The Sidney herald., 1957-05-30

Helena President Eisenhow
er's popularity in Montana re-
mains substantial, but at thi
writing / do not believe the ma,
jority of the people of the stat,
are willing to 60 all the wa,
with his current budget requests
What the president is up agains
is the growing demand from
squeezed taxpayers that govern.
mental costs be cut.
Inquiries l had occasion tc
make a few weeks ago for News.
week magazine indicated that the
people of Montana are saving ir
effect: "We still like YOU. Ike
but we are not going to give yor
all the money you want" A mar
prominent in Montana Democratic
party affairs put it stronger
when he said the majority of the
voters in the state still like Ike
even though they are far from
being in general accord with
many things in his program.
Distinguishing between Presi-
dent Eisenhower as the leader of
the Republican party and his ad-
ministration's policies, there is
much to suggest that the Demo-
Gratis, more so than the Republi-
cans, are supporting the Eisen-
hover program. Perhaps this is
merely political contradiction
- or maybe just plain politics.
Probably few Montanans. or
citizens of the nation as a whole,
disagree with the presidents OBJ
jective of bolstering friendly or
presumably friendly nations to
prevent their coming under COM
munist domination, but it seems
to me that there is a rather def
mite distrust of the reliability
or sincerity of some of the gov
ernments the United States is
dealing with in this regard.
Things are far different now,
but Georeg WaShington's warning
against foreign entanglements re-
mains more deeply rooted in the
American mind than some of to-
days political leaders appear to
realize. Americas involvements
the last 40 years have not been
in general reassuring experience
- an experience which undoubt-
edly influences many of our cit
izens today.
Woodrow Wilson, one of our
greatest presidents, and surely
one of the noblest idealists of all
history failed in his appeal to
the country to persuade the SEN
ate to ratify American participa-
ton in the League of Nations.
Perhaps he was proposing an idea
which the people of the United
Etates were not yet prepared to
accept. More likely, it was the
traditional suspicion of foreign
entanglements that frustrated his
hope.
l remember President Wilson's |
speech in Helena on the i'll fated |
tour on which he tried in vain
to sell the American public on
the League of Nations. AS the
president and as an Individual he |
received the genuine acclaim of |
an audience that packed the Mar
low theater, but his scholarly ar
gument failed to arouse the en-
thusiasm and support that Frank
lin D. Roosevelt could have a.
reused in the same circumstances.
So far as am in position to
fathom Montana opinion, it ap-
pears there is a strong feeling
that American financial assistance
to other nations has been a dis
experience. l believe
this, as much as anything else,
IS really what is back of the re-
Iuctance to give President Eisen-
hover the full amount of funds
ne is asking for what he terms
he mutual security program, ev-
IN where there is no dissent
rom the presidents objectives of
promoting world peace.
1t would seem, however, that
n general the opposition to
iberality to foreign
countries on the present scale is
primarily by the feel
ng that holding the line against
urther increase in federal spend
ng has become essential to ma
ional survival.
This rebellion incipient if
Iot already actual against the
ising tide of governmental costs
s reflected in taxes is mani
estation which politicians hard
Y dare ignore. The inconsistency