Evening star., 1961-06-26
CONSERVATIVES
GoIdwoter the Idol
Of Young Rightists

Iof courage that will lift our
Nation out of the moral moraSs
in which it is wallowing."
! Hard Choices Outlined
The conservatives set forth
these either-or alternatives:
/. The American people must
choose between more Govern
ment welfare programs or the
preservation Of individual free
dom.
Q. They must choose between
a policy Of concession and COM
promise in the cold war or a
determination to defeat COM
munism, even at the risk of
atomic war.
Each choice. the conservative
argument runs. is essentially a
test Of national character. To
reject the easy first alternatives
land elect to test the power of
free men against the all en-
composing state will require
courage and personal sacrifice,
they say.
The conservatives version Of
the basic truth about domestic
policy was given to the conven-
ton by Senator Tower of Texas.
I'VE know" he said, that
we cannot expect cradle-to-
grave security without sacri-
ficing a sizable portion of our
liberty. Welfare Statism will
destroy the moral fiber of our
people"
Foreign Policy Stand
Their version of the basic
truth about foreign policy was
enunciated by Senator Gold
water: "Someday there is either
lgoing to be worldwide commu-
lnism or worldwide acceptance
of the fact that man is a free
child of God" Americas pur-
pose, he said, should not be to
end the cold war by making
concessions to appease commu-
nism but to win it, even If "it
might mean nuclear war"
Implicit in these either-or
positions is the view that any
political leader who rejects a
simple choice between alterna-
tives is guilty of hypocrisy.
When the conservatives lay this
charge against other Republi-
cans, many leaders of the
@. o. p. begin to worry.
Senator Goldwater always is
careful to direct his public as
saultS against the Democrats.
But his hackers among the
Young Republicans make it
plain they regard Gov. Nelson
A. Rockefeller Of New York as
a collectivist in @. o. p. garb
and they commonly described
former Vice President Nixon in
the same terms left-wing Dem
ocrats use: an opportunist, de-
void Of principle.
Fondness for Extremes
There had been so much talk
Of this kind among the dele
'I'gates that Mr.. Nixon felt
called upon to defend his 1860
campaign policies in a Mime
apolis press conference as
fright, responsible and best
politically" for the G. o. P.
A second factor some mod
crate Republican leaders find
disturbing about the young
conservatives is their fondness
for extreme positions on spe-
cific issues.
The conservatives wrote the
platform at the Young Re-
publican Convention, even
Though their choice for the
chairman was defeated.
Over the protests Of the mod
crates. they put in planks call
ing for an end to the mandatory
social security system, opposing
any kind Of Federal education
aid or health insurance and
Suggesting the United States
Ipull out of the United Nations
if Communist China is admit
ted: E
Whatever their apprehen-
sions about the dogmatism
shown by some of the youthful
conservatives, most Of the Re-
publican Party leaders in Min
neapolis regarded the conserv-
ative trend as a healthy thing.
They're thinking Is In the
right direction" one senior Re-
publican official said, "and as
they grow older. they'll be-
come more tolerant of the
compromises you have to make
in politics. h 40.
That's one thing they can't
prevent. you know. They will
grow Older"