Evening star., 1961-06-04
INTERPRETIVE REPORT

rumors of primary fights from
young G. o. P. figures chal-
longing their party seniors.
Delegates from Connecticut,
Chicago, California and even
Arkansas told of worker-re-
cruitment programs successfully
launched.
There was little of this among
the Democrats, many of whose
organization sparkplugs of past
years have now moved out of
their home precincts into ad-
ministration jobs.
The timing Of the big fund
raising dinners was not en-
tirely happy from the view
point Of either party.
President Kennedy, speaking
on the eve of his European
trip, could not afford to divide
the country with a partisan at
tack on the Republican opposi-
ton, Similarly. the imminence
of the Summit talks prevented
former President Eisenhower
from criticizing the foreign
policy Of the Democratic ad-
miniStration - the area where
most Republicans believe their
opponents are most vulnerable.
Verbal Barbs
Nonetheless, Gen. Eisen-
hover did far better for his
party-as measured by the re-
Sponse in the Armory and the
resulting publicity than Mr..
Kennedy did for his.
Similarly, there was much
more fodder for the press in
the verbal barbs the new Re
publican National chairman,
Representative William E. Mil
Ter. aimed at the Democrats
than in the effort of Demo-
cratic National Chairman John
M. Bailey.
Finally, there was no single
moment Of emotion in the
Democratic gathering that
came close to matching the
cheers Thursday night for John
Tower, the first elected Repub-
lican Senator in the history of
Texas.
The Tower victory is the first
half Of what promises to be a
Republican one-two punch in
the 1961's two biggest elections.
The second half of the COM
bination is expected in New
Jersey in November, where
former Secretary Of Labor
James P. Mitchell rates a
strong favorite to end an eight
year Democratic hold on the
governorship.
Both the Tower win and the
expected Mitchell victory are
viewed by Republican leaders
as important preludes to the
1862 contests.
The upset in Texas is the
biggest break through SO far
achieved in the 10-year-old
Republican effort in the South.
Now there are hopes of picking
up as many as five House seats
in 1862 in Texas and Florida.
A major effort will be made to
topple Senator Johnston in
South Carolina, if he comes
through an expected primary
fight.
Hopeful Omen
The Mitchell victory, if it
materializeS, would be taken by
Republicans as hopeful omen
for the 1862 gubernatorial
fights in other big industrial
States like Connecticut, Penn
sylvania, Ohio. Michigan and
California, where Democrats
have held sway in recent years.
Mr.. Mitchell and Senator
elect Tower are an oddtp,
matched pair to symbolic Re-
publican hopes in 1861. The
former is more liberal than any
Republican Governor, except
perhaps Nelson Rockefeller. The
latter is more conservative than
any Republican Senator, ex-
cept perhaps Barry Goldwater.
This philosophical divergence
troubles G. o. P. leaders not a
bit. AS Chairman Miller re-
marked at his first press con-
ference, "the Democrats have
done rather we'll in the past by
running Jim Eastland in Miss
isSippi and Adam Clayton
Powell in New York"
What effect the victories of
these representatives Of the
Republican Left and Right
would have on the plans and
prospects Of the G. o. P.'s most
n ota Bile man-in-the-middle
former Vice President Nixon,
is one of the many unanswered
questions on the frightening
party horizon.
California Republicans visit
ing Washington this week made
it plain they want Mr.. Nixon
as their candidate for governor
in 1862. But they did not claim
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