Standing Pat

Gathered at Miami Beach's fancy Americana Hotel, the Governors of the U.S. seemed younger and brighter than ever before, splashed more enthusiastically about in the kidney-shaped swimming pool, stepped more lightly on the dance floor of the Bal Masque supper club. But the remarkable thing, plainly representative of the U.S. climate of thought, about the 50th annual Governors' conference was this: even though Democratic Governors now outnumber Republicans by 29 to 19 (a turnaround from the 19 to 29 of 1954), never before have they seemed so conservatively unwilling to shake any political limbs, so conservatively determined to stand pat in all areas. Items:

Organization. The Governors rejected a bid by liberal Northern Democrats to name New Jersey's Robert Meyner as the new conference chairman, a post that might help him in his presidential aspirations. Elected instead to succeed Illinois Republican Bill Stratton was Florida's moderate LeRoy Collins, a vice presidential hopeful and favorite of Republicans and Southern Democrats.

Federal-State Relations. Despite a personal plea from President Eisenhower plugging his program to turn some Federal Government functions back to the states (TIME, May 26), the stand-pat Governors --who love to orate about Washington interference in their affairs--adopted a slowdown resolution filled with such phrases as "adequate time" and "practicable procedure."

National Guard Reduction. With proper attention to budget and the needs of modern warfare, the Administration has proposed trimming the number of National Guard divisions from 27 to 21 and cutting National Guard troops from 400,000 to 360,000. To the applause of National Guard generals, on hand in force at the convention, Alabama's Kissin' Jim Folsom typified the Governors' determination to keep the status quo. Allowing that it was the National Guard that "won the Revolution" (a wild swing at history), Folsom cried: "I want to announce to Secretary Neil McElroy and General Maxwell Taylor that we were here first and we are going to stay here--that's all I want to announce." Army Chief of Staff Taylor strategically retreated, promised to review the cutback. But Taylor warned quietly that the present number of National Guard units would be maintained only if it did not increase overall costs or personnel beyond the levels scheduled under the cutback. Even so, the Governors could still be sure that Congress would provide plenty of funds for the politically powerful Guard--and the Guard's aircraft, which are available to the Governors for "business" transportation.

Tax Cuts. The most dramatic evidence of the Governors' conservatism came in the stand of both Republicans and Democrats against major tax cuts as antirecession medicine. The only exception was New York's Governor Averell Harriman, who has increased taxes during his own administration. New Jersey's Democrat Meyner counseled caution in tax cuts, advised public-works spending instead. So did Connecticut's Democrat Abraham

Ribicoff. Mississippi Democrat James P. Coleman said a tax cut would be "unwise" because it would contribute to the "evergrowing deficit." Pennsylvania Democrat George Leader said he "cannot comprehend" a tax reduction in the age of the outer-space satellite. Even Michigan's Democrat "Soapy" Williams, breaking with his good friends in the A.F.L.-C.I.O., said that tax cuts would have slight antirecession impact--except, of course, for auto excises.

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