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The U.S. Congress Elections and
Mr. Taft
By D. G. M. Jackson
IN the American Congress elections, the main issues were
th^ "Fair Deal" programme of the Truman administration,
the foreign policy of Mr. Acheson, especially in
the Far East, and the defence preparations of the nation,
—revealed as shockingly inadequate in the light pf the
Korean war crisis, in spite of the huge sums expended
upon them in the five years since the end of the war.
The result has been an adverse one, so far as the President
and his Democratic supporters are concerned, and
a serious reverse to the aim of organized Labour. The
highlight of the campaign was in Ohio, where Robert
, A. Taft—the uncompromising "Mr. Republican" and author
of the Taft-Hartley legislation curbing the Trade
Unions—was opposed by a combined organization representing
CJ.O., A.F.L., the Railway Brotherhood and the
Mineworkers, which poured out a formidable -mass of propaganda
against him, including a scurrilous and abusive
"comic" of which a million copies were published. The
Democratic machine was also energetic in promoting the
candidature of "Jumping Joe Ferguson"—a courageous but
otherwise somewhat slight and unmeritable candidate with
a physiognomy recalling Joe E. Brown. The President's
special assistant launched Truman's own personal volley
from the White House—a statement that "Communist objectives
would have been furthered" if Congress had followed
the advice given by the famous conservative politician.
Taft had incurred the ill-will of Catholics by standing
for the "non-sectarian bus" against the provision of
Federal transport funds for the children going to their
schools: so that altogether the combine against him was
very formidable indeed. Political independents, and even
many Republicans, disliked his fierce attacks on the Government
in what is virtually war-time: and the changed
situation in Korea by election day seemed to favour the
Democratic cause.
"Mr. Republican"
A GAINST this formidable combination of forces, the
Republican champion has once again scored a resounding
victory^ which has enhanced his- prestige.* It was won
by a vigorous counter-attack, and by a long, sustained effort
of political campaigning which began more than a
year ago. Taft organized his own Republican workers, and
boldly appealed to labour in its own centres, as a defender
of the American economic system, which had given
American workers the world's highest standards. For the
rest, he visited, every corner of his State, and delivered
speeches in front of mere handfuls of a score or so men,
women and children in some country places; and he
appealed—not in vain—to the resentment felt by many
Ohioans at the intervention of Labour from outside the
State. One thing he did not—and never, has done—was
to adapt his uncompromising position to \fee mood of this
or that group of voters. His aim was not to cater to them,
but to convince them that he was right. On the other
side, the Democrat-Labour combine certainly "overdid
things." Some of the Senator's meetings wero- picketed:
Ferguson accused him of hoping secretly for an American ^
defeat in Korea as "a desperate chance for re-election."
His bouncing silliness and insignificance made it certain that
if Taft lost the election, it would be because people, had
voted against him, not for his opponent. They preferred
to vote for him, in large numbers: his campaign among
the fanners, whose indifference cost Dewey the State in
the Presidential election of '48, was not in vain. They had
stood by the Senator since his pre-war isolationist days,
and they did not desert him no^/.
The triumphant return of the great "reactionary" with
enhanced prestige was the most striking event in a "Rightward"
swing which has put an end to the personal control
exercised by Truman over Congress. Some of the
President's most notable supporters have been defeated—
including the Democratic leader of the Senate, Scott Lucas,
in Illinois, and Senator Tydings, of Maryland, who described
Senator McCarthys charges of Communist influ-
.^ficei in tfae State Department as "a fraud and a hoax."
While the Democrats still have a ininute majority in the
Senate,Vaiid a larger one in the House of, Representatives,
they depend on the support of the Conservative Democrats
(or "Dixiecrats") of the South, .who almost invariably
vote with the Republicans on . social issues, and have
little or nothing in common with the "Fair Deal" democrats
of the Roosevelt-Trumari school of thought.
Dewey Makes a "Comeback"
1 TAPPILY. the success gained by eminent "moderates"
* * like Dewey and Earl Warren may be expected to
modify the domination of Taft and the Ultras. The re-
turn of Dewey to active political life, from which he intended
to retire after his last failure as Presidential candidate,
was duetto the manoeuvres of the New York Democratic
machine. The "boss" of the Bronx, the clever Mr.
Flynn, is credited with having persuaded the President to
offer Mr. O'Dwyer, the Mayor of 'the city, the Ambassadorship
to Mexico, in order to pave the way for a mayoral
election. The calculation was that this would "bring out
the vote" in the city, which is overwhelmingly Democratic,
so as to sweep the party's candidate into the Governorship
at Albany, the State capital. Lehman would find it easier
to keep his Senate seat; and control of these two strategic
points would be useful in capturing New York's electoral
vot£ in the next presidential election year, 1952.
Things did not work out that way, however. The Republicans
heard the trumpet call of duty: Mr. Hanley, the
Lieutenant-Governor, stepped aside to e allow Dewey to
serve again: Dewey consented to do so in view of the
crisis: and the opposing party could find no ope of anything
like his mettle. Their candidate, Lynch, was a "Fair
Deal" regular man from the Bronx, but almost unknown
to the general public. The result was that Dewey scored
a higher poll than ever before in the Democratic city
electorates, and carried the State handsomely. Even in
the Mayoral election, the machine was defeated by an
independent, Impelliteri, who looks like proving a new
La Guardia. The Democrats denounced the banks as
Dewey's backers: Dewey, from a higher level, trained his
guns on the Administration's record in defence and foreign
policy. It remains to be seen whether this "come back"
portends a third try for the Presidency in '52. Despite
his previous failures, Dewey still appears to be the best
candidate in sight—with the possible exception of Stassen.
Despite Taft s increased prestige, it is not likely that the
Republicans will capture the "centre" elements, or secure
a Labour swing from their opponents, if they put the great
"reactionary" up for the highest magistracy.
"Reassuring" ^he Peking Gang
fN the years of Moscow-appeasement after the war, one
of the most common delusions nourished on our side
was that it was necessary to reassure the Russians about
our good-will towards them, and to convince them that
we had no designs on their security. The same line of
propaganda-nonsense 'is now being peddled in our press
as regards the Red gang in Peking. They have proclaimed
to the world that the Americans intend to extend their
"aggression" from Korea into Manchuria: and that it is
in order to forestall this action that they have intervened
in force in the Korean war. President Truman has .replied,
very correctly, that the Uniffed Nations' forces have
no intention of conducting hostilities in China; but are, in
fact, being attacked "from the safety of a privileged- sanctuary."
This is correct diplomatic form, of course; but
do not let us imagine that the Red leaders' complaints require
to. be treated as serious motives for their present
action, or that any "reassurances" by Acheson, or Truman,
or U.N. will have tfye least effect on Mao's policy.
It is time to abandon the pretence that anything is to be
gained by treating the Chinese Reds as though they were
really concerned with guarantees or "security in Asia."
m
ADVOCATE
Gestures based, on .this hollow assumption only serve.to
lull us tn' r delusions <about the kind of '-ganger , we are
really facing, and to Belay further the bold measures
which are necessary if the situation is to be saved. It is
no use to drift on any further under the influence of notions
about "containment" and a peace based on deUmiting
frontiers and arranging trade between the "two
worlds." While London and Washington hesitate and
the resources and morale of the West <are bled away in
answering;piecemeal attacks, Russia prepares.for a knock-
. out blow—not in ten or twenty years, But in 1952 or '53.
(At present, the Kremlin is most-anxious to, avoid bringing
. matters to a head for two or .three years: this is indicated
clearly enough in the manoeuvres of" Malik and Vyshinsky
in U.N. It is for this reason that the Western leaders
should aim at forcing issues before it is done on the. other
side, at a time chosen by our enemies." Meanwhile, they
should set about the difficult task of reaching the masses
of the East, and jhe Communist-controlled world, with
propaganda which tells the truth about the situation, and
K>ffers hope of the kind of deliverance its peoples understand
and desire.
Spain, Britain and Western
Defence
THE proposal to revoke the ban on diplomatic relations
with Spain, supported by the United States in U.N.,
was opposed only by the Soviet "bloc" of satellites and
Latin-American countries under anti-clerical regimes, like
Uruguay and Guatemala, and has happily passed. The attitude
of the British representative in the U.N. political
committee, however, reflects the fixed bigotry and unrealism
of the Socialist Government there on this question.
"Nothing," said he, "lias changed since 1946": and Britain,
accordingly, abstained from voting.
It is very clear that the mind of her present political
guides has not changed about Spain, and is unlikely to do
so. Many lessons have been imbibed in these last years—
about Germany, the Near East and the Far East: but here,
no truth has been learned, no lie forgotten. The leaders
of France, which also abstained, whether they see more
clearly or not, dare not admit realities any more than the
British. They have too much fear of the mass of opinion
corrupted by the most brilliantly successful campaign of
misrepresentation and falsehood which even the Communists
have conducted. Yet when, a short time ago, the
French rounded up aliens associated with the Red conspiracy
for security reasons, they found "that 60 per cent,
of these were Spanish exiles! In face of this, their authorities
stilj refuse to admit that what Franco accomplished in
1936-9 was not the destruction of a free democratic national
Republic, but the defeat of a Communist attempt to
transform Spain into a Soviet satellite, as has happened to
so many nations since our recent "war of liberties."
The Ameijcans hacked the resolution at Lake Success:
but they, made it clear, at the same time, that Spain.is not
to be brought into West European "defence plans (at least
openly) for the present. This is probably sound diplomacy,
as a means of counteracting rumours that the U.S.A.
intends to "write off" the defence of Europe in case of
war, and to fall back on Britain and the region south of
the Pyrenees. But the cold truth remains that France-and
Italy, cramped by internal Communism, will probably collapse
as soon as the Red armies march west. If there is
to be a defence of the Elbe frontier, it must be carried out
with the^aid of a rearmed West Germany in partnership
with Britain and America. The attitude of France in
standing aloof from Spain and fighting bitterly against the
strengthening of her German neighbour may be natural
in view of national experience: but in terms of tomorrow's
strategy, it is pure idiocy.
Religious Persecution Continuing
in Poland
'T'HE agreement signed between the Red satellite Government
of Poland and the Polish hierarchy never afforded
any real prospect'of a lasting solution to the Church-
Statfc problem in that country: so that it will not surprise
any informed observer that the struggle has flared up once
more. The Government's recent diatribes are based on the
failure of the Episcopate to set up a permanent Chilrch
organization in the recently annexed Western districts, in
place pf the present provisional pattern. Now that the
formal renunciation of these lands has been obtained from
the East-German Red satellites, the authorities are anxious
that they should be integrated with the rest of Poland as
soon as possible; but the Polish Bishops have declared—
as they are bound to do—that the creation of f permanent
new Church structure is outside their competence: it must
be done by the Vatican, with which the Warsaw "stooges"
will not have any dealings. This* is officially regarded as
sheltering behind the pretext: of formal considerations/'
and talqsn as a proof of disloyalty. ;
Far.piore'-fundamental issues, however, «are_^ .being "camouflaged"
by these fulminations about Western Poland. Early
in September, Archbishop Wyszyhski,, the ;Pri^ate£ and
Cardinal' Sapieha addressed a statement of grievances to
PresicbntBrerut. IS it, It was revealed that a ihiiltitude
of priests have been imprison^ without trial or sentenced
to pen&l servitude, whileiriany others are under surveililfice.
Mgre than 500 have been sacked from teaching
jiosts for refusal to sigtitheHed "Stockholm Peace Appeal,"
The training of new clergy is endangered by the
closing doyra of seminaries, and more than a' thousands
schools'have now been handed over, td the "Children^
Friends' Association," which excludes religious teaching in
the institutions under its control.
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