SETBACK FOR McCarthy

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27499, 5 November 1954, Page 13

SETBACK FOR McCarthy

Both Supporters Beaten

<Rec. 10.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, Nov. 3. Two supporters- of Senator Joseph McCarthy (Republican, Wisconsin) were defeated in the Congressional elections. In Wisconsin, Senator McCarthy’s home State, Mr Charles Kersten (Republican). an avowed supporter of Senator McCarthy, lost his seat in the House of Representatives to Mr Henry Reuss (Democrat). Mr Kersten was running for a third term. His campaign was managed by Mr Frederick Holtz, a leading McCarthy supporter. Mr Leroy Gore, leader of the “Joe Must Go” movement, described the content in Wisconsin as a real testing ground for McCarthyism. He said Mr Kersten was “the foremost architect of'McCarthy's attack on civil liberty?’ In Illinois, Mr Joseph Meek, one of the few Republicans to proclaim his full allegiance to Senator McCarthy, was defeated by the Democrat incumbent, Senator Paul Douglas, whom Senator McCarthy singled out for attack on the eve of the election. The “New York Times” said in a leading article that a conclusion to be drawn from this confused election was that the Right-wing extremism of the type represented by Senator McCarthy and his supporters was becoming little, J f any more, valuable politically than the Left-wing extremism that it in so 111 any ways resembled. It said the election results did not Jhow that Mr McCarthy and Mccarthyism were politically dead. “But think.” the “New York Times” ®dded. “that they do show at the very least there is no political magic in association with the name or the taeles of the junior senator from Wisconsin.” The Washington “Star” said the McCarthy issue, if not laid to rest before, fhe election, “is certainly buried now.”

Mr Malcolm MacDonald to Visit Australia— The Prime Minister (Mr fjenries) announced today that Mr Malcolm MacDonald, the United Kingdom Commissioner-General in Southeast Asia, would visit Australia next Mr MacDonald will stay at the Minister's lodge in Canberra. ®ud will have discussions with Mr JJ«unes and other Commonwealth ♦ Ministers.—Canberra, November 4.

Control of the Senate yesterday rested on two seats—Oregon and New Jersey. But the New Jersey seat appears to have been won by a Republican, Mr Clifford P. Case, who finished 825 votes ahead of Mr Charles R. Howell (Democrat) with all voting districts reported, but with absentee votes still to be counted. TT Mr ,2 ase ’ 8 vote was 858,437 and Mr Howell s 857,612, and both parties said they would ask for recounts. Recheckmg is still in progress. Senator Karl Hayden (Democrat, Arizona) said last night that his party might be reluctant to take over the reins if they had a margin of only one.

The Senate Democrats "will have to talk it over” before deciding to organise the Upper Chamber, even if they have a majority, he added. Speaking before a Phoenix Press Club forum, he said one or two deaths could shift the balance to the Republicans and force a reorganisation. Nine senators from eight States had died since 1952. Unofficial tabulations showed that the vote in the elections set a new record for mid-term voting. With many, votes,- still to be counted, an American Associated Press survey showed that 44,682.128 ballots had been cast. The previous mid-term record was in 1950, when 40,351,922 votes were cast.