Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-24
The Political Mill
Developing Campaign
Muy Be q Bitter One
Scundolous ToIk Has Started
Already, With 10 Weeks To Go
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

By Gould Lincoln
Ten weeks from today the American
voters go to the polls to determine
whether they approve the Eisenhower
administration and its program. If they
do, they will elect q new Congress ready
to give the President the support he
needs to complete that program.
Wrapped up in the election is the
political fate of ABS House members
and more than one-third the member
ship OF the Senate. with the personal
element entering more or less into each
contest. Generally speaking, however,
the Republican candidates must rest
their cases on the Eisenhower record
and the legislation which the President
was able to get through the Congress
now adjourned.
Democratic Pleas.
The Democrats hope to persuade the
voters to return them to power. They
will try to persuade the voters they
were better of under Democratic rule,
and to forget the scandals in Govern
ment and the heavy taxes and def
cit spending of the preceding Demo-
cratic administration. Already they
have sought to undermine the conf
dence of the people in Gen. Eisenhower
with clumsy charge there was some
thing crooked about the Presidents
order to the Atomic Energy Commission
to sign contract with the Dixon-Yates
syndicate for electric power to be de-
veloped in new steam plant located in
West Memphis, Ark. Democratic Ma
tional Chairman Stephen A. Mitchell,
trying to find something ScandalouS to
say about the Eisenhower administra-
ton, suggested that the President had
been influenced to issue this order be-
cause his friend, Bobby" Jones, was a
member of the board of one of the
companies involved in the syndicate.
Mr.. Mitchell learned quickly that the
American people do not believe that
either the President or Mr.. Jones, that
incompatible golfer of couple of de-
cades ago. would engage in a deal to
cheat them. So he has been backing
away, and seeking to amend his origi-
nal suggestion by claiming that the
Dixon-Yates contract is raw deal"
The reasons for the contract, however,
have been well stated by the Bureau
"a oAAS' DNA6Cgs AAlC AooACs OAlClCAOICp 10
really whether the Government should
itself build this steam power plant,
through the Tennessee Valley Authority,
or permit private industry to build it.
The Mitchell suggestion about Gen.
Eisenhower and Mr.. Jones has clouded
the issue and given the Republicans
a chance to shout smear" and mud
singing"
Bitter Campaign.
If this start is any indication Of the
character Of the coming campaign,
there will be plenty of bitter things
said on both sides. The Republicans
have already charged that the Demo-
Gratis. in desperate attempt to win
political advantage. are trying to talk
the country into depression. Certain
~ some OF the Democratic speakers, and
Go allies of the Democratic Party,
have been shouting from the house.
tops that continuance of Republican
control means depression-and some of
them insist that serious recession is
already under way.
For 20 years, almost, the Democrats
were able to hold control of the Federal
Government through this kind of talk
ana because they had the support of
a huge percentage of the labor vote,
the vote of the Negroes in Northern
and Western States, and of many indie
pendent voters. In the last four years.
however, this support has been greatly
leSsened so far as the Presidency is
concerned. 1t Is now to be demonstrated
whether the same trends extend to the
congressional elections. The Democrats
start with the vote of the Solid South"
as an ace in the hole. The question
arises, however, whether they can still
count on the Negro vote in such States
as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New
York where it sometimes holds the
balance of power.
The Democrats are telling the farm
ers the Republicans are running them
because Gen. Eisenhower was able to
get through Congress an amendment
OF the farm laws providing for flexible
price supports instead of the rigid 80
per cent supports in force since the
start of World War II. However. the
flexible system was supported by i'm
portant Democrats in Congress as we'll
as Republicans. In addition, Republic
can Senators and Representatives from
farm States voted for the rigid sup
ports-and so mitigated the issue so
far as they personally are concerned.