Evening star., 1952-06-14
The Political Mil
Republican Platform
Job Should Be Simple
Only Stumbling Block Likely
Is Foreign Policy PIonk
By Gould Lincoln

NEW YORK, June 14-Writing a
party platform, on which both, or either.
Taft and Eisenhower, leading candi-
dates for the Republican presidential
nomination, can stand today looks to be
an easier task than originally had been
supposed. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
has stated that he approves. in prin-
ciple, of the declaration of principles
and objectives approved by the Repub-
licans in Congress and the Republican
National Committee as of February 6,
1850. Senator Taft of Ohio has well
coined this Eisenhower statement-for
the Ohio Senator, as chairman of the
Republican Policy Committee of the
Senate, had a great deal to do with
writing the declaration.
The great stumbling block for the Re-
publicans, when it comes to platform
writing in 1852, has been considered
foreign policy. Senator Taft and the
wing of the party which backs him have
been rated strong nationalists-if not
iSolationists. Gen. Eisenhower and his
hackers, including Gov. Dewey of New
York, Senator Lodge of Massachusetts,
and Senator Ives of New York, belong
to the internationalist Republican group.
Strong International Views.
The 1850 declaration of Republican
principles and objectives contains strong
international views. It favors full sup
port of the United Nations. 1t advocates
a strong policy against the spread of
communism or faSciSm at home and
abroad 1t proposes aid for states resist
ing communism, within the total limits
of American economy. 1t declares for
a strong national defense. And finally
it calls for full support of our treaty
obligations under the North Atlantic
Security pact. Gen. Eisenhower since
his return to this country has spoken in
far more detail in favor of these objec-
tiveS. 1t is in these details, or some of
them, that he finds himself in opposition
to Senator Taft.
John Foster Dulles, former Senator
from New York and former American
delegate and adviser in the United Ma
tions, recently conferred at length with
Gen. Eisenhower. He came away ex-
pressing confidence that it would be pos
Sible to write foreign policy to which
both the general and the Senator. could
subscribe. He had already talked things
over with Senator Taft. Democrats who
have been predicting and Growing over
wide split in the Republican Party on
foreign policy seem about to be left out
on limb.
Furthermore, Gen. Eisenhower, since
his return to this country and his re-
tirement from the Army, has not hesi-
tated to criticize the foreign policy of
the Roosevelt and Truman administra-
tions, especially in the Far East. He has
said that he had nothing whatever to do
with the political decision" of these ad-
ministrations on foreign questions during
World War II. He has disclaimed re-
SponSibility for the partitioning of Ger
many into Russian and Allied zones. and
the isolation of Berlin. He attributed
these decisions to "the politicians"
Where Gen. Eisenhower has differed
with Senator Taft in the very recent
past has been on the size of the appro-
priations to be made for foreign aid. 1t
is clear, nevertheless, that thes two men
can go along together on many prin-
clples and objectives of foreign policy.
Stand on Domestic Policy.
On domestic policy, they seem to
stand even more closely together.
Both of them are opposed to
Federal compulsory FEPC, and for the
same reasons. Gen. Eisenhower has
now said he would have made use of
the injunctive provisions of the Taft
Hartley Act in the steel controversy
had he been in the White House. The
general believes that the Taft Hartley
Act needs amendment But so, for that
matter, does Senator Taft.
Both men are for economy, against
waste. Both believe that the Democrats
have been in power too long, and that
the administration has become corrupt.
Both are against centralized bureau
cratic government. They have spoken
up for farm aid by the Federal Gov
ernment.
1t is quite true that they may strongly
differ on details of many of these poll
cles and that their differences may be
highly important. In writing national
party platforms, however, concessions
have been made to factions in both the
Republican and Democratic national
conventions. They have had to be made
and will be made again. 1t was abso-
lutte refusal to yield an inch to the
southern Democrats on the civil rights
program that caused big break in the
Democratic Party in l948-and it could
cause wedge to be driven even deeper
in the party at the Democratic conven-
ton next month.