Evening star., 1954-08-01
Flanders Resolution
Hos Senate on Spot
But Writer Says Sentiment
Still Fovors Mccarthy
By 'Fronk R. Kent

Still Fuyors Mccarthy
By'Fronk R. Kent
Whether the committee which con.
Quoted the long televised hearing In
the Schine-Stevens controversy ever
makes its report now seems unim-
made two weeks ago when Roy Cohn.
general counsel Of the committee,
right-hand man Of Senator Mccarthy
and one Of the principals In the Army
Mccarthy fight. resigned d-aild his res-
ignation was accepted by Senator Nc
Carthy.
It is perfectly clear that Mr.. Cohn's
resignation was rendered because If he
had waited another week he would
have been fired. OF committee Of
seven, three Democrats - Symington,
Jackson and McClellan--were against
him from the start. Senator Potter,
Republican, Of Michigan swups over
to the Democrats as q result of the
testimony. This formed q majority.
Fully aware OF this, Mr.. Cohn, who, Of
course. acted with the knowledge and
consent of Senator Mccarthy, resigned
before the committee could act. Thus
he got the break on publicity. He was
able to announce his resignation along
with statement Of what noble and
unSelflsh fellow he is and how vilely he
had been treated by those who op.
posed Senator Mccarthy and who
were not really interested in getting
the Communists out of the Govern
ment.
Also. Senator Mccarthy was able, in
accepting the Cohn resignation. to ex-
plain how great were his services to
the country and how impossible 1t
would be to replace this devoted young
man. Yet every one knows that. had
the committee met. the first thing 1t
would have done would have been to
kick MIR. Cohn out. And also with him
Don Surine. when Mr.. Mccarthy an
nounced he has transferred from the
committees payroll to his own.
Exactly what this transfer means
remains to be seen. No one seems
quite to know what Mr.. McCarthy's
personal payroll is and how 1t Is nour-
ished and maintained. Perhaps more
light will be thrown on this later on.
What now seems clear is that Roy
Cohn, closer to Mr.. Mccarthy than
any one else. has been forced out of
his job on the committee staff--and
that Mr.. Mccarthy has saved another
staff member by device which 1t
cannot be recalled was used before.
The Cohn resignation and the Surine
transfer clearly indicate what the re-
port Of the committee would have been
had 1T made one. There have as vet
been no comparable designations or
transfers in the Department Of the
Army, and while Senator Potter is said
to be urging the resignation of John G.
Adams, the Army's counsel, Mr.. Stevens
seems secure in his secretaryship. At
least the committee Is not likely to
recommend his retirement. The only
possible deduction from these facts is
that the sole result of the long and
violent hearing is rebuke of Senator
Mccarthy by his own committee and
the enforced ousting of two of his prin-
cipal advocates and friends. In face Of
these facts. there seems no need for q
committee report. The verdict so far
as the committee is concerned has
been rendered. It is anti-McC Carthy,
anti-Cohn and anti-Schine. It is clear
ly ,pro-Army. Few will dispute that
the great bulk of the people are in
accord with that verdict.
But this is not quite the end Of SEN
ator McCarthy's trouble at this ses-
sion. 1t is all very well to refer to
Senator Flanders Of Vermont as IAN
old trouble maker" and it is true that
he is far from being the brightest man
in the Senate. Nevertheless, his reso-
luton condemning Senator Mccarthy
and his methods, together with his
blunt anti-McC Carthy speeches, have
certainly put the Senate on the spot.
For some weeks the best minds in the
Senate have been concentrating upon
finding way to sidetrack roll-call
vote.
Burying 1t is made little difficult by
the raucous support of the CIO and
the ADA. Moreover, little over one
third of the Senate membership comes
up for election in November and, while
the verdict of the Mccarthy committee
unquestionably is anti ti-McCarthy, there
Is sufficient pro-McCarthy sentiment
left in the country to make both DEM
ocrats and Republicans, UP for re-elec-
ton. reluctant to array that sentiment
against them.
If this were not an election year. the
chances are that. despite Republican
leader Knowland's opposition. the SEN
ate would adopt the Flanders resolu-
tion. But few can tell anything about
the Senate in an election year. A
+ significant fact is that the Eisenhower
administration has refused to take sides
on the resolution. This is equivalent to
saying that it win not be distressed at
its passage.