Show I JJ GOP Tries to Face Facts Fads Changes Are Sure to Come ComeBy By BAUKHAGE N Newt New Analyst and Commentator vi WASHINGTON I I dont don't want to get into semantics but I have to o say something about the word conservative purely as a word if f I am going to discuss some of the undersurface terms in Washington Washing Washing- ton on recen recently It If it is fair tair to define deline a conservative ns as a person who has hns something to o conserve and I 1 think the American people are naturally conservative in n that sense when you take away that something Americans will join I I the he radicals radical or anybody else eke to win back what was taken away I The majority of the people dont don't want a free lunch They just want wanta a chance to earn enough to pay for their own lun lunch h. h But Butu t u if they can cant can't t get t lunch any other others s way they'll take it how and where they 1 can get it That is a alesson alesson I. I lesson which certain certain tam tain conservatives in the p poll o 1 1 1 tic i c a 1 Sj sense are learning I l slowly Last month Tom TomI D Dewey e ewe w e y re returned t urne d i I rJ j from his political grave to say at a IA t BAUKHAGE Republican Publican can Lincoln Day dinner that it if the he GOP tried to go back to the it t would become the deadest pigeon In the co country The burden of his theme was that the party was split wide apart and it had better get together together together to to- gether slough off ort one ono extreme element which wants to turn the clock back and the other out extremists who want to promise the Democrats He Be demanded demanded de do that the party stand for social progress U n under n fl d de e r a flourishing Ing system of private enterprise enterprise enterprise en en- where every human right Is expanded Those opposed opposed opposed op op- op- op posed to liberal and progressive progressive progressive sive policies should get out of ot the party Here again we run into semantics what is progressive what is liberal liberal for for that matter what is Sylvia To one an owl to another a nightingale To the pinks a liberal is a reactionary To the conservative a liberal is a red Dewey said that the Republican party or the party as as he sees it believes in unemployment Insurance insurance insurance ance old age assistance on an increased increased increased in in- creased basis in broader social security security security se se- se- se generally in slum clearance in Ln public development of our water resources in farm price supports in vigorous protection of the rights of labor And he seems to recognize that all of us Republicans included will have to take certain things for granted Certain social and political political cal changes which we may not like any more than our grandfathers liked a lot of new ideas they met with like the safety razor say The federal reserve board the income tax women's suffrage suffrage all all were once considered little less than the instruments of the devil himself by a lot of people who never think twice about them now What policy the federal reserve board follows is debatable by either political political political cal party but nobody would be fool enough to try to eliminate the board as an institution Both parties claim they invented it The size of ot the income tax and bow how its it's distributed is also a matter to be settled by the party In power but I cant can't quite see anybody trying to eliminate Income taxes entirely Other matters like the principles of government regulation of ot Interstate interstate interstate Inter inter- state commerce of ot old age and Insurance and dozens of ot other activities seem to be here for tor good If It I 1 am a Red for saying that you youcan youcan youcan can measure me for a suit of long underwear to match tuck me into I Ithe the shay one-hoss-shay and send me home A As a matter of fact I 1 am really pretty much of a moss Although Although Although Al Al- though Id I'd trade in my used airplane airplane airplane air air- plane for a rocket if it anybody has hasa a surrey with the fringe on top and andI I had a place to park it that's what Id I'd really prefer I II I mention of Taft latt Evokes Criticism One cant can't discuss the Republican party without mentioning Mr Taft And whenever I say anything good goodon on the air about Sen Robert A. A Taft I 1 get letters like the following from a man in Lakewood N NewYork New NewYork cw York I had in hi the same broadcast described a truck-driver truck who nearly ran over me I can cai can see a picture of you he be writes looking down your long nose at that truck driver and believe believe believe be be- lieve me mc I know just exactly how you felt towards him However I wonder which is the most dangerous dangerous dangerous dan dan- an idiot with a truck or an idiot with a vast radio audience You see I look down my long nose at you just as you did the thc truck driver and I have the advantage advantage advantage tage of having heard a few thousand thousand thousand thou thou- sand of your broadcasts Through this medium I have explored your brain and believe me I find no not much there Your speaking of the truck driver as well as Tafts Taft's intelligence in in- is a fair measure of your own own I I II I I This was my answer Dear Sir I nave have your letter saying Baying that you yon wonder vonder which Is the most dangerous the truck driver I referred to or an idiot with a vast radio audience and and also that you ou have heard beard me a few thousand times I am I glad to note we have so much In common My reference to Taft which so i infuriated the writer letter-writer was in connection with an implication that I Senator Taft IS the Republican I party in the Senate as it exists to to- I day This situation may change though there are no present indications indications indi indi- it will Taft rides the elephant elephant ele ele- dc- dc regardless of who happens to 0 play the calliope And paradoxically enough it will willbe willbe willbe be Senator Taft the strongest figure fig fig 1 ure in the senate Republican arch symbol of reaction to his enemies who probably will be a powerful factor in the enactment of more than one of the so called social service laws which are a vital part of the administration program Housing lousing and federal aid to education education tion ion are two measures which might be named And although the Taft- Taft Hartley act will have a new name the imprint of its senatorial sponsor will not be entirely eradicated from its structure when it comes out of the hopper Taft was able to drag out the labor bill hearings for two weeks longer than was originally planned and I would not be surprised if these lines appear in print before his led gently-led filibuster against the repeal repeal repeal re re- re- re peal is over or at least long over But that does not mean Taft or his party controls the senate As this was written a theory was abroad that the Republican strategy strategy strategy strat strat- egy had developed to the point where if the party would keep its young Turks in line the line the so so- called liberal Republican senators who tried and so dismally failed to curb Tafts Taft's power they power they could count counton on enough votes of the southern senators on most controversial is issues issues issues is- is sues unless these issues step on the toes of southern southern- tradition to wrest control from the Democrats In fact the expounders of this theory were only a little while ago pointing to defeat of the bill to exempt the tax on the Inauguration Inauguration inauguration as proof that the fate tate of ot the Democrats in iD the senate was a pretty dark one They explaIned explained ex ex- it was Vas symptomatic when 41 voted against the measure and found to their surprise and pleasure that they were able to get six Democrats to join them thus providing a majority and defeating defeating de do- the measure That made things look very sim sim- pie But there is another side to that story That vote backfired and hurt the Republicans m more o 0 r e than i it helped It did more than a little to create Democratic solidarity and the really deep on Capitol Capito Hill are predicting that the Democrats Democrats Democrats Demo Demo- are going to achieve enough unanimity from now on to maintain maintain main main- tam tain their majority on major issues There will wm be of course matters where members of both parties will desert because the issue involved in is such that the particular state or area from which the senator senator sen sen- ator comes has an interest which conflicts with the majority of his party There will be some Issues In which Democrats will join Republicans cans as well as vice versa And as asI asI I 1 said earlier there are s some me things that dont don't appear on the sur sur- face The burden of the attack against the Democrats whether you call eaU New Dealers Fair Dealers or Is that they seek seck government control of business Now I believe most Republican leaders have the brains to admi admit and if they haven't they can t 19 be defeated just as the liberal t and conservatives were beaten in England that the best way to ki kill government con control the control the rol-the the antithesis of free enterprise because it is government gov monopoly monopoly-is is to kill private ate monopoly The latter is a two edged sword against free tree enter enter- prise First private monopoly kills kill competition Second f if ItT opens th the way to government ownership Today the intelligent leaders o othe of the GOP have to admit what I 1 am sure they believe believe- at heart namely that they will have to let the federal feder al government do certain things fo for the people It if private enterprise cant can't or wont won't do those things Taft as well as the young Turks knows know that They aho alo know that private privat breed breeds state control |