Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-02-28
Senator Taft Is Big Help
To New Administration
He Effectively Met Attempt
By New Dealers to Confuse
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

BY New Dealers to Confuse
By Gould Lincoln
The Republicans have leader In the
Senate-Bob Taft Of Ohio. His like, for
inspiring confidence. for efficiency and
getting things done, has not been seen,
in the opinion of old-timers at the
Capitol, since Senator Nelson w.
Aldrich of Rhode Island was Senate
leader for the G. o. P. in days Of the
first ROOSEVELT. R. For two months
Senator Taft has sat in the hot seat
particularly hot because the political
division in the Senate is almost a
draw, with 48 Republicans, At Demo-
Gratis and Senator Wayne Morse Of
Oregon. Obviously a leader who did
not know where he was going and who
could not inspire confidence. would
have been in a mess long ago.
The Ohio Senator met quickly and
effectively a plot of New Deal Demo-
Gratis to throw the Senate into con-
fusion and a hot fight over the Senate
rules when the session opened the first
week in January. The expected crisis
did not materialize. He was able to
Straighten out, too, the strange mix-up
over the bill to extend the authority
OF the President to reorganize Govern
ment departments and agencies, with
the same powers granted former Presi-
dent Truman. And under his leader
ship the Senate acted promptly and
favorably on nominations of Secretary
of Defense Charles E. Wilson, his dep
uty and his Secretaries of Army. Navy
and Air Force-after they had Invested
themselves of stockholdings. In fact,
Leader Taft has saved the Eisenhower
administration from embarrassing Sit
uations on these and other occasions.
In Line With Character.
It's in the cards he may do so in
the future, should Senator Mccarthy
of Wisconsin, Republican. batter of the
State Department in the Truman adj
ministration, undertake to set himself
up as the dictator of loyalty qualifi-
cations in that or other departments
and not permit the Chief Executive to
handle these matters. Senator Nc
CarthyS present inquiry into the ham
ding of the Voice of America, how
ever, is considered warranted by Taft
and presumably by the administration.
The dire results-for the Eisenhower
administration and the President him.
self, which New Dealers and New Deal
commentators so wildly depicted be-
fore the new Congress met, should Sem
ator Taft become leader of the upper
house, seem not only far fetched buC
rather silly as of today. They would
not believe what Senator Taft himself
had said-that he intended to cooper
ate with President Eisenhower and to
do his best to make the first Repub-
lican administration in score of years
a success. His intentions and his &C
tions are both in line with the Taft
character, however.
If Mr.. Taft's ideas and plans work
out, the Congress will end it's first ses-
sion the first week in July. getting as
much accomplished as possible in that
period-and by possible, is meant much.
Congress could return to Washington
in October and 60 to work on items of
the program that might have failed in
the drive for July adjournment It
could also begin committee work on
the appropriation bills for the next
fiscal year-and so get jump on the
work of the session of Congress which
opens in January, 1854. This would
facilitate an early adjournment the
following summer, leaving members OF
Congress free to campaign for the
coming congressional elections.
The administration will need Taft
and his leadership in the Senate seri-
ously when the vital questions of ap-
preparations and taxes are up, when
the nlleSti0n IF q ho1anced hl1doet &c OF
stake, and when the wisdom of q cut
in taxes at the present session Is being
debated. He's a sound man and, like
Gen. Eisenhower, believes strongly in
the need of sound economical and
financial situation for the Government
and the country.
Congress Needs Data.
To permit the carrying out of such q
program as Taft emissions. the admin
istration must before long give the
congressional leaders its figures on ex-
penditures for the remainder Of the
fiscal year which ends June 80, and on
expenditures for the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1854. They must be on hand,
if Congress is to deal properly with the
big appropriation bills and not delay
them far into the summer months.
No, the idea that Taft and Eisen-
hover would be at each others Threats,
if the Ohio Senator became Republican
leader of the Senate, is not working
out. Republican Senators agree that
their new leader is doing a job-and
they look forward to his completing it.