Evening star., 1953-09-19
The Political Mill
Chicago Party Porleys
Reveal Issues for 1856
Democrats Will Stick to
FomiIior Compoien Attack
By Gould Lincoln

CHICAGO, Sept 19.-Opening guns
of the 1854 congressional campaign
rumbled and roared in Chicago during
the Democratic and Republican con-
ferences, staged for the purpose Of
arousing general interest in the i'm
portant contest and more particularly
intensifying the work of organization.
Out of the welter of words. charges
and countercharges emerged several
significant facts and trends. The Dem
'ccratic campaign will be built around
issues which have won for them fire.
quently during the past 20 years-and
which still look good to them, even
though they were defeated in 1852.
Big busineSS-this time in Government
will be one of them. The speeches
delivered by former President Truman.
Adlai Stevenson, the party standard
bearer, and Senator Douglas Of Illinois
bristled with charges that the Eisen-
hover administration and the Repub-
lican 83d Congress were giving away"
the country and all its resources to big
business, which the late President
Franklin D. Roosevelt Mr. Truman and
all the New Dealers and Fair Dealers
made the butt of their attacks.
Familiar Theme.
Mr.. Truman adopted another IA
miliar theme-the do-nothing Repub-
lican Congress. This line of attack
may be premature. however. A second
session of that body could accomplish
many of the things which Mr.. Truman
claimed had not been touched. Also,
the Democrats charged the Republicans
were denuding national defense in an
effort to balance the budget, cutting
down particularly the appropriations
for the Air Force And the cries that
went up about the American farmer
would have the people. and particularly
the farmers, believe that the bottom
was fast dropping out for the agricul-
turistS.
The Democrats had their first team
here-while the Republican meetings
were built around the Republican won-
ems organizations, and the Rocky
Mountain and Midwest Republican
State chairmen. Truman, Stevenson.
Sam Rayburn of Texas, Gov. Williams
of Michigan, Senators Symington OF
Missouri and Kefauver of Tennessee
and many other party leaders were
on tap. The Republicans mustered two
members of the cabinet, Secretary OF
the Interior Mckay and Postmaster
General Summerfield, Governors Strait
ton of Illinois and Kohler of Wisconsin.
Senator Dirksen of Illinois, chairman
of the Republican Senatorial Cam
paign Committee-but the partys great
drawing card. President Eisenhower.
was missing.
The Republicans, however, staged
good show, and literally hundreds OF
women from 18 States-around 1,200--
came to the party The Republican
leaders are not blind to the woman
vote 1t helped tremendously in the
election of Gen. Eisenhower, and they
will 90 all they can to hold on to that
vote for the congressional elections.
The Republican speakers took the
Democratic attacks in their stride.
They fired back. 1t is evident they will
campaign on the issues of economy and
saving to the taxpayers, on the soft
ness" of the Democrats toward the
Communists-the old Red issue-and
on cleaning up the washington mess"
They hope to be able to go to town on
a balanced budget and reduced taxes.
Their biggest claim, however, will re-
fleet the end of fighting in Korea and
a strong foreign policy. They are not
apologizing for big-business men in
important Government offices-rather
they are giving those gentlemen much
credit for efficient and economical ham
ding of the Government.
Harmony Came Easy.
The Democrats came here threatened
with another North-South row. In the
minority and out of Office, the Demo-
Gratis found it easier to attain harmony.
Both wings of the party want victory
in 1854 and 1856. So they were able
to postpone the sectional battle. This
may help them in the 1854 elections.
when they hope to win the few South
ern House seats which went to the
Republicans in the Eisenhower land
slide.
While there we're evidences of old
Republican feuding-the followers of
the late Senator Taft of Ohio. on one
side, and those of Gen. Eisenhower on
the other-the Republicans put on a
pretty good harmony show of their
own. An effort was made to enhance
this old division by the circulation Of
a petition among the women for the
adoption OF the BrlcKer CONSTITUTIONAL
amendment. providing that no interna-
tional treaties or agreements shall
vtiate any of the rights guaranteed
under the Constitution. The petition
was brought forward by Wisconsin,
Illinois and Ohio women. The Eisen-
hover administration has opposed the
Bricker amendment in its original form
but is willing to take it with amend
ments 1t is expected a compromise
will be worked out, so the row is
important only because it shows line
of cleavage between the Middle West
and coasts. This, however will scarcely
affect the congressional elections.
On the Democratic side, it looks like
another 1852 campaign-with both
Truman and Stevenson carrying the
ball, although Stevenson has been called
the No. Democrat of America by the
former President. Mr.. Truman is not
giving up, however, the grip he still has
on large segments of the party-and
apparently no one is going to shake him
loose.