Evening star., 1952-07-05
Republican Air Power
And Voluntary FEPC
PIanks Predicted
BY q staff eor..pend.n. Of tn. s.ur


CHICAGO, July 5.-Air power
will be the keynote of the ma
tional defense plank in the new
Republican platform. it was re-
liably indicated here today.
The platform builders also were
reported to be considering a civil
rights plank that will call for a
voluntary commission to elimin-
ate racial discrimination, rather
than a compulsory FEPC.
Senator Taft and Gen. Eisen-
hover both have indicated they
believe the fair employment
problem can be dealt with better
at the State level, except in those
fields in which the national Gov
ernment has unquestioned juris-
diction.
President indications are the
platform also will probably favor
repeal Of the poll tax in the few
States that still use it, and q
Federal statute on lynching. A
stand against discrimination in
Government employment also is
likely to be included.
harrington Heads Group.
The national defense plank Is
being prepared by a subcommit-
tee under the direction of Joseph
r. harrington, Delegate to Con-
gress from Hawaii.
The actual writing Of the plat
form by the Resolutions Commit
tee will not begin until today or
tomorrow. Up to now the job has
been in the hands of IL subcom-
mittees. Most of them had turned
in their preliminary suggestions
last night.
The next step will be for SEN
ator Millikin of Colorado to name
a small drafting group to boil
down and tie together the sub
committee recommendations. This
group will be at work over the
week end. and will try to have a
completed text ready for the full
Resolutions Committee when it is
officially named by the conven-
tion Monday.
The labor and welfare subcom-
mittee is reported to have recon-
mended Endorsement of the Taft
Hartley Act, subject to such
amendments as experience has in
dicated are needed. The subcom-
mittee was undecided last night
whether to enumerate possible
amendments, or deal with them
generally.
No Weakening Seen.
1t is fairly certain the platform
will not go along with business
groups in approving any weaken
ing of the protection which the
Hartley Act gives to the un-
ion shop principle. The law per-
mits the union shop where a |
majority of the employees vote for
it.
Under the heading of welfare,
the platform is expected to go
on record against socialized
medicine.
Although foreign policy is ex-
pected to be major issue in the
coming campaign, the G. o. P.
platform builders anticipate no
trouble agreeing on that plank.
It has been indicated that the
foreign policy plank will be di-
vided into two phases. First, it
will find fault with many of the
steps the Truman administration
has taken since the end of World
War II. Second, it will outline
improvements the Republicans be-
lieve they could make in the over
all effort to win the struggle |
against Communist expansion
without another world war.
Won't Be IsOlatiOnist.
The plank will not be isolation
ist. It will support continued CO.
operation with other free nations,
but is expected to propose more
economical means of combating
the threat of Communist aggres-
sion.
National defense will be dealt |
with separately in the platform,
but will have to be integrated
with the foreign policy plank, |
since it involves the extent to
which the United States can pro-
vide military equipment for other
free nations as well as its own
forces.