Evening star., 1955-02-27
Democrats Held Guilty
Of Shabby Politics
Writer Insists Fucts Favor
Eisenhower Administration
By Fronk R. Kent


By Fronk R. Kent
Not infrequently the smartest of our
politicians outsmart themselves. There
are many examples of this. The most
recent seems to have been given by the
Democrats in and out of Congress in
the unrestrained violence and practical
unanimity with which they have
lined up against the so-called Dixon
Yates contract. Even now when there
is plain evidence that they have badly
overdone their attack. the Democratic
politicians still continue to kick this
issue around with unabated ferocity.
At the moment, prospects are that
the contract, with the Presidents un-
wavering support, viii be ratified by
the Congress and the loud threats OF
taking it to court" coming from the
more garrulouS of the demagogues
will not materialize. One reason for
this is that the opinion is practically
unanimous that the courts would COM
pletely uphold the legality of the con-
tract. This, however does not dimin-
ish the stream of demagogic oratory
still being looSed at the adminiStra-
ton on this subject. Nevertheless, it
is true that some of the more cautious
Democrats are beginning to realize
that the completeness with which
their so-called leaders have made this
a party question in the end is likely
to leave them in an untenable, not to
say ridiculous, position.
X
1t does seem that the facts have be-
gun to catch up with them. Most OF
the important newspapers in the coun-
try are supporting the Presidents
position and no f1rst-class economist.
outside the labor field. has taken
stand against him. Nor have the
Democrats supported their charges
that the contract is a sinister plot in
the interests of private power COM
panies; that it is evil in its conception,
economically unsound. wasteful of the
peoples money and worst of all,
diabolical plot to destroy the more
or less sacred Tennessee Valley
Authority.
No evidence that stands up under
scutiny to support any of these dread
full allegations has been presented.
Dull Gllc hIOilllC 1JllCl Ky
and the Securities Exchange Commits
sion have Endorsed it. The idea that
it will interfere with the Aces mill
tary work is regarded as utterly fam
tastic. Altogether. the Democrats are
playing a particularly shabby kind of
politics on this issue. Except for the
Democratic politicians particularly
those from TENNESSEE there would be
no controversy at all over this con-
tract and the notion that they can
keep it alive for years" is absurd.
For the predicament in which they
now find themselves they can thank
the recently retired Democratic chair
man, Stephen Mitchell, whose mis-
takes his successor, Chairman Paul
Butler, seems determined to continue.
Another untenable position the
House Democratic leadership has
taken and which seems entirely die
tated by politics is in their demand
for $40 income-taX reduction for
everybody at this session. The unbal-
anced state of the budget. the great
increase in defense expenditures and
the increasing size of our unprece-
dented national debt make any pro-
posal to lower taxes this year seem
indefensible and unsound. None but
the professional labor economists and
the Democratic, politicians advocate it,
Obviously, the purpose of the latter is
to head off the tax reduction which
the President hopes to make next
year To do this they are willing to
reduce Federal revenue this year by
several billion dollars, thus vastly
adding to fiscal difficulties not only
for this year but next.
The House already has put through
this $40 decrease. but it is exceedingly
unlikely to pass the Senate. Not only
will the administration oppose it, but
such powerful Democratic Senators
as Byrd of Virginia. George of Geor-
gia, and others already have declared
their opposition. In addition. there
seems little more public demand for
this $40 tax reduction than there is
popular hostility toward the Dixon
Yates proposal.
Soon or late, when the showdown
comes on these two issues the belief
is that the President personally will
lay the facts before the American
people. And when he does there will
be no convincing answer to him be-
cause the facts are all in his favor and
in both cases the causes he advocates
are clean and sound. 1t is no tribute
to the intelligence of the Democratic
leadership that it should have per-
mitted itself to get so far out on this
exceedingly precarious limb. They
can't possibly substantiate their posi-
ton either as to DiXon-Yates or tax
reduction Their contentious conSti-
tute the worst exhibition of demagog-
uery seen here for long time.