Evening star., 1952-11-15
The Political Mill
First Hints of Attack
On Eisenhower Appear
Democrats Seek to Prove
Party Wos Not Defeated
By Gould Lincoln

Truman-Stevenson and Fair Deal
fellow travellers are beginning already
to whet their political knives and tune
up their typewriterS to do a Job on
Gen. Eisenhower. It is reminiscent Of
the steps taken back in 1923 and 1929
to blast Herbert Hoover. Followed
four years of expert political assasSina-
ton. This is entirely outside the oppoSi-
tion which President Eisenhower may
expect to his legislative program in
Congress. 1t is a campaign which will
seek to show the general aligned with
special interests" and unsympathetic
with the common man. It will seek 10
find chinks and soft spots where it be-
lieves Eisenhower to be vulnerable.
Course Is Up to Stevenson.
The publicly acknowledged head and
forefront of the Eisenhower opposition
will be the recently defeated Democratic
presidential candidate, Gov. Adlai Ste
venson Of Illinois. If the party leaders
who supported him have their way. His
gifts of sarcasm and humor commend
him for the post. President Truman
apparently falls in with this idea. It
remains, Of course, for Gov. Stevenson
to say what part he will play. 1t may be
determined by his desire or lack of
desire to be candidate for the Demo-
cratic presidential nomination in 1856.
1t was through the Democratic Ma
tional Committee and it's publicity direc-
tor. the late Charles Michaelson, that
the attacks upon President Hoover de-
veloped to an amazing degree. 1t was.
indeed planned campaign If such
another is to be leveled at Eisenhower,
1t may be necessary to find another
MichaelSon. The Democratic National
Committee, presumably with Stephen A.
Mitchell at it's head, will of course be
available for propaganda purposes. Mr..
Mitchell was selected by Gov. Steven
son for the Craftsmanship Of the COM
mittee when he. Stevenson, was nomi-
mated for President.
Signs Of Attack Show Up.
Already there are signs indicating the
line OF attack on the new President and
his party, soon to be in control of the
legislative as well as the executive branch
OF the Government. The effort will be
to convince the electorate that the new
administration is showing them toward
depression; that its policies will result
In such depression, and that even if
a depression does not Immediately de-
velop, the policies will be calculated to
give every advantage to the rich at the
expense of the poor.
There will remain, of course. the issue
OF foreign policy. Here, too. the critics
OF EISENHOWER will be quick to lump.
Should the generals coming trip to
Korea not produce a change in the situ-
alton IN the Far East, with the fighting
brought to an end, the attack on Eisen.
hover will be swift.
An effort is under way now to prove
that the Democratic Party was not de-
teated in the recent elections-that the
voters merely elected Eisenhower. What
constitutes the Democratic Party? Is
IL nebulous thing-or does it consist Of
a national organization. with State ard
local organizations? Did not all these
organizations 60 into the campaign
flghting for the election of Democratic
President and Congress, not to mention
Governors and other State officers2 The
answer is: "Of course they did" Does
not President Truman and his admins
tratlon, plus Democratic candidate for
President and Democratic Congress
they not defeated? The answer is: They
We're" Further, Gen. Eisenhower. hav-
ing accepted the Republican nominal
ton and the Republican platform and
the aid of the Republican organization.
headed a Republican victory.
Vote for Others in G. O. p. Cited.
In support of the incredible theory
that the election was an Eisenhower
victory and not Democratic defeat it
is argued that the presidential candi-
date ran far ahead of other Republicans
IN the popular vote count. 1t may be re-
called that the late President Franklin
d. Roosevelt, too ran far ahead in some
OF his victories. of other Democratic
candidates, but it was never denied that
his victories were Republican defeats.
Also, in New York, Senator Ives, Repub-
l1can, ran ahead of Eisenhower in the
popular vote; and in Minnesota Senator
Thye, Republican, did the same The
total vote cast for the Republican Con-
gressmen in Wisconsin was greater than
the vote cast for Eisenhower in that
State, too
In the Southern States, Gen. Eisen-
hover ran ahead of the Republican
ticket. In Texas and Virginia, States
he carried. the Republicans either in
dorsed the Democratic candidates for
Governor and Senator and other main
State offices or placed no candidates in
opposition. Even So the Eisenhower VIC
tory in those States constituted a defeat
for the National Democratic Party.
Party.