Evening star., 1953-08-22
The Political Min
Suppose Stevenson
Had Been Elected
Would. There Hove Been
A Truce? A Cut Budget?
By Gould Lincoln

Oy 0OuIu 6tHSOiH
If Adlai Stevenson had won last Mo-
vember, where would we be today?
The achievements of the Eisenhower
administration and the 83d Congress
Republican controlled - have been
enumerated and described to the Amer
lean people in recent weeks by the
President, by Speaker Martin, by Ma
Jority Leader Knowland and by House
Majority Leader Halleck They have
been minimized by Democratic leaders
generally-you might say, by profess
Sionals.
No one among the Democrats so far
has hazarded a description of what
might have happened to the people and
American economy had Adlai Stevenson
and Democratic Congress been elected
in November. 1882 Perhaps the DEM
ocratic presidential candidate of last
year will undertake something of that
kind when he makes his first presum-
ably political speech at the big Demo-
cratic turnout in Chicago the middle
OF next month, the first since his trip
around the world now completed.
The Republican statements have GOV.
cred pretty much the same ground.
That made by Senator Knowland-the
most recent-placeS the ending of fight
ing in Korea on acceptable truce terms
as major, if not the major, accom-
pllShment of the Republican President
and his administration. Alongside this.
knowland places these ACCOMPLISH
ments: Reversal of the 20-year trend
toward the Capitalization of power in
Washington, abolition of unnecessary
economic controls by Government. a
cut OF $13 billion from the Truman
1854 budget submitted to Congress lust
before the last Democratic President
went out OF Office. and the restoration
OF honesty in Government.
What of Korea?
Had Mr.. Stevenson been in the White
House since January 20 last instead of
Gen. Eisenhower, what might now be
the situation in Korea? For approxi-
mately two years before Eisenhower
TOOK over, the Democratic administra-
ton had gone along with the British
and French idea of a Stalemated war
IN Korea in order not to risk a third
WorId contlagration. At the same time.
IL mad sought a ceaSe-fire in Korea
without success. The Eisenhower ad-
mlnlstratlon made it clear, both to the
Chlnese and North Korean Communists
and to the British and the French that
tnls KIND OF thing had to stop.
Mr.. Stevenson, during his campaign.
urged the American people to have pa
tlence with the Far Eastern situation.
he criticized rather violently Gen.
Eisenhower, his Republican opponent.
1Cy n fINn IL,
campaign that, If elected, he (Eisen-
hoWer) would go Immediately to Korea
to see what could be done about ending
the war. He and former President
Truman charged that Eisenhower was
playing politics with the feelings of
the American parents and wives who
had sons and husbands on the firing
line in Korea. 1t does not look as
though Mr.. Stevenson would have been
as effective as Gen. Eisenhower in
dealing with the Korean problem. He
would in all probability have followed
the Truman -Acheson line-particularly
as it ran along with the British.
Had Mr.. Stevenson been elected, he
would have owed his election to the
New Dealers and Fair Dealers and to
Mr.. Truman. There would have been
no reversal of the trend toward bigger
and bigger Federal Government. and
the odds are considerable that Govern
ment economic controls, now lifted.
would still be in effect.
The Budget Cuts.
On the fiscal side of the picture, had
Stevenson been in the White House. it
is unbelievable that the Truman budget
would have been cut by $I3 billion
indeed, If it had been trimmed by So
billion it would have been a surprise,
1t is exceedingly doubtful tl.at Mr..
stevenson could have gotten away from
the tax and tax. spend and spend. and
elect and elect formula which for the
best part of a score of years was the
New Deal, Fair Deal creed. As for
cleaning out the mess in Washington.'
which means restoring integrity in
Government all down the line, Mr.. Ste
venSon. no matter how honest. would
have been handicapped. Early in the
1852 campaign, Mr.. Stevenson made
reference to the mess in Washington"
and he was promptly called by Mr..
truman. He said he didn't mean to
IMPLY there was mess in WaSnirgton.
but was merely quoting some one.
A Democratic victory, with Stevenson
at the head of a continuing Democratic
rule. would have assured a continuance
OF big government, and probably bigger
government. Indeed, had the DEM
ocratS carried the election. the interpre-
tatlon necessarily would have been that
the American people wanted Just that.
1t would also have indicated that the
people were not shocked by the cor
ruptlon discovered in high places in
the Government. And Mr.. Stevenson's
hands would have been tied by the
very people who put him IN Office.
The American people would in
all probability be committed to SPEND
ing at least $40 billion more for Gov
ernment than under the Eisenhower
administration and a Republican Con-
gress. Add that to the terrible financial
inheritance which Mr.. Truman left be-
hlnd him-an inheritance which in
cluded deficit for the fiscal year 1853
OF more than SO billion, unpaid bills
totaling $81 billion. and public debt
EA