Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-12
HEADLINE PERSONALITY
Morton Is Shrewd
MiddIe-of- Rooder

The new chairman Of the
Republican National Commit
tee Is q Southern gentleman
with diplomatic experience. He
win need Il 10 hold together q
party that was battered In the
last election and which since
that black November day has
been further split between two
possible presidential candidates.
NO one is the least bit ner-
vous that the new party chief
tain. q one-time Assistant Sec
rotary Of State. win speak out
of turn as his opposite number.
Paul M. Butler. Of the Demo-
Gratis did. when he recently
stepped out Of his role Of stew
ard to rate the chances Of
various presidential possibilities.
Senator Thruston Ballard
Morton Is q personal friend Of
Vice President Nixon. whom he
has known since they were
fellow-members Of the House.
But the followers Of Gov. Mel
son A. Rockefeller Of New York
need have no fear that he will
upset their applicant. Senator
Morton just naturally treads
the middle Of the road. and he
is. moreover. known in the
laxative body where he now
sits as Q very quiet man.
Loyal 10 President
Far more significant than
his friendship with the Vice
President is his close relation
ship with the President. whom
he has supported to the hilt in
the field that matter most to
Mr.. Eisenhower. namely foreign
policy. He boasts Of a perfect"
record Of support for Mr.. Eisen-
hower's programs.
In the recent inter-famlly
squabble In the Senate over
who should be minority leader,
Senator Morton faithfully re-
fiected the philosophy Of the
leader Of his party. That is.
Senator Morton announced that
he would support the candidacy
Of his Kentucky colleague, SEN
ator Cooper, for the leadership,
but that he would vote for no
other.
The White House studiously
refrained from giving any aid
and comfort to the insurgents,
and Senator Morton certainly
did himself no harm by dis
playing loyalty to q brother
while evincing no real fire for
the cause itself.
Cool to Mccarthy
On one other crisis Of recent
years, the Senator expressed
the White House point OF view.
It was at the time that the late
Senator Joseph Mccarthy was
riding high with his charges OF
communism in the State De-
partment. AS Assistant Secre-
tary of State in charge OF con-
gressional relations, Mr.. Nor
ton spoke to the Amvets in
indianapolis in September. 1858.
He said:
There are, I know. some pa
triotic Americans who are so
disturbed by the menace OF
communism that they are be-
ginning to wonder whether or
not 1t would not be best to
chip of a little liberty here and
there to preserve the basic
fundamentals Of democracy. I
share their concern about COM
munism, but not their willing
ness to allow the chipping OF
any of our liberties. The fact
is that you cannot chip any
part of the structure of liberty
without beginning to destroy
the entire structure"
The administration deplored
McCarthyism but handled Sen
ator Mccarthy with kid gloves.
Few members of the executive
spoke out more boldly on the
thorny question.
Two Jobs at Issue
Certain conservatives who
opposed the naming Of Sena.
tor Morton may remember
that episode. They publicly
based their objections on the
charge that a Senator would
have not SUFFICIENT time and
energy to I'LL two exacting
posts.
But Senator Scott, Republic