Evening star., 1953-10-25
Politics


l. President spoke on the sub
ject of political campaigning last
week, and the soft crunch of pol
iticians' jaws dropping to the
pavement was heard throughout
the land.
He is deeply interested-the
President told his news conference
in 11hdt happens to the COM
plerton of the Senate and of the
House of Representatives., but he
does not intend to make OF the
presidency an agency to use in
partisan elections.
The President said he has the
conception that although elected
By only part OF the population, as
is euident, that anybody occupy7
ing this office is President OF all
the people. He has got the reSpon-
sibility of attempting to develop a
program that is enlightened and
progressive and for the benefit OF
all the people, and if the success
he has in getting assistance and
associates around him in his 1Dork-
ing Dith his Congress for an et-
tectiOe 1OGy, not just in an Gppar-
ent, you might sag, out-in front
1Ody, but in an efectiUe way so as
to secure the enactment of such
programs, then those people that
are supporting him, people of his
oDn party, people Uho are sup
porting that kind of program,
haze real umbrella under Which
to operate, and that is the best
thing. The President thinks he
can do both for, you might sag,
his party, because he is Working
for his country.
The President added that he has
no intention of going out and get
ting into partisan struggles in any
district or in any State, because
he knows that he, for one, in such
a State 1Dould resent that kind OF
intrusion from the President of
the United States.
Mainly what he is trying to do
is to establish record that so
nearly as possible a great over-
aUhelming majority OF Americans
approve of 1t, and then Ue wiU get
Somewhere.
THE italics above represent the
authorized paraphrase of the Pres
ident's news conference remarks,
as given out by the White House.
The import of this presidential
comment seemed Immediately
plain to several hundred agonized
Republican candidates who had
hoped to have the Eisenhower sup
port in next years congressional
and gubernatorial elections. The
official word was out, and the word
seemed to be: Head for the hills,
boys, you're on your own!
The Aides Version
BY next morning, of course,
anonymous but anXious-t -to-be-
quoted white House aides" were
buSily emphasizing to all reporters
who would listen that actually the
President didn't mean what he
said, after all. And after a hur-
ried call at the executive Office,
Republican National Chairman
Leonard Hall emerged to assure
reporters nervously that the Presi-
dent would certainly make gen
eral" speeches and maybe a tele-
vision appearance or two in sup
port Of the Republican Party. He
just wouldn't go into specific States
and give specific Endorsements to
specific candidates, Mr.. Hall ex-
planned.
In all the Republican dismay,
only one voice was raised in angry
approval of the Presidents state
ment. Said North Dakota's Sena-
tor Milton Young, one of the first
to call for the resignation of Sec
retary of Agriculture Benson:
President Eisenhower's decision
yesterday not to campaign in be-
half Of any members of Congress
will help the Republicans greatly
In the Midwest" Senator Young