Evening star., 1954-08-05
The Political Mill
McC Corthy Issue Gets
More Buck-Pussinq
And Its Likely to Go On
For Some Months to Come
By Gould Lincoln !

Uy Souto Lincoln
President Eisenhower has admitted
the row over Senator Joe Mccarthy
viii affect the Republican Party. He
has also admitted that what affects the
Republican Party is his business
he is the head Of the party under the
American political system. He has not
attempted to say whether the Nc
Carthy controversy will injure the Re-
publican Party, but the inference is
there. Nor has he said what he intends
to do about it.
yesterday was he thought 1t would be
unbecoming for him to give any par
ticuiar opinion before the Senate makes
up its mind what it is going to do about
the move TO censure Senator Nc
Carthy. This isn't getting anywhere.
so far as preserving the q. o. p. from
injury is concerned. But the President,
as leader Of his party, is free to crack
down on any one he thinks is injuring
that party. whether he be Senator. a
Governor or party chairman. It looks
as though bit Of party discipline,
with the party's chief doing the dis
ciplining, is in order.
Smart Politics.
In the first placeS the Republicans
in the Senate, under the Knowland
resolution. have attempted to make
the whole attack on Mccarthy BIZ
partisan. with a committee of three
Democrats and three Republicans to
make the primary decision on censure
for the Wisconsin Senator. This may
a 1sx,k
the Senate Republicans are reluctant,
to say the least. about tackling Senator
Mccarthy and seeking to discipline
him. Indeed. quite number of Re-
publican Senators have come strongly
to his defense, which emphasizes the
split in the party over Senator Nc
Carthy. The Democrats. for their part.
are no more inclined to make Senator
Mccarthy a party issue than are the
Republicans. Twice their policy COM
mittee OF the Senate fatty declined to
make censure of the Wisconsin Sena-
tor a party issue and to rally all
Democrats against Senator Mccarthy.
Instead, the Democratic committee de-
cided to let each Senator be guided
by his conscience. Up to the present
therefore, 1t looks as though the re-
doubtable Joe was too hot a political
potato for the Senate Republicans.
the Senate Democrats, or the White
House to handle.
The Wisconsin Senator has irritated
lot OF people since he began his at
tack on Communists in Government a
few years ago. At first, it was the DEM
ocrats who roared with indignation.
After the Eisenhower administration
took over, Republicans began doing
their roaring, too. The consequence is, a
majority Of the Senate, if 1t could ex-
press itself quietly and without a rec
ord vote. would gladly censure Senator
Mccarthy. The majority of the SEN
ators think he has been unfair in con-
Quoting the work of the Senate Per.
manent Investigating Subcommittee.
They think he has set out to get all
the power he can grasp over the Gov
d ernment and over the individual citi.
zens' lives. Some go so far as to saw
ne is trying to set up a gestapo Of his
own.
3z" In Powerful Position.
The question Of his grabbing power
arose only after the Republicans took
over the Government In 1853. He is
able to grab power by reason of the
fact he Is chairman Of the Senate In
vestigating Subcommittee. A vote of
censure. even If the Senate could ever
be brought to the stream and made to
drink, would not be effective so long
as the Wisconsin Senator retains his
chairmanship, and his committee does
not restrain him effectively. Even with
the committee exerting its power to
see that hearings Of the committee
were fairly conducted, It would not re-
move the power Of the chairman to
launch his own attacks or to scatter
his fire.
Perhaps the new special committee
to investigate the charges against Sen
ator Mccarthy and consider censure
might grab little of its own and bring
in a report recommending that the
chairmanships Of the Senate Committee
on Government Operations, and of the
permanent Senate Investigating SUBJ
committee be taken away from Senator
Mccarthy, and that he be removed
from the committee. It's true that the
resolution creating the special commit
tee did not say anything about the re-
moval OF Senator Mccarthy from these
chairmanships and committees, but had
reference particularly to resolutions of
censure. But once the Senate had a
recommendation before it dealing with
Senator Mccarthy, 1t might do some
thing about it.
unless something drastic happens
soon. the buck-passing is likely to go on
for months.