ELEPHANT BOY

In a modest Lincoln Day speech free from the blatant denunciations that too often feature attacks on the New Deal, Governor George D. Aiken of Vermont offered much sensible advice to his own party. And when he was through, he had made abundantly clear the reasons for its failure.

"Forget your hatred for the President. Stop crying 'Fascist' every time he makes a move. Stop worrying about Reds in the White House. Because of your reckless hatred the minds of many American men and women are shut against your honest criticism." These words are a refreshing contrast to solemn warnings about the challenge to liberty, passionate defenses of the American system, and anguished cries about alien collectivisms.

The Governor was not slow to give the New Deal credit for supplying much needed leadership. "Remember the people were hungry for leadership in those dark days of 1932 and 1933. Remember he (Roosevelt) gave it to them . . ." Aiken denounced the practice of appealing to the shibboleth of state's rights in the face of the need for government action.

Although he did not give concrete evidence of what he regarded to be the major issue--the growth of federal domination instead of leadership--he paved the way for a new departure which the Republicans would do well to adopt. If the elephant boys can destroy the impression that they oppose every effort of the government to discharge the obligations that economic changes impose on it, they may possibly achieve an understanding of the concrete demands people are making. Such an understanding will some day enable the G.O.P. to be of much more service to the nation.