Evening star., 1952-12-11
The Political Mill
Opportunity for 6. O. P.
Is Apparent in South
Citizens for Eisenhower
Are to Be Needed Again
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

By Gould Lincoln
The recent Eisenhower for Presi-
dent campaign brought into the ranks
of the Republican Party-for the elec-
tion-millions of independents and
Democrats no longer willing to 60 along
principal job of the Republican organi-
entS and Democrats. It will need them
in the political campaigns of 1854 and
1856.
A major contributing factor in win
ming support Of independent voters and
disgruntled Democrats was the Citizens
for Eisenhower" which later became
Citizens for Eisenhower-Nixon" One
of the proposals now under considera-
tion is to keep this organization alive,
as voluntary adjunct of the official
Republican organization headed by the
Republican National Committee. y The
purpose would be to use it again-par-
ticularly in the South where it was most
effective, enabling Gen. Eisenhower to
carry four Of the States Of the so-called
solid South" (solidly Democratic).
Will Be Needed Often.
The extent Of the Citizens for
Nixon was tremendous. It
ended the campaign with $4,000 clubs
located in every State Of the Union They
had more than million active work.
ers. Before the Republican National
Convention got under way in Chicago
last July, according to a report made
by Robert r. Mullen, director of public
vo1otinnS fn Wyo1tor xx,y,a
headed up the organization and has re-
Gently been selected by Gen. Eisen-
hover for Undersecretary of Commerce,
5000 of these clubs had been organized,
with 250,00O workers. They had raised
and spent about SIS million-and
played an important part in the nomi-
nation of Gen. Eisenhower for President.
1t does seem that in some form this
organization could and should be con-
tinued From the Republican point Of
view. it will be needed again and again.
When the campaign got under way it
was estimated there were about Is mil
lion registered Republicans, or would be
by election day. This meant that to
elect Eisenhower it was necessary to at
tract the votes of 10 million more Re-
publicans, independents and Democrats.
This was the particular assignment given
the Eisenhower clubs. They delivered.
Eisenhower clubs were formed early
in the South. They were better or
ganized, financed ana directed than in
many other parts of the country. It is in
that section especially they can continue
to be an effective agent for the develop
ment of strong Republican Party. The
South may be fertile field. AS of today,
the conservative Democrats who sup
ported Eisenhower in the general election
and preconvention campaigns have to
decide what they will do in the future.
These Eisenhower clubs, if maintained.
can be a satisfactory resting place. Gov.
Byrnes of South Carolina, who led the
fight in that State for Eisenhower, has
already urged the South Carolinians for
Eisenhower to hold on to their organiza-
ton.
Eisenhower Democrats, as a matter Of
fact, have an opportunity to build
strong Republican Party in that section
If they are willing to go the route. In
so doing, they also have an opportunity
to assume control of the party-because
they have the numerical strength and
the potential leadership. It would appear
to be a reasonable course for them. It
does not seem probable that they, con-
servative Southern Democrats, will ever
be able to wrest control of the national
Democratic Party from the New Dealers
and Fair Dealers of the Roosevelt and
by conservative Democrats in the North
and West. ..
Real Struggle Seen.
It has been taken for granted, for
years, that the Republican Party cannot
build up in the South-because of an
tagonisms growing out of the Civil War
and because of the race issue. At pres
ent. however, millions of Southern DEM
ocrats find themselves more in accord
with the Republican Party, as repre-
sented by Gen. Eisenhower, than in &C
cord with the national Democratic Party
as represented by President Truman and
Gov. Adlai Stevenson of Illinois, who
during the recent campaign swung all
the way over to the Truman program.
In coming months, there will be q
real struggle on the part of those Demo-
cratic leaders in the South who sup
ported Truman and Stevenson to
persuade the Eisenhower Democrats to
come back into the fold of the national
party. It would be smart thing on the
part of the Republicans to encourage
the Eisenhower Southern Democrats to
continue their clubs. and eventually to
join the G. o. P. The old days when Re-
publican leaders in the South carried
the party-in their respective States
in their vest pockets seem on the way
out. They, must be, If a real two-party
system is to be developed in that section.