Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1952-05-31
RAIGHT
AHEAD"

NEW YORK - (GlobaD - Now
we come to the matter of disting-
uishing between campaigning for
ian office and stating ones views
on major issues affecting the peo-
pie of the nation. 1t seems that
some people just don't know the
difference.
All along, General Dwight d.
Eisenhower, a leading candidate for
the Republican nomination for
President of the United States, has
said he would not campaign for
the honor. This has led his critics
and some of his supporters to as
sumo this barred his giving public
Expressions to his stand.
Just this past week when Gov
ernor Thomas f. Dewey of New
York, one of the first to come out
for Eisenhower for President, as
serted that he believed the General
would make known his position on
all issues before the Convention,
even so competent a reporter as
James (Scotty) Reston, the gentle
man from the New York Times,
said he thought the Governors
statement was in conflict with Els
enhoWer's announcements.
We ought to get the facts
straight. AS | understand cam
paignlng, there is vast difference
between making a drive for an of
flee, and simply telling the world
what you believe in. In order to
campaign, in the conventional
sense, one has to do certain def
mite things. | would say Senator
Robert A. Taft has been campaign
ing as has Senator Estes Kefauver.
Yet, we must admit that either
could have explained his views on
every conceivable topic wIt7out
ever leaving Washington. Such
could have been accomplished IN
enc press conference or in one or
two radio or television speeches.
AS for General Eisenhower, while
he has said he would not cam
palgn meaning, as | under
stand it, that he does not intend
to go travelling all over the coun-
try buttonholing delegates, holding
conferences with party and other
Headers, and making speeches in
scores of communities, yet, he has
not said, as far as | have been
able to learn, that he intended to
remain in hiding after he returns
home.
Just to prove that one may make
clear where he stands on issues
without campaigning, it is neces-
sary only to realize that most peo-
pie know where Congressman Jacob
Javits stands on most, if not all
big issues, and l haven't heard
that Jack is running for President.
Or, to reduce the point a bit.
have expressed myself on many
topics and surely | am not cam
palgning for anything-that is, not
at the moment.
1t isn't question of where Cen
eral Eisenhower stands on any
particular issue that should be
troubling the electorate. We know
precisely where a number of men
stand, including the President, if
we are to accept at face value
what they say. There is an cid
saying in politics, "If you don't
have the power to deliver, promise
anything" 1t is easy for the Dem
iocrats of the north to back civil
rights legislation even those
who do not believe in it. They can
always blame failure on the south
erners and will try to tie in some
Republicans. AS for the Republi-
cans, they would not be able to
shift the blame to Dixie, because
If the Party won a majority, it is
unlikely that any appreciate num-
Der would come from the south.
Certainly, the Republicans could
hardly hope to elect Senator from
the south in the near future. How
ever, it is reasonable to assume
that a Republican legislator from
the south would hardly be as be-
nlghted as a Democrat, for the
simple reason that a southerner
who could win a national office as
a Republican would obviously have
run on a more enlightened plat
form.