Evening star., 1954-10-31
Resignation Suggestion
Considered Too Silly
Writer Slams British Proposal
Thot Eisenhower Step Down
By Fronk R. Kent

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By Fronk R. Kent
Assuming that the experts" and
poll takers are right in their predic-
tions and the Democrats gain control
Of both Senate and House, there are
two rather important ways in which
the elections on Tuesday will differ
from the off-year elections of 1946
when President Truman was in the
White House and the Democrats con-
trolled Congress.
The first is that the suggestion for
the resignation of the President in
favor of some hero Of the opposition
and winning party is made this time
before the votes are cast instead of
afterward. The second is that 1t comes
from British source instead of an
American source. which makes it a
little more offensive and quite q lot
more ridiculous. OF course, If the
aforesaid experts" and poll takers
turn out to be wrong and the Repub-
licans retain or enlarge their grip on
the legislative branch, then the British
suggestion which emanates from the
esteemed liberal paper. the Manches-
ter Guardian, becomes too silly to
waste time on.
In recent somewhat stuffy and
not too we'll informed editorial, the
Guardian asserts that If the Demo-
Gratis win, the only thing to prevent
the period of futility and Illustration
which Mr.. Eisenhower foresees is for
both him and Mr.. Nixon to resign.
Then, says the Guardian boldly, "the
Congress can declare Adlai Stevenson.
Senator Sparkman, Bing Crosby or
whomever 1t wants as President"
Perhaps the Guardian regards this
suggestion as witty and original. It
is, Of course, neither one. Actually,
it is an ill-informed and rather impu-
dent effort upon the part Of our Brit
ish friends to tell US how to run our
own business and to point out the
superiority Of their own methods.
The fact is that this situation which
the Guardian anticipates has occurred
some 27 times in the history of our
Nation. Exactly what Mr.. Eisenhower
forecasts period of Illustration and
futility-came to pass. But no one has
claimed that the Guardians supposedly
dent and Vice President resign would
have improved the situation, lessened
either the futility or illustration. Both
the late President Woodrow Wilson and
former President Herbert Hoover lost
control of Congress in the middle Of
their terms, but no one thought that
their designations would have been in
the interests of the country. Suggestions
that resignation SO as to bring the
Executive and the legislative branch
into party harmony were made, but the
practical political objections were so
clear that no one took them seriously.
4 The last time the suggestion was
: seriously made was on November T. the
day after the 1946 elections. Mr.. Tru-
man was in the White House and the
voters swept away from him all vestige
of party control, leaving him rather
pitiful looking figure. Senator j. Will
liam Fulbright, Democrat, from Arkan-
saS came out with the proposal that
for the good Of the country" and "for
himself" Mr.. Truman recognize that
the voters had rendered a verdict
against him and that the decent thing
for him to do was to resign. The Chi
cago Sun, strong New Deal paper
owned by Marshall Field, promptly in
dorsed the proposal. But no one else
did. Neither. Republicans nor Demo-
Gratis thought anything of it at all. No
political suggestion that fell fiatter can
be recalled. Mr.. Truman has yet to
comment on it. Nobody took it seriously.
Some time in December Senator Full
bright declared he intended to offer an
amendment to the Constitution imple-
menting his idea. Perhaps he did. No
one seems to recall. Anyhow. it did not
pass and nothing has been heard Of it
for years. In the meantime-1948-Mr
Truman was nominated and elected
President, which he certainly would not
have been had he acted on MIR. Full
bright's suggestion and resigned.
It seems strange the Manchester
Guardian. with its deep interest in
American politics, should not have
heard of this historic incident. In this
country we have no objection to Brit
ish comment or criticism of our poll
tics. In fact, we welcome it, How
ever, it would be pleasant If they could
get their facts little Straighter. AS
to their wit, we are rather hardened
and can stand good deal. The merry
quips Of the noble Adlai Stevenson
have for months filled our ears and
there are other little jokers in the
domestic field who constantly give of
with side splitters Nevertheless, the
British brand of humor which regards
it as hilarious to link Bing Crosby with
some of our most authentic statesmen
as presidential possibility seems a
pretty poor sample. Regardless of the
''futility and Illustration" should the
election go against the administration.
there will be no designations such as
the Guardian calls for. True, it would
make a bad situation, but such regis
nations are not the American way Of
handling it.
Maryland State Extension Service and