The Herald from Jasper, Indiana • Page 17

SECOND SECTION SIXTEEN PAGES 1 111 11 SECTION SIXTEEN PAGES Thursday, Nov. 30, 1967 Sen. McCarthy Hopes To Bring About A Debate Of The Vietnam Situation EDITOR'S NOTE: Sen. Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota behaves more like a wry and somewhat diffident observer than a political hotspur. But he currently is daring the lightning by his apparent intention to challenge President Johnson over his Vietnam policy in next year's Democratic primaries.

The following dispatch deals with McCarthy's views and background why he believes people sometimes must challenge their government. By ARNOLD B. SAWELAK WASHINGTON The Crescent Dictionary of American Politics defines the term as who takes long chances in Boomer Eugene J. McCarthy wrote that book and he ought to know. McCarthy has faced a number of risky political situations in the 20 years since he left school teaching for Congress.

But nothing the 51-year-old Minnesota Democrat has done to date compares with his apparent intention to dare the lightning by opposing Lyndon B. Johnson for the 1968 presi- dential nomination. McCarthy appears ready to enter four or more primaries as a Democrat opposed to Johnson's Vietnam war policies. If he does, it seems likely that much of the politically rootless peace movement will rally to him and that most regular Demo- crats will try to avoid him like a belled leper. The senator says his purpose is to force the Democratic party to debate Vietnam by giving its voters a choice between the author of administration policy and a sincere critic.

He leaves the impression that he is not so much interested in unseating Johnson as in impelling the President to change his policies. Missed Opportunities The senator is not peddling a plan to end the war." He does feel however, that the administration has flubbed or ignored a number of opportunities to negotiate or deescalate. In a recent interview with UPI, he spoke of the need develop a sense of change of policy." He said a good chance for negotiations was allowed to die early in 1966 and that proper attention was not given Gen. James Gavin's suggestions late in that year we make a limited commitment." He continued: don't say the bombing should be stopped necessarily unless it is part of a somewhat wider withdrawal or cease-fire. You might IF IT QUALITY YOU RE LOOKING FOR Make It a White Christmas! Fabulous Snow- Maker Creates realistic effect of continuous snowfall on your tree Easily attached to any Christmas tree.

Consists of angel tree top, tube, snow catch base, recirculator motor and supply of snow. Specially priced notv! Tree not included. Just Say "Charge It" if ill Open Every Night Until Christmas Beginning on Friday, December I continue liie to cut off supplies but I think they ought to stop bombing close to the heart of is really psychological bombing maybe begin to evacuate or vacate some of the areas of South Vietnam as kind of a testing to see if some order and some stability might be established. see no change of policy on the part of the ad ministation." Turning to one of his frequent literary in Wonderland in this added deplore what they are doing but it's a little like the walrus and the weep but at the same time they continue the program and intensify it." Sharp Reply Suggestions that McCarthy might be an advocate of running away in Vietnam get a short and sharp reply: nobody's for a straight pullout. say, you want to pull out, you want to cut and run; they give you some of that cattle talk all the time." Even though McCarthy has been critical of the President's course ever since the Vietnam escalation began, some of his friends are baffled and dismayed to find him playing the peace movement's St.

George to the administration's dragon. The puzzlement arises from the man's character. He seems, and usually behaves, more like a wry and somewhat diffident observer than a political hot-spur. It was no surprise to find him critical of the President in his fourth book, Limits of Power," but it came as a schock to many when he began talking like a challenger in the real world of political endeavor. It is easy to collect opinions about McCarthy and what he is up to.

The difficulty is to get two ideas that agree. Sen. Gale McGee, he's been smoking political pot and tripping on sink Democrats." Hopes McCarthy Runs Zolton Ferency, Michigan Democratic chairman: hope he to run. It'll be for the good of the party and the country." A Democrat who served with him In the House: think be has this thing about the presidency. Remember, in 1960 he was with Hubert Humphrey until that blew up, and then he was with Johnson and he ended up nominating Adlai Stevenson." A Republican who served with him in the House: had sort of a reputation of being lazy.

But he was the favorite of the liberal intellectuals. I guess he sort of makes their skins tickle. But Pm surprised by this. It seems out of character." If these assessments are inadequate, it is possible to go to McCarthy himself. What follows are some of his comments during the recent UPI interview.

Question: you have said that you want to operate within the Democratic party in the coming year. But what if a peace party, a third party supporting the principles you stand for on Vietnam should develop? Would you be willing to be the nominee of such a party?" McCarthy: don't see any possibility of that. I think if we have a decent test within the party itself, that would take care of as much as I am concerned about. A third party could simply, it seems to me, serve to confuse the electoral process and I don't want to be a party to that." Question: you feel what you are doing now will endanger your political career?" McCarthy: don't want to be dramatic about it, you know, risk my career in this issue and so on, but I think this is an issue of sufficient significance so as to argue for one's taking sdme chances. And so far as what it might do to my career, I don't run again until 1970 and a lot of things can happen by Question: if you should enter the presidential primaries, what would you hope to accomplish? You seem to be talking mostly about dissent strenth- ening the Democratic party.

Would you hope to win the Democratic nomination?" McCarthy: I don't go that far. I think you have to be realistic and the most one could hope for would be to get an indication of what public sentiment is in the best kind of test by which it can be determined, namely by the identification of an issue of this complexity with a person." Question: you like to be president of the United States?" (Continued on Page 9) LOANS UP TO Combine your money needs into ONE convenient Loan with only ONE place to pay and only ONE payment each month. Up To 36 Months To Repay Come In Phone Write Us. Citizens rf-inance, and 9 A ohcg 430 Fourth Street HUNT3NGBURG, IND. Phone 6th and Jackson JASPER, IND.

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