Arizona sun., 1960-09-15
The
Peoples Voice

Dear Editor Some analysts have
concluded that the Republican
party has turned liberal, as evi-
denced by its platform and its
presidential nominee. There are
a few powerful, progressive Re-
publican leaders who had a lib
eralizing influence on the 1860
platform. The nominee did not
initiate the more progressive
!planks the platform contains,
though being a man with a pro-
found sense of expediency and
political astuteness, he accepted
them with a show of little reluc
tance. Mr.. Richard Nixon even
helped Governor Rockefeller in
duce a conservative Republican
platform committees to ainclude
some rather progressive planks.
which most committee members
agreed to only very reluctantly
The nominee-to-be realized that
unless the Republicans made a
show of progressivism their ticket
would doubtlessly lose New York
State and its large electoral
vote.
There's plenty of reason to
doubt that either the Republican
Party, per Sc, or it's presidential
candidate is genuinely progress
siVe! Mr.. Nixon's votes, both as
a member of the House and the
Senate, were uniformly quite con-
servative. His original, success
full campaign against the liberal
Jerry Voorhis for Congress was
both dirty and reactionary. If pos
sible, his campaign for the Sem
ate against the intelligent. pro-
gressive Helen Gahagan Douglass
was worse. Neither of his cam
paigns for the. vice-presidency
was characterized by the advo-
cacy of progressive ideas or pro-
posed liberal measures, Perhaps,
Mr.. Nixon's participation in thei
1854 and 1858 campaigns on bed
half of fellow-Republicans marked
the depths of his reactionaryiSm,
and his fondness for slander and
slime. All the propaganda about
he new Nixon" only covers his |
oasic conservatism and dirty |
campaign tactics with a quite |
transparent coat of whitewash.
If the delegates to the National
Convention reflected : the Senti-
nents of the rank and file Of
Republican voters, most Republic
cans are conservative. They clear
y wanted more conservative
platform than the one they got,
and approved it only because theyl
believed inclusion of some planks |
favored by Rockefeller would
serious party split in
Newt Moskn nStaba. Faapnbhcans rea-
lie = especially such shrewd
practical politicians as Nixon "a
hat there are more Democrats in
The US. than Republicans.
They know their ticket must
draw support from many nomi-
nal Democrats if the COP and
its presidential candidates have
a chance for victory Moreover,
hey know that staunchly-con-
servative Republican platform
would not appeal as much to most
Independents and half-heartedl
Democrats as ~amiddle-of-the- [
road document. For all these
reasons, the delegates accepted
and adopted a more liberal plat
'orm than a big majority of
hem really favored.
Even if the Republicans win in
November, the little current lib
,ral furry in the party will
quickly fade away after the in
of the pext president.
f the Democrats win, the exiting
lishment of the breath of Repub-
ican liberalism VIII be immed-
ate after the votes are counted.
The old COP elephant can not
change his black, reactiOnary
hide, even to a light, pastel, pink
,kin. s
Yours truly,
VIRGLE G.. WILHITE
Prof of Ec0nomicS