Rustlings in the Reeds

High-pitched rustlings from widely scattered Republican quarters last week told of a rising anti-McCarthy breeze across the grass roots. Items: P: In McCarthy's native Wisconsin, Editor Leroy Gore of the Sauk City Star launched a campaign to petition for a special election to recall the Senator. Under Wisconsin law, more than 400,000 signatures, one-quarter of the last vote for governor, would be required. By this week Gore, a Republican of 30 years' standing, had passed out 10,000 petition blanks. P: Chairman Brad Sebstad of the Marinette (Wis.) Young Republicans wrote President Eisenhower asking him to take a strong stand against "the loathsome blight of McCarthyism." P:Wisconsin's ex-Governor Fred R. Zimmerman, 73, the state's ten-term Republican secretary of state, decided not to attend the Milwaukee Young Republican dinner when he heard McCarthy would be the speaker. Said he: "I just don't like the guy. If I thought he was a square shooter, I'd think he was a Republican, and I don't think he is a Republican." P: Minnesota Republican National Committeeman George F. Etzell declared he would oppose any move to invite McCarthy to campaign in the state. "I'm simply looking at this from the viewpoint of cold-blooded politics," he explained, "and I don't think it would serve any good purpose."

P: Missouri's Republican State Chairman Perry Compton took a sharper view of the idea of McCarthy campaigning in his state. "Joe is a disturbing factor, even though I believe he has done a lot of good," observed Compton. "Now he is fighting with the Army, which certainly has fought Communism . . . He is all wet in opposing the Administration program." P: In Connecticut, anti-McCarthy resolutions were overwhelmingly adopted by all five of the Republican town caucuses (Avon, Salisbury, Sharon, Norfolk and Canaan) which voted on them. The effort was spearheaded by Insurance Company Executive John D. Alsop* and his Avon Committee to Support President Eisenhower. By a vote of 350 to I, Avon Republicans declared: "We deplore and vigorously denounce Senator McCarthy's methods and, what is more, we sincerely question his motives and objectives."

* Brother of Columnists Joseph and Stewart Alsop.

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