Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-04-15
The Political Mill
Recession Would Aid
Douglas Illinois Race
Bender's Challenger in Ohio
Faces Tough, Uphill Fight

Bender's Challenger in Ohio
Faces Tough, Uphill Fight
By Gould Lincoln
The Pandora's box Of 1854 politics
was opened in Illinois Tuesday. Demo-
Gratis and Republicans nominated their
candidates for Senate and for the entire
House delegation. There were no up
sets.
The interest lay particularly in the
Republican choice for Senator and the
candidacy Of Representative Harold H.
Velde, chairman of the House IN
American Activities Committee. Joseph
T. Meek. head of the Illinois Associa-
ton of Retail Dealers, as was expected.
won the nomination for the Senate
over eight other candidates. In No
vember he will face Senator Paul H.
Douglas. Democrat. Senator Douglas
was renominated without opposition.
Mr.. Velde was renominated by an
almost 2-to-1 vote. despite the criticism
which was levelled against him because
he wanted to investigate Communist
inf1ltration of the clergy and his hur-
ried subpoena of former President Tru-
man to appear before his committee
in the Harry Dexter White case.
The Meek-Douglas contest is OF
great Importance and conceivably may
determine whether the Senate is to be
controlled by Democrats or Repub-
licans in the 84th Congress, which
opens next January. The Illinois Sem
ate seat is one on which the Republic
cans have turned longing eyes. Just
as earnestly. the Democrats are plac-
ing their hopes on Senator Douglas,
who has a good record in the Senate.
The race is well set, in view Of the
issues.
"Big Business" Issue.
Senator Douglas last year declared
that major issue in the 1854 cam
paign would be "big business" in Gov
eminent because of the number of i'm
portant businessmen President Eisen-
hover has placed in high Federal Of
flee (the quip in those days being that
the Eisenhower cabinet was made up
of eight millionaires and one plumb
err.
Mr.. Meek, as head of an organization
of $4,000 Illinois businessmen, seems an
ideal candidate to take the Eisenhower
side in such controversy with Senator
Douglas. More recently, Senator Doug
las has warned the country that a
recession of considerable extent was on
the horizon, under the Eisenhower re-
gime, and urged that something be done
about it. Here again, Mr.. Meek fits well
into the picture.
The senatorial election in Illinois
may well turn on the economic situation
next fall. If business stays good and en-
ployment is up, the Republicans. who
have hard working and efficient or
ganization, are likely to elect Mr.. Meek.
Certainly Senator Douglas, who has
been dubbed by his opponents as a
prophet Of gloom and doom. will suffer
if things go well in the world of bust
ness and employment.
On the other hand. real recession
could sink Mr.. Meek and elect Senator
Douglas. President Eisenhower, his Sec
rotary Of Commerce, Sinclair Weeks.
and his Secretary of Labor, James P.
Mitchell, all are discounting rumors and
prophecies of recession and hard times.
Mr.. Velde's denomination by big
lead discounts the idea that the Red
issue is either dead or on the wane. It's
an issue which two prominent Illinois
Democrats are helping to keep alive by
their frequent references to it-Adlai
Stevenson, the Democratic presidential
candidate in 1852, and Stephen A.
Mitchell, chairman of the Democratic
National Committee. It's an issue which
has done the Democrats little good in
the past.
Bender's Competition.
Illinois neighbor, Ohio, is being
treated to an unexpected and vitriolic
fight in the Republican senatorial pri-
mary campaign. It had been generally
expected that, having been given the
blessing of the Ohio Republican organi-
cation, Representative George Bender
would have clear sailing for nomina-
ton for the Senate seat made vacant by
the death of the late Senator Bob Taft.
now filled by Democratic Senator Burke
under appointment by Gov. Lausche.
But on January Is William Saxbe.
speaker of the Ohio Assembly, entered
the race, began attacking Mr.. Bender
personally and has kept it up ever since.
Mr.. Saxbe is a young man, a war vet
eran and since his entry into politics
few years ago, has fought his way to
leadership in the Ohio Legislature.
Ignores Saxbe.
Mr.. Bender, for his part, ignores Mr..
Saxbe and talks about issues. Whether
he will find it convenient to answer
some of the Saxbe attacks remains to
be seen. The Ohio primary election
takes place May 4, less than three
weeks away.
Obviously, Mr.. Saxbe has an uphill
fight. Mr.. Bender is a veteran, and
widely known IN the State. He has
been elected nine times Republican
chairman of Cuyahoga County, which
includes Cleveland; five times State
Senator and seven times a member of
the United States House of Representa-
tives.
Mr.. Bender puts it graphically: I'm
running to win, not for exercise. My
fight is against Senator Burke" An
ardent supporter of the late Senator
Taft in the latter's campaign for
presidential nomination, Mr.. Bender
worked hard for Gen. Eisenhower after
the general was nominated.
This Ohm Senate c0ntaSt liz another