Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-28
Eisenhower Popularity
Continues Undated
Writer Says People Approve
Presidents Progressive Views


It is interesting to note that despite
the extreme slenderness Of the Repub-
lican majority in the House and the
non existence Of Republican control of
the Senate. the present belief Of the
best informed and most objective
journalistic and political observers
here Is that as result Of the elections
next November-now hardly eight
months off-the Republicans win in
crease their majority in both branches.
This belief represents change
from that at the beginning of the year.
and the reason for the change can be
given in one word-Eisenhower Two
months ago there was q concerted
Democratic campaign on to picture
the President as timid, bewildered
man who was lost in the maze of
politics and under control Of sinister
big-buSineSS interests. Engineered by
Stephen Mitchell, who many have
come to regard as the smallest-bore
chairman the Democratic National
Committee ever had. and with the
raucouS cooperation of Walter Reu-
Their. the tough guy" among the labor
bosses. this view was promulgated far
and wide
Then Gen. Eisenhower took his case
to the country. He made a Nation
wide address to the American people
and delivered series of messages to
Congress so strong, sound and pro-
gressive as to win commentator in
every section and from members Of
both parties. The public reaction was
really great. It at once put an end to
ho nd cfr - %kn
ton. 1t at once showed he was on top
of his job. Since then there have been
practically no arrows slung at the
President. Naturally. his program is
being criticized and Attorney General
Brownell. Sherman Adams, Secretary
Sinclair Weeks. Secretary Ezra Benson
and others close to him in the cabinet
and out are being used as targets.
But seldom is q brick thrown person.
ally at the President.
None Of this means that Gen. Ike"
is going to get all of his program
through at this session. None Of it
means that he isn't going to have some
trouble in his own party that can't be
patched up. Nor does any Of it mean
that tough new problems will not arise
and some mistakes be made. What it
does mean is that Ike" has not lost
any OF his personal popularity in the
country since his election. AS many
perhaps more-people are with him
now as then. Certainly it means that
confidence in his complete integrity.
sincerity and ability is very high and
that the people generally want his pro-
gram enacted. Not all of it will go
through this session. but when next
summer Congress adjourns and the
President goes to the people pointing
out the reasons for failure and asking
them to give him Congress that will
support him. they will come pretty close
to doing exactly that.
OF course. the Eisenhower opposition
will keep blasting away, but its trouble
is that it has not yet found a really
effective form of attack or a target that
Will stand still. At the moment there
are rather wild howls that ike" has
lost the farmer vote" and that the
butter situation is being badly bungled.
Perhaps that is true, but there are a
considerable number of influential farm
leaders who believe the Benson program
is far better in the long run for the
farmer than the futile "giveaway" leg
islation under which he has been living.
Also there will be continued efforts to
scuttle the administration tax and
labor plans.
And as much as can will be made out
OF such incidents as the firing of Clar-
ence E. Manion as head of the Govern
ments Commission on Inter-Govern-
mental Relations. For week the anti
Eisenhower propagandists thought they
really had something there. But they
don't think so now. The idea of max
ing a martyr of DR.. Manion just did not
work out. Even with the help of a par
tlsan press panel the good doctor could
not make convincing his explanation
that his speeches all over the country
opposing the Presidents policies helped
the work of his commission. To sum
up despite the shakiness of Republican
control and the dire predictions of some
OF the prophets of gloom" things still
look bright on the Eisenhower horizon
always providing the world stays in a
reasonable state Of tranquility. About
that none can tell.