Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-04

that their man would make o
better President. While the Presi-
dents announcement had an i'm
mediate unifying effect upon Re-
publicans, with all Republican
leaders rallying around their cham
pion with pledges Of support. Mr..
Stevenson and Senator Kefauver
began to take ever so polite jabs
at each other. With more than five
months remaining before the con-
vention, 1t was more than just
possible that this bit Of skirmish-
ing could develop into a major dis
unifying squabble as the weather
becomes warmer.
Democrats Formot
The basic formal Of the Demo-
cratic campaign became evident
almost as soon as the President
told the world that he would try
for q second term. Mr.. Buffers
Wednesday statement about
President "who is unable to be a
full-time Chief Executive" sounded
the keynote for the Democratic
chorus. Voters will be reminded in
coming months with monotonous
regularity that Mr.. Eisenhower
himself said less than six weeks
before announcing his decision
that ut would be idle to pretend"
that his health could be wholly
restored" The Democrats will
point to the Presidents age and
recall that no man has ever reached
70 in the White House. Despite
the Presidents claims. Democratic
campaigners will maintain that he
does not now and will never be
able to carry the full burden of
the presidency.
There will be other issues. OF
course. The Democrats will attack
--as the Republicans defend-the
farm situation, the state Of the Ma
tons military security, Republican
foreign policy, the administration
policies on public power and con-
servation. and the influence OF big
business" in Government.
These are the general issues sug-
gested to the Democrats, and there
seems to be nothing in the pre-con-
vention picture that is likely to
change the course of their CAM
paign. The Democrats have prom
Used a vigorous campaign. Senator
John Sparkman, their vice presi-
Dental nominee in 1852, said that
Democratic nominees will use TV
and radio extensively, but also will
make public appearances in every
section of the country-even INCLUDE
ing some automobile tours in order
Ito get the feel of local problems.
Eisenhower VS.. Toft?
A gentle hint of a possible Re-
publican convention fight came
from Senator Knowland. protege
of the late Senator Robert A. Taft
and now the leader of the right
wing forces. when Me complained
that from now on, the Taft fac
ton" would have to be allowed to
play more of the game on Mr..
Eisenhower's team. Senator Know
land said he regarded it as "ex-
tremely important to consolidate
the party" by concessions to the
Taft wing Of the Republican Party.
The implication was plain that his
followers would expect some sort
Of working agreement perhaps SINH
lar to the one arranged by the two
factions of the party in the 1852
meeting at Morningside- Heights,
N. Y. between the then newly
nominated Gen. Eisenhower and
Senator Taft.
If, by August, the Republican
Party is not SO solidly unified as
to preclude the possibility of a
convention floor fight, that bout
may well be a rematch of the forces
that participated in the 1852
Taft Eisenhower struggle.
All in all, the spring and summer
promises to be much kinder to
Republicans than to Democrats.
But many Republicans able to
remember 1948 and Thomas E.
Dewey could see real Nneaning in
Senator Knowland's warning
against overoptimism: Not a
thing" he said. can be taken for
granted"