Evening star., 1952-09-06
Eisenhower Is Hoping
To GET Taft's Active
Help in Campaign
BY stoff Correspondent Of The stqr

BY Sfoff Correspondent of The Star
CHICAGO, Sept. 6.--Gen. Eli
senhower told a group of Midwest
ern Republican leaders yesterday
that he expects to meet soon with
Senator Taft of Ohio and that he
hopes to draw him on the team
not only as a consultant, but as
man who will lead a very i'm
portant section of the fight"
The statement amounted to the
most positive overture made so
far to the generals former rival
for the nomination. Senator Taft
has been reported as playing hard
to get so far as active campaign
support is concerned.
It was IN answer to a question
from a campaign worker who said
he came from a very heavily pro-
Taft neighborhood. What was the
possibility, he wanted to know, of
the Senator and the general get
ting together "in the near fu-
ture." Here is Gen. Eisenhower's
answer:
so far as I am concerned, it
could be any day. Senator Taft,
as you know, has been on vaca-
ton. AS far as I know, I am
to meet him at an early date, al
though I don't believe the exact
time has been fixed.
Will Seek Taft's Help.
But in any event, I have no
other purpose than to get with
Senator Taft, recognizing his great
responsibility in a Republican ad-
ministration of leading the Senate
'It would be foolish for me to
abstain, and I assure you I will not
abstain. am going to try to draw
him on the team not only as a
conSultant, but as a man who will
lead a very important segment of
the fight"
A Negro worker urged the gen.
eral to give assurance that he
would not appoint to his cabinet
a Southerner like Senator Spark
man" alabama Democrat and vice
presidential nominee) and would
consider the appointment of al
qualified Negro.
The general said he had always
In the past refused to answer cuch
questions, even negatively. But he
added:
Il will tell you that there will
never be any one around me
closely, on whom depend, whether
I am a private citizen or an
official. who is going to take 8. i
what I consider to be a reac-
tionary view about the basic tenet
of our Constitution, that we are
created equal, regardless of race
or religion or anything else"
Wants Qualified Men.
with respect to appointing a |
Negro to any place. I would say
this, will search for merit where
ever it is. I will search for the
qualifications needed to serve the
United States well. And if, in a.
particular field, you can find some
one whose appointment would give
reinsurance to the great body of
Negro men. should very much
like to do such thing"
Talk at the meeting touched on
other important phases of Repub-
lican policy and provoked some
statements from the
general. afru
On social gains Of the last 20
years: &c. these social gains are
no longer a political matter at all.
No one is going to tryto turn the /
United States back to the point
where there is no old age pension,
no unemployment insurance, no
help for dependent children and
so forth.
'There is this difference, though.
The Democrat tries to make
everybody believe-and particu-
larly the person he thinks is de-
pendent on these things-thatI
these social laws are an end in
themselves. I believe from the
bottom of my heart that these So
cial benefits should be considered
merely the floor that prevents our
people from falling into the pit |
of disaster.
"On top Of that, the initiative
of the individual, his private in
centive, the profit he makes
those are the things we must de-
pend on to build house."
Views on National Budget.
On balancing the budget: Ell
believe that if we examine every
single item in the budget with a |
cold and calculating eye on the
single basis of whether we need
it, and then if we apply to all of