Evening star., 1952-07-08
The PoIitieof Mill
Tuft-Eisenhower Bottle
May Strengthen 6. O. P.
Victory Of 'Fuir PIoy' Forces
On Amending Rules Hailed
By Gould Lincoln

By Gould Lincoln
CHICAGO. July 8.-Has the Repub-
lican Party torn itself wide open? And
so made it impossible for it to win an
election next November?
The Democrats dearly love to believe
so. The bitter strife between the forces
supporting Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
and Senator Taft of Ohio for the presi-
dental nomination demonstrated again
and again. and particularly in the OPEN
ing session Of the national convention
yesterday, gives them hope. They be-
lieve that the wounds may be so deep
they cannot be healed in four months
time-no matter who Is the party's
presidential nominee.
On the contrary. this desperate fight,
which has stirred tremendous interest
throughout the country. in all probability
will give the G. o. P. new lease on life.
The victory of the forces which backed
the fair play" amendment to the rules
governing the Republican National Con-
vention came like a breath of fresh air.
Blow to Machine Control.
It struck at the rotten borough system
Of controlled Republican State commit
tees, and Of the machine control of the
party generally in the South. The
charge may be made that the victory of
the Eisenhower forces, in this matter.
viii only take the control of the South
ern Republican Party into other hands.
At least. it gives the Republicans of the
Southern States an opportunity to re-
vamp and to build up party which for
years has made no progress at all, ex-
RoY1f In Ctofnc lilo riy,fo
lima, Tennessee and Florida, where q
strong nucleus has been in existence for
some time.
The hearings before the Republican
National Committee in the Louisiana
and Texas contest cases gave picture
Of the shocking situation which has
existed in those States, because of the
ambitions of certain men to retain a
firm grip on the skeleton of a party. In
Mississippi. too, there was demonstra-
tion Of one-man control which has been
going on for years. The unfortunate
fact is that in many of these States there
have been no primary elections to give
the Southern Republicans q real oppor-
tunity to register their will. Naturally,
it will accomplish no permanent good in
these Southern States to turn one group
OF selfish people out to put another in
their place.
People Made Selves Heard.
The 'fair play" amendment to the
rules undertakes to prevent delegates
to the national committee whose status
has not been finally determined from
voting on their own and on other con-
tested delegate seats in the convention.
It Is so framed that no frivolous contests
may be used to prevent. perhaps, a
majority of the national convention del
egates from operating. If two-thirds Of
the Republican National Committee, at
least, has agreed to the right of q dele
gate to his seat, then that delegate will
be permitted to vote in the temporary
organization Of national conventions.
The amendment, however, prevents
such travesty of Justice as that which
was perpetrated by the national COM
mittee In the case Of Louisiana'S delega-
ton to the 1852 national convention.
and in the case Of the Texas delegation.
The committee. dominated by Taft sup
porters, gave the sign Of its approval to
Taft delegates elected by minorities Of
the Republicans in those States. It pro-
posed that these Taft delegates SO elected
should have the power of passing on all
contested delegates placed on the tenn
porary roll of the national convention
by the ommittee-except themselves.
Had the committees proposal been sus-
tanned, there would have been little
chance Of getting real test on the
delegate contests before the convention
itself.
Not since the days of Theodore Roose-
velt has the Republican Party been
given such an tplift as it has by the
determination Of this issue. in the way
1t was determined. The people, not the
organization, made themselves heard.
The Republican Party. therefore, may
have been given rebirth. The action
Of the convention may carry q restored
faith of the voters in the q. o. p. The
party may emerge stronger, instead Of
weaker. from this bitter struggle.