GOLDWATER LEADING A DIVIDED PARTY

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30497, 20 July 1964, Page 11

GOLDWATER LEADING A DIVIDED PARTY

NEW YORK, July 19. The Republican national convention, described by one American correspondent as “this tribal insanity,” is over; it is possible it may prove to be the most historic of this century. For many years, the leadership, political control and financial sinews of the party have been located in the north-east quadrant of the country. Control and leadership have now passed into Western hands which have for some time been in- opposition to what they have often described as the “Eastern Establishment” The Republican task this autumn is not as bad as climbing Mount Everest but to many, perhaps most, people it is much tougher than climbing the hill usually envisaged in “an uphill fight.” This break with eastern leadership came within inches of happening in 1952 when Mr Robert Taft, of Ohio, looked, at one point, to have the nomination ■ within his grasp. General Eisenhower foiled that, consciously of unconsciously, and it is ironic to Easterners that Mr Eisenhower—again, consciously or unconsciously—helped the Westerners he foiled in 1952 to get control of the party machinery at San Francisco. There is no doubt the westerners can provide a lot of the financial sinews necessary to a great political party, but it is now questionable how much financial help they will extract from the defeated Easterners. The new leadership, regard-

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A. less of the soothing and unifying noises made by Messrs Eisenhower, Nixon and others at San Francisco, is very much more conservative, though that is a word that means different things to different people. Many eastern moderate Republicans consider themselves essentially the real conservatives and look on Mr Goldwater and his friends as reactionaries.

An incident at San Francisco illustrated the difference.

Senator Goldwater, per suaded to pose for stock pictures by press photographers, was ushered into the daylight to have beautiful San Francisco Bay as the background.

With a smile he said: “Let me get off the middle of the road and more to the right,” which was exactly what he did before the shutters clicked. The Goldwater forces showed at San Francisco what they have been doing for the last four years: forging a party machine that worked like a well oiled watch. When the bandwaggon began to roll it quickly turned into a juggernaut that nothing at the convention could withstand . The efforts of the moderates were by comparison amateurish, even fumbling. Ultra-conservatives are cock-a-hoop, delighted to be able to vote for a man they consider a genuine conservative for the first time in years: but many others in the heat of the moment have said they prefer President Johnson and will vote for him. One Republican official, engaged for the last 10 years in campaign fund raising, said: “We’ll never raise money in New York for this ticket.” Some feel it may be a good thing to find out the extent of this conservatism about which Senator Goldwater preaches. Mr Goldwater now has on his hands a number of disenchanted Negro Republicans. He embittered all Negro Republican delegates at the convention and they now return to their states to spread their belief, expressed at the convention, that the nominee is definitely anti-Negro.