Evening star., 1953-11-01
Administration Critics
Charged With 'Smeors'
Writer Says Purtisun Gibes
Are q Futile Performance


Writer Says Purtisun Gibes
Are q Futile Performance
By Fronk R. Kent
Recently, the press has been full Of
more or less poisonous political propa-
ganda from the leaders Of various
voting classes and groups In various
parts of the country. Most of this is
directed at the Eisenhower adminiStra-
ton. Certainly, 1t is true the anti
Eisenhower agents have been beating
the drums so fiercely that the undis-
corning easily could believe that every
thing had gone to pieces in Washing
ton, that the President and his aides
are wringing their hands in dismay.
There is not trace of truth in this
idea. Neither the President nor any
one close to him seems deeply dis
turbed-or even greatly annoyed-by
the uproar. Most Of them appear per-
fectly clear as to who and what are
behind it. They do not like the noise
but they are rather Serenely confident
that things will work out all right. The
basis of this serenity is the easily
demonstrated falSity of the charges.
sources: ID The Democratic National
Committee publicity department,
guided and directed by that compla-
cent partisan. Chairman Stephen
Mitchell; (2) the publicity bureaus Of
the two big voting groups - labor
unions and farmers-to which the
Democratic party has been wholly sub
servient for the last two decades. And,
still is.
So far as the farmers are concerned,
there is no doubt that they are sorely
afflicted by the drought and the falling
prices. But it Is utterly unreasonable
to blame Mr.. Eisenhower for the
drought and it is fully provable that
the falling prices occurred in the last
two years of the Truman administra-
tion-and are now "leveling off," The
Eisenhower farm program will not be
presented until Congress meets in
January and it will be the product of
the best agricultural brains in the
country. OF course, 1t will not please
everybody, but 1t is sure to have strong
farmer support and will demonstrate
the completely non-political sincerity
Of the President and his Secretary of
Agriculture
In brief, the exceedingly vocal critics
of administration farm policy do not
yet know what they have to criticize.
The farm organization which spon-
Sored the cattlemen who came to
Washington last week is recognized aS
the most radical and least influential
of all. More or less it adhereS to the
CIO and the so-called Americans for
Democratic Action, both Of which were
strongly anti Eisenhower last year. It's
Spekesmen vaguely bellyached about
the. troubles of the farmers, but were
entirely without concrete recommends
tions. In the meantime, the Demo-
Gratis and their collaborating colum-
niStS, in the hope that a vulnerable
spot has been found in the administra-
tion's armor continue to yelp for the
resignation of Mr. Benson. Theirs is q
futile performance.
AS for the labor bosses, supported
by their elaborate, expensive and effec-
tive publicity machines, they literally
exude threats all over the place. One
proclaims that unless Congress quickly
acts to repeal the Taft-Hartley Act, la
Dor will be compelled to start an
American labor party" Others as
sert that labor has lost all confidence in
President Eisenhower, who has formed
a government of millionaires and is
selling us out to the power trust, Wall
Street, ETC., etc. Still others say that
Ike" has broken his word, gone back
on his promises and is surrounded by
selfish and sinister persons.
4
All this may sound pretty awful
particularly as there comes no reply
from either Gen. Ike or his aides.
There is. these say, no sense in reply
ing to such stuff or to such people
and no way to do so anyhow. They
express amazement that the press
should so repetitiously accept these
labor propagandists at their own VAL
uation and treat seriously such at.
tacks.
1t has been urged that the some-
what lethargic (publicity wiSe) Re-
publican committee should take hold
OF these jeers and smearS and find
some way to answer them. That is its
joy, say the more sensitive Eisen-
hover men who fear that the constant
misrepresentation of labor's "liter-
ary platoonS" will mislead a lot of
Well-disposed persons. To that the an
sWer seems to be that in the last cam.
paign Mr.. Eisenhower had the full
power of the labor bosses arrayed
against him. They poured out anti
Eisenhower publicity, spent large
sums. OF money. used every ounce of
weight they had and were over
whelmingly defeated. With the post
election exposures Of corruption and
racketeering in the labor hierarchy
1T is ridiculous to believe their politi-
cal power has increased. The way
to treat these bombaStic and bel
hgerent threats is to refuse to be
either alarmed or annoyed. Certainly.
the threat of an American labor
party" is too absurd to discuss. For
one thing it could not really get
started. For another. If it should get
started, 1t would hurt the Democratic
Party, to which the labor bosses are
firmly attached. The suggestion is an
example of the hollowness of the labor
bluff
port Of Appraiser Lunt Of New York,
who had placed price on the feline's