Evening star., 1953-07-30
The Political Min
6. 0. P. Hopes Nation
Will Like Ike in 1854
Purty Set for Another Ride
On Presidents CouttoiIs
BY Gould Lincoln

By Gould Lincoln
II Like Ike"-the slogan which her.
aided the greatest vote ever given q
candidate for President of the United
States-will be the Republican call to
battle in the congressional campaign
of 1854. The g. o. p. is likely to need
the spirit back of the slogan. When it
is recalled that Eisenhower carried 297
of the 435 congressional districts last
year, and 80 of the 48 States, while Re-
publican candidates for the House were
victorious in only 221 congressional dis
trictS, and sizeable number Of DEM
ocratic Senators were elected in States
which gave their electoral votes to the
President, it is easy to understand how
much the Eisenhower popularity could
mean next year to the candidates for
House and Senate.
Translating II Like Ike" into II Like
a Republican Congress" is the task
which revived Citizens for Eisenhower
is about to undertake. The plans for
this revival have been under considera-
tion for some time. Now with the
blessing of the White House and of the
Republican national organization the
drive is about to be undertaken.
Businessman Selected.
James L. Murphy, young San Fran
cisco businessman, it is announced.
will head up the organization. In
deed. he is expected to come to WASH
ington soon to set up headquarters.
The Citizens for Eisenhower Commit
tees will be independent Of the Re-
publican National Committee, and also
independent of the Republican sena-
torial and congressional campaign
committees. They will. however work
in close cooperation. Their job will
be to rally the millions of independ-
entS and Democrats who supported
Eisenhower for President and persuade
them to vote for Republican candi-
dates for Congress to uphold Presi-
dent Eisenhower's hands in the Sec
ond two years of his administration.
The argument. which will be ham,
mered home, is that the President
needs Republican Congress in order
to carry out his program, both legis-
lative and administrative. In a meas
ure, the movement is in answer to the
Democratic chant that if the voters
want to back up the President, they
had better elect Democrats to the
House and Senate-in view of the Re-
publican deSertions in Congress dur
ing the session now ending. Indeed,
the Democrats are prepared to go to
the country and point out the PreSi-
dent was abandoned by Republican
members on a number of issues that
came before CongreSs-some but not
all involving foreign policy-and that
the President was able to win only
by Democratic votes. All of which
is true. Nothing has been said about
it. but it is within the cards that some
OF the Republican recalcitrants may
be opposed, in primary elections for
House and Senate nominations, by can
didates who make support of Gen. Eli
Senhower an issue.
Running Scared"
It has been widely advertised that
the Republicans have hard fight on
their hands to retain control of Con-
gresS in the 1854 elections; indeed, the
Republicans already are running
scared" They are going to need all
the help, in many districts and in
some senatorial elections, they can
have. If Mr.. Murphy and the Citizens
for Eisenhower can really put across
the Eisenhower need for a Republican
Congress and bring many of the voters
to support Republican candidates, their
aid will be valuable. They may be able
to make voters understand that the
Democrats, If they win control of the
Congress, will start working on Gen.
Eisenhower, instead of for Gen. Eisen-
hover, in preparation for electing a
Democratic President in 1856.
In presidential term elections for
Congress, the party in power has almost
invariably lost seats in House and Sen
ate. Obviously if the Republicans lose
only few seats in 1854, the Democrats
will take over the Congress-and Gen.
Eisenhower will be very much at their
mercy.
If present plans are carried out,
Citizens for Eisenhower Committees will
be set up in practically all the States,
including those States of the South
which either went for Gen. Eisenhower
last year or gave him large popular
vote. Three Republicans were elected
to the House in Virginia and one in
North Carolina, largely on the Eisen-
hover coattailS. The sentiment for
Gen. Eisenhower in some of the South
ern States was amazing-and the Presi-
dent is still very popular there Whether
that sentiment can be so used as to
elect Republican Congressman is an
other thing, but the Citizens for Eisen-
hover intend to try it out. According
to reports, the White House has received
many letters from the old Citizens for
Eisenhower workers in many parts Of
the country, urging that the organiza-
ton be revived.