Evening star., 1960-01-19
6. .0.P,. States
Contest Over
CampaignPo Post
BY ROBERT X. WALSH
Star Stan Writer

By ROBERT X. WALSH
Star Stan Writer
A showdown on choosing q
Republican Congressional Cam
paign Committee chairman is
scheduled for Thursday with
contending factions conceding
only that the race will be close
Representative McCulloch OF
Ohio, serving as temporary
chairman since shortly before
the death of Representative
Simpson of Pennsylvania, has
strong backing of Republican
members who supported Rep
resentative Martin in the battle
for the House floor leadership
won by Representative Halleck
last year.
Miller Among Candidates
Representative Miller of New
York, is the most prominent of
at least a half-dozen other
House Republican members
mentioned as possible candi-
dates backed by the Halleck
forces. Most of them have
shown reluctance to seek the
Craftsmanship of the 35-mem-
ber committee that raises funds
and provides other assistance
for Republican candidates for
House seats.
They include Representative
Springer of Illinois, Wilson of
California, Ostertag Of New
York, Ford of Michigan and
Bates of Massachusetts,. The
last was mentioned today as
the latest compromise posi-
bility."
Mr.. Miller, serving his fifth
term in the House, is on the
Judiciary Committee. He is not
a member of the congressional
campaign committee, of which
Mr.. McCulloch has been the
senior of six regional vice pres
idents as well as legal counsel.
That, however, would not bar
him for election as chairman
or require the removal of the
present New York member, Mr..
OStertag.
Seek To Smooth Things
House Republican leaders in
general have made strenuous
efforts to avoid the appearance
Of an intra-party fight for the
Craftsmanship. Mr.. Halleck has
made no statement on the
matter or Endorsed anyone. He
and other leaders repeatedly
have been disturbed by the
prospect Of any revival Of
bitterness such as marked the
Martin -Halleck struggle last
year. or any open conflict be-
tween Republican groups from
Eastern and Midwestern States.
States such as New York.
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and
New Jersey carry great weight
because the campaign COM
mittee members can cast the
total number of Republican
votes In their respective State
delegations.
House members - including
some Democrats - have keen
interest in the situation and
look for signs and omens in
other G. o. P. House actions.
Some saw significance yester-
day in the assignment Of two
Pennsylvania Republicans, Rep
resentatives LAHORE and Curtin.
respectively. to vacancies in the
Ways and Means and the Com
merce committees. Both mem
bers generally are listed in the
Martin camp.
Criticism Of McCullOch
Opponents of Mr.. McCulloch
are saying he is too close" to
Representative Clarence Brown
of Ohio, a close political ally
Of the late Senator Robert A
Taft. On the other side, critics
of Mr.. Miller complain that in
recent years he occasionally
strayed from the Republican
reservation in voting against
Eisenh h wer administration
measures.
1t was recalled that Mr.. Miller
in 1856 moved to strike out the
enacting clause and thus kill a
House civil rights bill. His
motion was defeated and he
later was one of a handful of
Republicans who voted to COM
init or defeat the bill.
But in 1857 Mr.. Miller sup
ported the civil rights bill that
subsequently was enacted into
law. He also is on record as
favoring a strong civil rights
legislation this year. He ex-
planned in the House two years
ago that he opposed the admin
istration's bill in 1856 because
1t would have given some vast
and vague powers to the pro-
posed Civil Rights Commission
and the Attorney General.