Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-06-12
TIE PoIhieofMiH
TIE PolitieatMiH
Citizens Out to Elect
Congress for President
Eisenhower Buckers Aim
To Remedy 50 Oversight
By Gould Lincoln

The Citizens for Eisenhower Con.
greSsional Committee, dedicated to
electing Republican Congress to sup
port President Eisenhower and his
program during the second half Of the
Presidents present term, is not some
thing the Democrats can afford to
laugh OF. Nor Republicans hostile to
Ike and his program, either.
For two days the leaders Of this
organization, from all parts Of the
country, have been in conference here.
Most of them played their parts in the
1852 Eisenhower victory. And all Of
them are as fanatically devoted to Pres
ident Eisenhower as they were two
years ago. Belittled as amateurs" this
organization materially helped to roll
up tremendous majoritieS for Gen. Eli
Senhower. Unfortunately, the Citizens
for Eisenhower and Nixon did not give
much thought to the congressional
elections, or to the need for electing
good working majoritieS in the Senate
and House who would support the Pres.
ident. One result was that while Gen.
Eisenhower carried 297 congressional
districts, Republican candidates for the
House were elected only in 221. A huge
discrepancy.
Out to Win Congress.
The Citizens for Eisenhower today
are out to remedy all that Their job Is
to get Democrats and Independents to
vote for Congress which will back up
Gen. Eisenhower. and by putting
through the Presidents legislative pro-
gram, help % assure him a second term.
The enthusiasm Of the group is intense.
Organization is really getting under
way. BY the time the election campaign
is rolling, the Citizens will be hitting on
all cylinders in lot Of congressional
districts and States.
The kind of devotion which brings
q orn-and-bred Democrat to vote for
a Republican is something. Two out
standing examples of the Eisenhower
Democrats are John Roosevelt. young
est son of the late President, and James
l.. Murphy, national chairman of the
Citizens for Eisenhower Congressional
Committee. Both went down the line
for Gen. Eisenhower in 1852.
Mr.. Murphy is native Of Alabama.
All his family for years have been
Democrats. Just as John Roosevelt
found a great leader in Gen. Eisen-
hover. so did Jim Murphy. Mr.. Roose-
welt has no use for Democratic Party.
run by the ADA, and committed to
having the Federal Government do
everything but breathe for the average
American. No more has Mr.. Murphy.
who had his youthful training in Jeffer-
sonian democracy at the University Of
Virginia.
Wilson Plea Recalled.
How far President should go in
campaigning for and demanding the
election of Congress of his own party,
with safety. has been argued often by
practical politicians. Some of them
recall the stir kicked up by the per-
sonal appeal President Wilson made
for the election of a Democratic Con-
gress in 1918, just as World War was
drawing to a close. The country re-
sponded by electing Republican House
and Republican Senate.
There is. of course, no assurance
that had Mr.. Wilson kept his mouth
shut, the same Republican victory would
not have occurred. Up to date, Gen.
Eisenhower has made no such formal
appeal. He has said he believed that
If the Republicans control the Govern
ment, holding the presidency. they
should also control Congress, and so
be entirely responsible for administra-
ton and laws. That's sense. When
President Wilson lost in the congress
sional elections Of 1918, he soon found
that his plans for peace were under
attack. The League Of Nations Covenant
finally failed of Senate approval and
so did the Versailles Treaty.
When he made his appeal for q
Congress which would uphold him,
President Wilson declared that the most
serious and critical situation confronted
this country, a situation that would
not be duplicated lin our times" Yet
the situation which exists today, with
the Communist menace casting its
shadow over the whole world, might
well call from Gen. Eisenhower the
same kind Of plea for a Congress Of
his own party. Democrats would be out
ragged, just as were the Republicans in
1918 by the Wilson plea.
With the Citizens for Eisenhower
rushing into the battle to get the Presi.
dent Republican Congress, it is prob
ably just as well for the President to
go ahead campaigning for his program.
Congress is giving him large part of
that program. The Citizens for Eisen-
hover helped get the votes of millions
Of women for the President two years
ago. They are planning to do the
same this year.