Evening star., 1954-05-23
Por q Mavericks
Americas Mccarthy, Britoints Bevon
Use Similar Manners and Methods

for modern English politics. Good
observers estimate that 1t cost the
Labor Party 80 seats. In other
words 'Nye" lost them the election.
Analyses Of Senator McCarthy's
last campaign indicate that he got
in on the Presidents coat-tails.
Shrewd campaigners next fall may
prefer to do without his help.
Both Have cloques
Mr.. Bevan. like Senator Mccarthy,
has succeeded in falsifying the voice
Of the people by insisting that the
voice of the people is the voice Of
"Nye." and by taking measures to in.
sure certain spurious resemblance.
Senator McCarthy's claque is we'll
known to everybody on the Hill and
to most writer's and radio commenta-
tors. Mr.. Bevan'S organized rooterS
have made it very difiicult for polit-
ical leaders to determine true pop
ular reaction. The most difficult
question to answer when q conStitu.
ency resolution comes in to Labor
headquarters is whether it really
represents popular thinking or
whether 1t is part of the Bevan ma
chimes continuing campaign to em-
barrass Mr.. Attlee.
There are, of course. differences
between the two demagogues. One
Is that Senator Mccarthy, so far, is
purely an "againster." Mr.. Bevan
has positive social philosophy and
some legislation to his credit. Not q
single act of Congress. however. car
ries Senator McCarthy's name.
Both men are out for power. but
Mr.. Bevan seeks it in order to put
his program into action. Senator
Mccarthy has no program, and in
this respect he differs from his dem.
agogic antecedent. Huey Long. Sen.
ator Longs "share-t wealth" pro-
gram, his "every-man-a-king" slogan
had powerful appeal in the middle Of
the depression.
He Is the Program
Senator Mccarthy has no pro-
gram but himself. His attack il
more dangerous because it is more
subtle. He strikes at the basic con-
stitutional separation of powers.
Senator Mccarthy and his follow
erS are repeating the struggle
Of the 17th-century English Parlia-
mentS which sought to make the
Stuart Kings ministers responsible
and anSwerable to Parliament
rather than to the monarch.
That, baSically, is what Senator
Mccarthy tried to do to the Army,
what he did to the Voice of Amer
lea. and to a considerable extent to
the State Department. He is a revo-
lutionary.
Mr.. Bevan is, too. but along eco
nomic rather than political lines.
The essential difference in socialist
philosophy between Mr.. Bevan on
the one side and Mr.. Attlee on the
other is one of pace. Mr.. Attlee's
concept is, that there must be q
period Of consolidation of the well
fare state, following Labor successes
so extensive that the party legis.
lated itself out Of a program. Mr..
Bevan challenges the theory of con-
solidation. If you stand still on re-
form, you lose, he says.
But his attack on his party's lead
erShip does not take the path of
logic, but Of demagoguery. He, like
Mccarthy, Is willing to hurt his
country to obtain power by recourse
to xenophobia. A worldwide power
like Britain can no more afford
xenophobia than can the American
world-power. Least of ali can either
afford to weaken his natural Anglo
Saxon ally. But neither Mr.. Bevan
nor Senator Mccarthy gives heed
to this.