Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-11-02
Pledges Of Compoign Purity
Melted to Mud in Four Days
BY Arthur Edison
Associated Press Stuff Writer

BY Arthur Edson
Assosiqfsd Press Stuff Writer s
On September IA the national
chairmen of both parties met
and solemnly pledged that this
would be q clean. l1o-name-call-
ing campaign.
Everything was to be as pure
as snow. No personal vilifica-
ton. no character defamation.
no scurrilous attacks. no malic-
ious or unfounded accusations.
no distorting or incorporating
the facts about any candidate.
Republican Leonard Hall
signed and said: ''It is an admir-
able pledge. It should be seri-
ously and earnestly supported.
II Am Proud to Conform"
Democrat Stephen Mitchell
signed and said: II am proud to
conform to 1t"
Well, that was seven long
weeks ago. and If there ever was
a completely forgotten pledge.
this appears to be it.
!. Since September II:
The President has been ac-
cused Of speaking "thoughtlessly
and carelessly" and thereby put
ting out standard Communist
propaganda"
His opponent In the presiden-
tial race two years ago has been
accused Of being ''hysterical.
scurrilous and vicious" and weak
in his attitude twoard Commun-
lists in Government. He also has
been described as one who OPP
crates on q ward heeler level"
The Vice President has been
called a slanderer. a liar and q
Snow White. He also is de-
scribed as a Mccarthy in a white
collar.
A cabinet officer in New Deal
days has been accused Of pos
sible perjury, of being blind in
the presence of bribery and Of
union busting.
And so on and on.
Serene-fOr 4 Days.
Put on your hip boots, and
Well see what happened after
the boys took the pledge.
Everything was fairly serene
for four days. Then it broke on
both fronts.
Adlai Stevenson, speaking in
indianapolis, was critical Of
words that had been used by
Gov. Thomas E. Dewey, by Sen
ator Jenner, Republican, Of In
diana and by Attorney General
Brownell who, Mr.. Stevenson
said, "impunged the very loyal
ty" of Harry S. Truman.
Then, without saying exactly
whom he had in mind, Mr.. Stew
enson berated those "dema-
gogues who rely on defamation,
deceit and double talk" to grab
power. jgs
Mr.. Hall promptly cried foul,
Mr.. Stevenson, he said, appar-
emily had tired )iof straddling
his pedestal" and had stepped
down to the ward heller level OF
the discredited Truman adj
ministration." raxtT u
On the same day, September
ID, in Huron, s. OAK, Nixon was
quoted, (inaccuratfly, as it turned
out) as saying the 81. o. P.s has
clicked the Communists out Of
Government not by the hundreds
buy by the thousands"
"Utter Falsehood.
|
Mr.. Mitchell, cried foul, IAN
utter falsehood," he said.
A play-back Of q tape record
ing showed Mr.. Nixon actually
had said:
Were kicking the Commu-
nists and fellow travellers and Sc
curity risks out of the Govern
ment, not by the hundreds but
by the thousands"
Informed of the exact wording
of what Mr.. Nixon had said, Mr.
Mitchell refused to back down
"Mr. Nixon is not being honest
with the American people," he
said. when Mr.. Nixon con-
glomerates Communists, fellow
travellers and security risks In
one group, he is playing a dis
honest game Of words to give q
false impression" T..
On October S MIR. Mitchell
described Mr.. Nixon as the
chief slanderer of the Demo.
cratic Party and the civil serv-
ice."
L