UNMENTIONED U.S. ISSUE WHO WILL INVESTIGATE WHOM IN COMING YEARS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27500, 6 November 1954, Page 6

UNMENTIONED U.S. ISSUE WHO WILL INVESTIGATE WHOM IN COMING YEARS

IBV

JOSEPH C. HARSCH,

Special Correspondent of the "Christian Selene,

• (Reprinted bp Arrangement)

Washington, October 20.—The issue least mentioned on the American hustings this autumn is the one uppermost in the thoughts of P r °‘ fessional politicians of both P» rtl “ in Washington. On November 2 the voters of the United States largely without being aware of it. will decide whether the enormous investigating enthusiasm of their federal legislators will be turned against Democrats or against Republicans over the next two ye ™'s far more than anxiety over the future state of legislative relations between the White House and Capitol Hill disturbs the sleeping as well as waking hours of the professionals at the respective national committees headquarters of the Republican and Democratic Parties, There is nothing more inherent in the J er |°” a tion between Dwight D. Eisenhower and the senior Democrats in Congress, nor much in their respective views on major pending legislation, to prevent a workable compromise arrangement on matters affecting the general national interest. Bearing on the 1956 Election But. and this is the nub of the issue, the Democratic and the Republican Parties stand to gain or lose heavily in preparations for the 1950 presidential eSetions, depending on who controls the machinery of the Investigating committees of the Con gress over the next two years. S For the last two years these committees have been in the hands oi Republicans, with results frequently painful to Democrats. If they are to fall into the hands of Democrats, the whole direction of investigation will be radically changed. The object .over the last two years has been to manufacture Republican ammunition for this campaign out of the record of the Roosevelt-Truman era. The object during the next two years, if the Democrats win, will be to manufacture Democratic ammunition for 1950 out of the record of the first two Eisenhower years. And the Democrats already have their sights trained in on their targets. Here are some of the matters Democrats will be "investigating” ad hominem, ad Infinitum, and possibly even an nauseam if they can secure control of the investigating committees: 1. • The Dixon-Yates contract, and President Eisenhower's personal espousal of it. 2. Defence contracts with General Motors in particular and the relations

of the Administration with hi-. ness in general. ' 3. The possibility that ma m m federal employees dismissed unit 1 ’ category of subversives actuals i 6 been hired by the Eisenhower Gl' istration. ' 4. Why the Administratio. part of Indo-China fall to th. r munists after calling it of dent importance.” "to! 5. The slow-down in the 0,.. ental air defence programme. "Charges Make Headline This does not exhaust the lis what Democrats regard as potenr ' profitable lines of investigation are, however, the intended orirJ lines of exploration. Of cour»” gressional investigating procedi,? much like prospecting for gold , old days of the West. The proi never knows where he will strifaa He is on the lookout at all tinu? quickly abandons an unpixSw seam for a new lead. a Primarily, the technique in™ putting the other party on the d2 sive. So long as the trol the Congress, the Democratic on the defensive. Charges make t ter headlines than answers. ? enormous advantages of being make the charges and thus gain™, first headlines will swing to the Da crats if they can win the elect! w. Republicans Dislike Prospect Changes In the Democratic m bership of the Congress and fol political attitudes of individual D® crats since the Republicans camT Washington combine to make the pect of Democrats in control of cis mittees particularly distasteful fob publican politicians. For example ft McCarran, of Nevada, is no lonin 5 senior Democrat on the Senate J,” ciary Committee. Instead of e em time ally there the Republic, would find Senator Kilgore, of Virginia. Across the board, the s® Democrats are more Democrat a than they were two years ago. b, Senator Byrd of Virginia is regard in his own party as being parts back on the reservation. There certainly would be politit guerrilla warfare in Washington If ft Democrats won, as there alwan no matter who wins. The differet would be that the Democrat gisetrill would be on the ridges and £,»■> ■ sion of the hill forts while the J publican guerrillas would be » down in the valleys. ' November 2 can make a big ditt ence in Washington, and to the II presidential campaign.