Evening star., 1960-07-21

~AEeAAN 0oSSO
g. o. P. resolutions committee
But the question of how t,
aged ranks with civil rights,
labor and farm issues as the
TOUGHEST problems for drafters
of the platform to be submitted
to the convention next week.
ubcomm mittee members
frankly regard Vice President
Nixon as the No. ! observer of
their efforts. Representative
Laird of Wisconsin. platform
committee vice chairman and
head Of the farm subcommittee,
In. fact went beyond that. He
said Mr.. Nixon is lending a
hand on what the farm plank
should say. There were authori-
tative hints it would favor con-
tinued price supports but not
at 80 per cent of parity, as the
Democrats propose.
Warned on Civil Rights
The civil rights and labor
planks probably will not prove
troublesome. But Roy wilkins,
executive secretary of the Ma
tional Association for the Ad-
vancement of Colored People,
warned yesterday that the Re-
publicans will lose votes unless
they come up with a civil rights
section at least as strong as
the Democrats produced.
AFL-CIO President George
Meany. after giving his views,
indicated to reporters that he
did not expect Republicans to
write as progressive" a labor
plank as the Democrats. He
nevertheless seemed comforted
by a cordial reception here. He
hazarded a guess that the
COP. labor plank will turn
out to be somewhat farther to
the right of Senator Gold
water"
Practically every major re-
quest and recommendation by
spokesmen for more than 100
orgarizations-plus many per-
sons who represented simply
themselves - echoed testimony
taken two weeks earlier by the
Democratic platform COM
mittee.
Yet. the approach as well as
the atmosphere here has been
considerably different than in
Los Angeles. The Democrats
had their platform committee
hear all the witnesses. The new
Republican system of sub
committee sessions centers
greater attention on topics and
contributes to more concen-
tration and questioning.
The Chicago system" also
paves the way for greater pub
lie and political notice. The
resolutions committee goes in
to closed meetings tomorrow to
draft the platform. It then re-
portedly intends to disclose the
platform on the installment
plan, plank by plank.
Few Flare-Ups
There were few fare-ups or
sharp exchanges during the
platform sessions.
When members, including
resolutions committee chair
man Charles H. Percy, found
themselves in disagreement
with Mr.. Meany, for instance,
they did not prolong the argu-
ment. And Mr.. Meany, in re-
turn, assured them that his Or
ganization was not hard and
fast" and was eager to discuss
rather than deadlock.
IT can't complain" Mr..
Meany commented later. II
was treated very well. Things
around here have changed a lot
since 1852 when Harold Stassen
and I were the only ones who
testified on a labor plank"
A general impression that the
platform will closely fit the
views of Mr.. Nixon has not
discouraged a thorough airing
of conflicting opinions.
This was evident today when
one of the subcommittee began
to grapple with the old age
health care problem.
DR.. leonard w. Larson of
Bismarck, N. OAK, president
elect of the American Medical
Association, prefaced his pre-
pared statement by declaring
that the platform "asSuredly"
will contain an adequate plan
of that kind. But he warned