The chronicle., 1963-11-13
.S II WILSON En-Gt 11-12
For Wednesday PMS, Nov. 13
Washington Window
By LYLE c. WILSON

Dy ~ LIZ ~ VIk<JOlN
United Press International
There was time some years
ago when a no more unlikely
liberal Republican candidacy
for president could have been
imagined than that of a grand
son of John D. Rockefeller and
of Nelson w. Aldrich.
Gov. Nelson Aldrich Rookie
feller of New York was named
for his maternal grandfather.
the late Republican senator from
Rhode Island. You might saw
that the only announced candi-
date for the Republican presi-
dental nomination inherited his
political tradition. But YOU
would be more accurate to say
1t with qualifications.
The politics and policies of
the late Sen. Aldrich and those
OF his grandson. the governor.
are so utterly different as to
amaze that both bear the same
party label. Aldrich was a hard
shell Republican US. senator.
1881-1911.
The senator died in 1915, I'M
Shriven of a conservatism which
could not be matched among
present day political leaders.
The very oldtimerS will con-
meet the senator's name with the
1909 Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act.
Aldrich was an extreme protec-
zionist and it was that kind of
a bill.
Led To Defeat
The Dictionary of American
History relates:
The Payne-Aldrich tariff.
led to the decisive defeat of Re-
publicans in the congressional
elections of 1910"
1t was in protest against this
political trend and conservative
leadership that brought Theo-
dore Roosevelt in 1912 roaring
off the bench to create the Bull
Moose party and to run for
president.
That is Nelson Rockefeller's
political heritage, mater n a |
side, although the younger man
Is at least as far removed from
the political credo of his ma
ternal grandfather as from
the ruthless business practices
of his more famous grandfather
John D. the first. John D.
founded the family fortune.
The fame of John Dawson
Rockefeller rests now in the
popular mind on good works, on
faint mental images Of a very
old man giving dimes to little
children, on widely publicized
ulcers and a graham cracker
diet and on the most monumen-
tai distribution of all time of
private funds for the public
good.
Formed Lasting Image
The old mans gigantic phil
anthropieS and his folksy way
with small change combined to
create a lasting public image
under the auspices of one of the
greatest public relations men
of them all. This flack's name
was Ivy Lee and the socko ef-
feet of Lees public relations
counsel is proved that a Rock
efeller twice has been elected
to high public office and can
now aspire to the presidency.
That would not have seemed
possible so years ago and for
some time after that. 1t was in
January, 1908, that President
Theodore Roosevelt had some
thing to say about the business
tycoons of his time. TR said
it in a message to Congress.
Mark Sullivan describes it in
his book, "Our Times,'' as the
most sensationally provocative
utterance of TR's career.
The trust : busting President
denounced the aforesaid tycoons
as criminals of great wealth
and pledged himself to counter
their cunning. He scored what
he called the greed and
trickery of these representa-
tives Of wealth trickily accumu-
lated by corrupt men. TR did
not name his targets. Sullivan's
book however Identifies two of