yesterday.
Those in charge Of the convention
were forced by public pressure to open
the delegate hearings to television. The
Eisenhower people, Of course, used this
pressure to their great advantage and
rv40a HoNiciAvN yoo oh m nNvodr,nf
the hearings in the goldfish bowl
created by television, the delegates went
the whole hog. The tentative suggestion
by some Of the Taft people, at the open
ing Of yesterdays hearings, that the
Committee on Credentials follow the
normal policy Of reaching its actual de-
ciSions in executive session was quickly
abandoned. For the Eisenhower people,
with an eye to public psychology, were
prepared to make the most of it. And
from that time on, every detail was ex-
posed to public view.
There was much, indeed, to be said on
both sides of every contest. Many of
the arguments, on both sides, were well
thought out and well expressed. There
was much legalizing and much moraliz-
ing. But one thing of which the tele-
vision audience may have become aware.
as the long hours dragged on, was that
the members Of the Credentials Commit
tee-despite Chairman Ross Rizleys fire.
quent emphasis on the theory that his
committee is like the Supreme Court
were not being swayed by the argu-
ments. The only thing that was sway
ing them was the search for delegates.
Their votes, on seating the delegates,
followed the Taft or Eisenhower line.
with some unimportant exceptions. The
Taft forces still had more votes in the
committee than the Eisenhower forces,
and that. not the evidence or necessarily
the law. dictated the decisions Of the
supreme court" The real supreme court
of the convention is the convention
itself, and that will be the court which
finally speaks its mind some time late
today on what delegates are to be
seated.
Yesterdays long hearings before the
Credentials Committee were the most
popular attraction Of the convention
program. It was far more attractive
than the time-wasting oratory spouting
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