Evening star., 1953-11-08
Eisenhower Opposition
Seeks Suitable Goats
Writer Sees Critics Pickinq
Weeks as Their Next Turoet
By Fronk R. Kent

Dy TIonk u. Nent
For % years having had the places.
prestige and power involved in being
part of the dominant party and its
administration, it is perhaps natural
that the former New Deal-Fair Deal
jobholderS, aides, advisers, political
and Journalistic supporters should
feel that these things inherently be-
longed to them and that the new ad-
ministration, from President down, is
composed exclusively of interlopers.
usurpers, incompetentS and worse,
who, for the good of the country, must
be destroyed.
Certain it is that this feeling exists
and certain, too. that the bitterness
among old Roosevelt Truman ap-
pointees and devotees, with whom
Washington still is thickly cluttered,
is very great, indeed. Not in the men,
ory of the oldest observer have there
been here more persons eager to tear
down and disparage a new administra-
ton. Never have there been more
unscrupulous malice and misrepresen-
tation. This would not be so bad if
there were not so many facilities avail
able for the spread of poison. But.
with the Americans for Democratic
Action, the CIO, the AFI., the Demo-
cratic National Committee and
whole battalion of hostile columnists
and commentators there is no lack of
these.
The progress of this campaign-for
that is what it isis interesting to
note. When Mr.. Eisenhower first as
Sumed Office he was-and still is-too
popular with the people to be per-
sonally assailed with impunity. Hence,
the original strategy of the opposition
was to find goat. That was essential.
Right away, because of certain untact-
full utterances, they settled on Charles
E. Wilson, Secretary of Defense. For
while an intensive publicity drive by
the forces sketched above was made to
force him out of the cabinet. How
ever, Mr.. Wilson turned out to be not
man who can be forced and not
fitted for the role of goat. In a short
tlme he retrieved his early mistakes
and is now doing the kind of Job that
compelS admiration and esteem.
linen there began the inevitable un-
rest among farmers afflicted by the
drought and falling prices. Immediately
Ezra Benson, Secretary of Agriculture,
became the goat. The unrest among
the farmers was deliberately fomented,
and what Mr.. Benson said and did was
deliberately distorted and misrepre-
sented. AS one of the Southern Gov
ernors said few days ago, he was
plain lied about" Undoubtedly Mr..
Benson has had a tough time the last
lew weeks. but neither he nor President
Eisenhower has weakened under the
attack. Their farm program is being
worked out, will appear on schedule,
and upon it they will stand.
In brief, though the bricks continue
to fly, Mr.. Benson, as a goat, is likely
to become just as unpleasing and un-
profitable as Mr.: Wilson. So, at the
moment the search continues for
really satisfactory goat who will stand
still and take it. There are indications
that Sinclair Weeks, Secretary of Com
merce, has been chosen. The effort is
to portray Mr. Weeks as a vastly
wealthy reactionary businessman,
fixed foe of organized labor, a sinister
adviser to the President, intent upon
dominating the Labor Department as
we'll as his own. This, of course, is a
false picture, as everybody who knows
Mr.. Weeks knows.
X
True, he Is successful businessman,
but he is neither reactionary nor sinis-
ter. On the contrary, he is an enlight-
ened and progressive Republican, an
able and sincere patriot and undoubt-
edly the most competent Secretary Of
Commerce since the Office was occupied
by Herbert Hoover. Son of a. distin-
gu1Shed father who was both Senator
from Massachusetts, and Secretary Of
War, Mr., Weeks has a tradition of
public service behind him, was himself
asmember of the Senate and has had
plenty of experience in politics.
It is George Meany, now president Of
the AFL, but also at one time an asso-
clate and friend of labor boss Joe Fay,
the convicted eXtortioner, now in
prison, who makes the charge that Mr..
Weeks is trying to dominate the Labor
Department for the purpose of influ-
encing Taft-Hartley legislation Others
in Mr.. Meany's line will repeat the
charge, and have done so. Various COL
umnists and commentators have Joined
in. But it can't be made to stick be-
cause it is as silly as it is unfounded.
Also, Mr. Weeks is fully capable Of
handling the situation. He seems even
less like a tractable, -bleating goat
than Mr. Wilson. The one clear thing
about all this is that nothing General
Ike can do or say will please his oppo-
nents nor diminish their efforts to pull
him down. At the moment they are all
gleefully exulting over Republican de-
feats in by-elections, all of which are
explainable by what politicians know
as the local situation" and are not in
themselves significant, except for prop
aganda purposes. 1t is perhaps we'll to
remember that all the exultants were
anti-Ike last November.