Evening star., 1954-10-23
The Political Mil
Adroit Democrats Put
g. @. P. on Defensive
Nixon, Dirksen Amono
Few Tuking Offensive
By Gould Lincoln

~'SsSsVS
By Gould Lincoln
LOUISVILLE. KY, Oct. 23.--Across
the country, Republican candidates for
Congress have gradually been forced
to take the defensive rather than the
aggressive position, owing largely to the
adroit handling of two factors by the
Democrats-low farm prices and un-
employment.
Distress In the country is spotty.
Farmers. by and large, are not suffer-
ing-indeed, many of them are dong
we'll. Unemployment Is far less than
in New Deal years-after the New
Dealers had been in power for eight
years. There were million unemployed
in 1941-before this country entered
World War II, compared to million
plus today.
But with few exceptions. Republican
Party leaders in the States and many
Of the candidates are spending their
time answering Democratic attacks on
the Eisenhower administration. not at
tacking the Democrats. Two notable
exceptions are Vice. President NIXON
and Senator Dirksen of Illinois, chair
man of the Republican Senatorial
Campaign Committee.
Takes Stevenson's Text.
Taking as his text Adlai Stevenson's
comment that the Eisenhower admin
istration had produced 40 dreary
months" Senator Dirksen recounts the
terrible. dreary situations left by the
Democrats which the Republicans have
been forced tn clean IN
"Oh, Adlai, old boy" Dirksen COM
ments, "how right you are. 1t has
been dreary business, indicting Gov
ernment officials, appointed by the
Democrats. for the housing scandals.
It's been q dreary business cleaning
the Reds, the mink-coaters, the fellow
travellers, the subversives and the
homosexuals out of the Government"
Then he comments that. for the first
time in generation, the world Is
not at war and the blood Of American
GIs is not being spilled on foreign
soil.
Harry Truman" he continued,
Committed us to strife in Indo-China
but, thanks to the Eisenhower admin
istration, not a single CT lost his life
in the leprous jungles of Indo-China."
When the Democrats left Office, he
says, nothing had been done to settle
the dispute over Trieste between Italy
and Yugoslavia, and no peace had been
made in Austria and Germany. Now
there is hope of strengthening Ger
many and peace there, with 100000
American boys coming home. The Tri-
este dispute has been settled.
Nixon Follows Suit.
The Vice President talks in much
the same strain, carrying the fight to
the DemocratS-but too many Repub-
llcans all suffer from stage fright when
the Democrats talk about unemploy-
ment. farm prices and big business
in Government. There has been too
much decentralization on the Republic
can campaign front. President Eisen-
hower's more active campaigning may
put new courage into them.
Even in strongly Republican States
like Wyoming, Oregon, Ohio and Illi-
nois, the odds for the Republican SEN
atorial candidates have narrowed or
swung over to the Democratic SIDE.
Two veteran Democrats-Barkley in
Kentucky and O'Mahoney in Wyoming
seem almost certain to be returned
to the Senate. Mr.. Barkley has been
out OF the Senate for six years-as a
member. He served, of course, as
president of that body and presiding
officer for four years as "The Veep."
Mr.. O'Mahoney was defeated for re-
election to the Senate two years ago.
MI. Barkley is nearly n years old and
Mr.. OMahoney is close to TO- The Weep
is running against a really strong Re-
publican, Senator Cooper. But the Re-
publicans in Wyoming badly split, have
colorless candidate in a State where
they hoped to pick up a Democratic
seat.
Not High CaIiber.
In too many States Republican CAN
dldates do not measure up, nor have the
personal folloWings which their Demo-
cratic opponents possess. In California,
which not long ago seemed sure, the
Democratic candidate for the Senate.
Yorty. is moving up on Senator Kuchel.
the Republican incumbent. Senator
humphrey is making runaway race of
the senatorial contest in Minnesota, a
State which rallied strongly to Presi-
dent Eisenhower and which has been
predominantly Republican in recent
years. Bender, in Ohio. seems in serious
difficulty in his race against Democratic
Senator Burke.
Too much factionalism is exercising
itself in Republican ranks in many of
the States. The Old Guard, which never
seems to learn. also seems willing to
lose IN these elections, hoping out of the
Wreckage to gain control of the COP.
II indeed the elections on oroirs+ +hn
Republicans, then indeed the drive Of