Evening star., 1953-07-31

Senator aLeader In National Politics Years
Ohoon Thworted -Four Times
Observation-Disclosures
Career Marked by Honesty, BriIIionce
And Capacity for Lot Of Hard Work
By Allen Drury

d4J was
born to politics, and with the
exception of his unsuccessful at
tempts to win the presidency
few Republicans ever played the
game more Skillfully.
For nearly Is years he was a
principal power in the Senate,
successfully guiding a G.OP.-
Southern Democratic coalition
which hampered President
Roosevelt, blocked President
Truman and gave President Eli
senhower a needed lift over the
rough spots in the early months
of his administration. It was
leadership grounded upon his
colleagues faith in his honesty.
plus an intellectual brilliance
and a capacity for sheer hard
work which made other legisla-
tors turn to him automatically
for advice on major legislation
What does Bob think about
it?" was a paramount question
on the Hill. And what Bob
thought was what the Senate
found itself going along with,
far more often than not.
Outwardly, the personality
which inspire& so much loyalty
and exercised so much leadership
and drew so much violent
criticism pro and con was
positive. dogmatic, humorless.
bruSque and abrupt. Some even
said it was arrogant, for the
Senator did not suffer fools
gladly. He simply dismissed
them with the impersonal impa-
tience of a man satisfied in his
own mind that he knew the
answers.
Warm in Public Life.
In private. among those who
saw him frequently, the person
ality emerged for what it really
was - friendly, good-natured,
eaSy-going. thoroughly decent,
inclined to be retiring, even
somewhat shy. The man who
appeared on the golf course in
an old pair of pants and a floppy
white hat, or who posed with
flock of grandchildren at the
family's summer home at Muir
ray Bay, Canada, or who was
seen escorting Mrs. Taft in her
wheelchair with loving care
this was far from the prickly
character speaking his piece on
the Senate floor.
It was possible to become very
fond Of Bob Taft. Many people
did. among them the great ma
jority Of his frequently bested
opponents in Congress. He was
forgiven much because he gave
much.
Not Known for Silence.
That the public saw princi-
pally the schoolmaster side, and
that it consequently never quite
gave him the about loyalty
which might have put him in
the White House, was perhaps
inevitable. The Senator usually
said what he thought when he
happened to think it. and in
escapably this gave to the coun-
try and the world an impression
of machine-gun statements rat
tatting out of the Capitol on any
and all subjects, on any and all
occasions. Frequently these
initial rat-a-tats we're followed
by second-thought rat-a-tats
which contradicted the orig
inalS. An atmosphere of con-
tInual sputter seemed to sur
round him. Along with the in
sidious slogan, Taft can't win."
this was enough-when ShreWd-
ly employed by Gov. Dewey and
other opponents within his own
party-to prevent his nomina-
ton for the presidency four
times.
For all of that, however. the
Senator became and remained
"Mr. Republican" in the public
prints and the public mind.
When Democratic Presidents sat
in the White House this was
tribute to his role as the major
Republican in Government.
When a Republican sat in the
White House it was indication
that millions still considered
him the actual leader of the
party.
Certainly no other Republi-
can seemed to sum up so COM
pletely in himself that combi-
nation of determined conserva-
tism broken by occasional flashes
of uneasy liberalism which the
term Republican" connoteS to
many Americans.
Too Liberal for Some.
Of the conservatism, there
were a thousand examples; of
the liberalism, not quite so many.
Yet these few were sufficient to
make him too liberal for some
Republicans. During the war
years, and sporadically there
after, he introduced and sup
ported bills to give more Fed
eral aid to schools, hospitals and
public housing. In a way which
was uniquely Taftian, he had
habit of jumping on proposals
tor social betterment with both
feet, only to back away. take
second look and then come up
with some individualistic amend
ment of his own which favored
The general objective while i'm
posing the constitutional safe
guards he deemed imperative for
the country's welfare.
And so it was that the Senator
often managed to satisfy neither
the liberals, who resented his
interference with their some
times grandioSe schemes, nor the
conservatives, who were aghast
to find his initial opposition
giving way to a modified and
grudging support which they re-