Evening star., 1952-06-10
To the Editor Of The Stor:

which has been subject of much recent
discussion, appears at this writing about
to be resolved by an agreement that
will provide for: Cd Popular election
OF the President: (2) conversion of
the present one-house National AS
sembly into two-chamber body; and
80 confirmation of cabinet appointees
by the Assembly. For seeking to achieve
the first two parts of this program
President Syngman Rhee has been
under heavy fire from his volatile for
eign critics. Half dozen nations have
haStened to subscribe to President
Truman's note expressing "shock" over
Korea's political developments.
But what are the facts?
The most basic fact is that essential
democracy is being born in Korea,
under conditions aggravated by the war,
and that President Rhee is serving as
the midwife. Far from using military
power. or any other power, to try to
entrench himself in Office, President
Rhee is fighting for the right of the
people to elect their own chief execu-
tive.
AS man II years old, far beyond
the age of personal ambition, Dr. Rhee
is making hard fight to sink the roots
OF genuine democracy so deeply into
Korea that no subsequent event or
regime can uproot it.
A major step toward universal
democracy was taken in the local elec-
tions of April and May when 1853
provincial and village officials, formerly
appointed by the President, were elected
by 6,727,O ,O26 voters-89Go of all those
eligible to cast ballots This was a
tremendous surrender of power which
the constitution lodges in the presi-
dency-a voluntary surrender of power
by the very man who is accused of
seeking to make himself dictator!
Last November, while was serving
in Pusan as an adviser to President
Rhee. he requested the National As
sembly to adopt two constitutional
amendments which, similarly, would
nave passed back to the people power
now lodged in the Assembly. These two
amendments provided: % For direct
election OF the President by all the
people; and (2' for converting the
present unicameral Assembly into a
two-house legislature.
President Rhee still Is seeking to
achieve these aims, and the Korean
people are giving every evidence of join
ing solidly in these demands. Who can
say that it is not democratic to let the
people elect their own President? Who
can claim it is "dictatorial'' to try to
transfer electoral authority from the
1873 National Assembly members to
South Korea's seven million voters?
The charge has been made that if Dr.
Rhee's goal is sound, at least his methods
are bad. When was there last Novem-
ber, advised him to use the normal
methods of securing the necessary votes
in the Assembly for his constitutional
amendments. pointed out that in any
democracy the normal political process
is for the executive to call in the leading
members of the legislature. find out
what they want, and give them as much
as he can. Log-rolling and horse-trading
are traditional and honorable" political
methods.
President Rhee pushed this advice
aside. He said he would consider it dis
honorable to promise political patron
age and other favors to buy votes. AS
a matter of fact. he meant to reduce
all patronage to the minimum-and did
so in the epochal local elections of this
April and May. He said that election of
the President by the people Is right, and
being right. the people would demand it.
Who would now be condemning his
methods if he had quietly bought up the
necessary votes, instead Of openly carry
ing the fight to the people? Yet is not
the method he did adopt much the bet
ter of the two?
praCiAnv1f phan fA laNk
finesse in handling the political opposi-
tion in the National Assembly, but no
one ever has questioned his great ability
to arouse the whole mass of the Korean
people to an awarenesS of their own
rights. What has now happened in
Korea is that President Rhee has
aroused on the part of the masses a
fervor for the right of electing their own
chief executive which is comparable IN
depth of feeling and universally to the
unanimous nationwide opposition to
trusteeship and to coalition with the
Communists. This fervor now aroused.
cannot be quelled. The Irish OF the
Orient" are united in demanding their
basic democratic rights. Surely the
United States does not wish to lead any
international opposition to this right!
But what of the threat to dissolve
the National Assembly? What Of the
arrest of IL of its members? What Of
martial law?
President Rhee frankly has avowed
that his threat to dissolve the National
Assembly was an effort to dramatize
the fact that the rights of the people
are above even the constitution. Only
the simple minded can believe that the
transfer of power to elect the President
from the National Assembly to the
people ever could be achieved except by
drastic means. Not only do the 1873
assemblymen seek to retain this power
for their own advantage, but also they
are strongly swayed by non-Korean
sources that wish to influence the
selection of the next President and can
do so most easily if they have only to
bribe or intimidate q majority Of 1873
members.
Eleven members Of the National
Assembly were arrested because Of
evidence that they were being directly
Influenced from Communist sources to