Evening star., 1953-02-01
Democratic Dinners
To Open Drive 10 Win
Back Congress in '54
By Gould Lincoln

0VulO Gtu$Oiu
Adlai Stevenson, former Illi-
l1oiS governor and the Demo-
cratic presidential candidate last
November, will be the big gun in
the campaign to elect a Demo-
cratic Congress in 1854, it was
disclosed last night by Demo-
cratic National Chairman Steph-
en- A. Mitchell.
Launching the campaign at
the first big Democratic rally
since the general election, Mr..
Mitchell told a Statewide con-
ference of the Democratic
Farmer-Labor Party in st.
Cloud, Mimi. that Mr.. Steven
son would speak at the New York
Jefferson-Jackson dinner Febru-
ary IA and at a similar dinner
for the Pacific States in Los An
geles February 26. At both din
ners MIR. StevenSon'S addresses
will be broadcast and televised
nationally. Listening parties"
will be organized in every State,
to hear Mr.. Stevenson, and sub
stantial funds will be expected
from these parties.
Many more of these party din
ners, including one in Washing
ton, are being set up. and it is
expected that Mr.. Stevenson'S
oratorical powers will be in de-
mand. The Democrats, Mr.. Nit
chell said, will rely particularly
on these dinners-some of which
will cost 500 a plate-to raise
party funds. Presumably, former
President Truman will be used
as a speaker also.
Describing himself as a "po-
litical evangelist" Mr.. Mitchell
said he planned to meet with
Democratic workers in all the
States.
THE morale of the Democratic
Party over the Nation" he said,
"is amazingly high. ! find little
defeatism anywhere-very little
moping over what is past. It
reminded me of William Lloyd
Garrison'S thought, We may be
personally defeated, but our prin-
cipals never!'"
However, Mr.. Mitchell added:
'I guess it's no secret that in
some parts of the country-and
let me make 1t clear I do not
include Minnesota-our party
organizations had become some
what eaSy-going over the last 20
years. In the last election we
were out-organized and out
worked by Republicans in many
places-as we'll as out-promised
by their candidates. You can't
do much about it, if they spend
more money and make more
promises. but we can only blame
ourselves if they work harder
and organize better"
Cites wilson Case.
Mr.. Mitchell asserted that the
Democrats, now in the minority
IN government, should stick to a
policy Of responsible opposi-
tion.' and a sample of the opera
ton Of this policy was illustrated 4
in the case of Charles E. Will
son, new Secretary of Defense in
the Eisenhower Cabinet.
There are plenty of reasons
to look carefully at the makeup
OF the Cabinet" he said. Look
who's represented in the key
ppointments-General Motors,
Chrysler. National City Bank,
Chase National Bank, Dillon,
Reed q Co., Quaker Oats, Texas
oil interests, the M. A. Hanna
Co. and the list grows every day."
He said that Democrats in the
Senate did not oppose confirm
alton Of the Cabinet "just be-
cause it was dominated by big
business"
After all. the people elected
a Republican President and these
men are his choices" Mitchell
said. "They are entitled to show
what they can do. But Demo-
cratic vigilance did bring out
IN the open that the Republicans
were blithely planning to ignore
the law of the land in the Wilson
appointment. And amazingly.
even when Mr.. Wilson learned
about the law against an office
holder doing business with his
own company, he contemptuously
termed the raising of the ques-
ton mere legaliSm'.
Our Democrats in the Senate