1960-06-16 — Page 6

WHO'S FOR

PRESIDENT?

IT'S A LONG WAY TO

TO THE WHITE HOUSE

IT

And the fare costs millions

by

HERBERT NICHOLAS, M.A.,

Fellow of New College, Oxford-

would be surprising if a huge country with a complicated government, like the United States, did not also have a complicated electoral system.

In the first place American constituencies are not equal. Even in the Lower House of the American parliament there may be great differ- ences in the sizes of the 437 "districts" for which Congressmen are elected.

When one gets to the Senate, the Upper House, the dis- crepancies are even greater. Here are represented the 50 states which make up the Union and which range in size from gigantic Texas-267,339 square miles-to minute Rhode Island enly 1,214 square miles in area. Yet each will have two members in the Senate though they will not be standing for election in the same year.

The Senate is a body whose membership rotates, each senator stays in oilce for six years and a third of the total membership comes up for re-election every two years.

Typical poll

In a Presidential Election year. the people of a typical state may well be voting, too, for all their Congressmen and one of their Senators. It often happens, too, that the ballots for the state governor and legislature coincide As it with these elections.

voting for all these public ser vants were not enough, local government officials, leo, muy have to be chosen.

The short answer is "by securing the vole of a majority of the delegates at the conven- tion. These delegates come from each State in rough propor- tion to its population. The De- mocratic convention will be a mammoth affair attended by 1,521 delegates, the Republican convention only slightly smaller with 1,331 delegates.

The majority of these dele-

in

their

gates will themselves have been chosen at smaller conventions their home states, Some held

will represent the of them genuine wishes of a majority of The party supporters

be largely the Others will faithful servants of the State sent 10 "boss" or "machine," Chicago or Los Angeles to re- flect the views of a small local oligarchy,

State.

Concern Jest the delegates should all become mere voting fodder for the "bosses" has led 16 of the 50 states to establish a special system of what

are called presidential "primaries." These are elections held earlier in the year to choose the dele- gates to be sent to the national conventions.

Primaries

Thus

the poor voter may be confronted with a ballot paper containing anything from a

These "primary" elections as dozta

couple of dozen

good names, even if the contest is they are called, attract a confined 10 Republican and deal of interest and have a cer tain value as indications of the Democratle candidates stone.

to a

HMS. ROYAL GEORGE

+789

THE CHINA MAIL, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 1960.

Cummings

H-M-S. VICTORY

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1914-1918

H M.S. KING GEORGE T 1934-45

HALL OF FAME

London Express Bervice

Mr K's capitalist

friend on Power

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EXPORT DEFT.

SKYBOLT

INQUIRIES

The troubled minds of Africa

WITCH DOCTORS

and the Pentagon TIGHTEN

IT is not often that you

come away from an interview saying to your- self-“I think that was a great man."

I did the other night as I went down the lift in Claridges after seeing Mr Cyrus Eaton.

He is the 76 year old powerful

by DONALD EDGAR

Europe Poland,

Czechoslovakia and Eastern Germany,

on

"And, of course, the Germans

did their bit.”

ment of capitalism and com- munism:

"I think that undoubtedly capitalism is going to undergo many changes and be influenced by the Socialist experiment, But I think that on the other hand

countries will Socialist change ** they develop economically.

A chance

also

A

GRASP

From EDWARD COLLINS

Salisbury, S. Rhodesia. CENTURY of missionary work is threatened

by a revolt among Africans against the white man's teaching. Christianity is being increasingly rejected in favour of the witch doctor.

Mr Eaton who has spent some me with Mr Khrushchev in the

back with Mr Eaton then started to talk past, has just come his wife from a tour of Eastern about the reasons that had made Hungary, him, "a dedicated capitalist," pursue his policy, in spite of all the troubles he has run into.

"If we let time and evolution "First, there was the aware-

and rich North found many

I asked him whether he had ress of the annihilation that work, free from the threats of growth

restrictions

an all-out nuclear war

would a hostile attitude by the Western groups which have broken away

the

Christian parent American industrialist who has

liberty.

mean. Secondly, there is the world, then I think there would from been trying to build bridges be-

crushing burden of taxation to be a great chance of lasting tween the East and the West.

And peace. The emphasis must be carry out the cold war. thirdly there was the conviction on the progress of the human that World War Two didn't pre- race."

"How are you able to think duce the results we have hoped for.

in these terms when you are supremely successful example of high capitalism?" I asked,

Trying to build a bridge of peace.

Needless to say, with the result that he has been vilified in his own country.

I asked him what he thought was after the the situation breakdown of the Summit talks.

A menace

Alarmed

He became even more lively, "We have more in the United States," he said. "Do you know that there are practically half a million people in the United States whose job in one way or another is citizens?

to

supervise the

T

Mus

"I had two sons and six

nephews were killed. And then nephews in the war. Two of the W so many of the most brilliant sons of cousins and friends who were killed, many of them in the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1044-45,"

Clever

a

Equally alarming is the rapid domineering attitude of white

of African splinter missionaries,"

Today he preaches a gospel of a political nature and plans, to build churches in various districts.

churches.

In Northern Rhodesia there are sects calling themselves by Tuch names as the Watchmen,

„Another splinter church re- Sacred Heart of Jesus, Lumos ported to be making consider- Church, Church of God, Bantu able progress is the All-African National Church, and African Church, many of whose ed- Methodist Episcopal Church, herents are serving prison -senterices for refusing to pay a

causes

Polygamy

"Oh," answered Mr Eaton,

These sects are making con- 306 poll tax, "I don't think there is much in siderable headway among people the prestige of wealth. You can who have reached a standardi only wear one suit.

You can of civilisation

which only eat three meals a day them to reject the witch doctor. What matters is the creativeness. but are determined to follow an That is the real distinction

the creed African brand of between one man and another."

introduced to them by the white We then talked about other men.

"There are in all 76 agencies. We didn't see policemen every where in the countries we have just visited. But if Ike came to Cleveland there would be 60

He mentioned then about his security men looking after his last meeting in Paris with Mr. Americans who have also tried We found nothing like that

Khrushchev, "What do you think to work for peace. where we went.

of him?" I asked. "We have more of a police World War I and II. They have state than there is in those He impressed me right from the forgotten the part played by the countries."

It is hard work casting an comparative popularity of the

various presidential aspirants. "There is a great change American vole. No wonder so many states have tried to help But the significance of these needed in the United States. can be over-rated. The Pentagon is a power and a the voter (and frustrate crooked contests election officials) by using voting Even when the delegates chosen menace,

i are committed to supporting particular candidate (and often their commitment is very limited one; things may be very different when they arrive al Los Angeles or Chicago,

machines!

That's nothing! But complicated as the general electoral procedure sounds, it is nothing compared with the pro- cesses which have to be gone through to elect a president of the United States.

to a

A the convention all the delegater will have only one aim. That will be the selection of a candidate who can win

A presidential aspirant may

The generals have Deen intoxicated by their successes in

British.

They have a complex

of omnipotence. It's a state of mind that they have got them. selves into.

"As you know," he added, "at

ing with generals who are heads of state. We have had two ne generals who have exercised power in recent years, was General Marshall, who was Secretary of State.

There

"Oh, he's a very clever man.

There was Ford with his Peace Ship which he salled across the Atlantic to try to end the First World War.

start. He has a keen intelli- gence, blunt frankness and an Mrs Eaton nodded agreement. extensive knowledge of what is She is a very attractive woman going on in the world,

"He astonished me by the most -many years younger than her

He is husband. She was sitting in the width of his information.

is a pollo victim.

Out of touch

"How did you find it other wise in Eastern Europe?"

There was Andrew Carnegie, the great.stecimester, who left of his fortune in the interests of peace.

Mr Good

In the Cholo

district of Nyasaland an African "Messlah" has sprung up in the form of Mr Wilson Good, who is also known as Jesus.

They disapprove of the tax "because Jesus Christ was sold. to the Jews for 30

uf pieces. silver."

A sect flourishing around

Mlange and Cholo is known

as Antyopla It encourages

polygamy and beer drinking.

Polygamy is also a tenet of Dressed in a white robe, he the Church of Abraham, which rides round on an ass "because has its headquarters at Ncheu, But is it altogether strange Christ did so on His way to in the Central Province of

Nobel, the explosives Jerusalem when he was pro- Nypeland.

claimed the Son of Man."

I told him that if he had come 10 America as a boy he would that

the head of one of king, Carnegie maker of one of have been our greatest corporations." the materials of war-and now

I felt the time had come to Eaton, who is also a great steel ask Mr Eatm what he felt man, should devote themselves about the long-term develop- to peace?

When a British Commonwealth arrive at the convention with a the moment the world is teem- Wheel chair that is her life. She hard working and widely read country has to find a successor great many delegates ostensibly

retiring prime minister, there can at most he only twe pledged to him. But unless he can persuade the whole conven- or three figures in line for the lian that he has the qualities job. But to get to the White needed to win votes in the House, it is not enough to have

actual compaign, he may flad worked your way faithfully up his delegates pledges being the slopes of the Washington transferred to somebody else. pyramid, to have served in Con-

The convention is essentially a gress or in the Cabinet and to meeting of shrewdly calculating Eave attracted favourable alten-

politicians. Their job is to tlon among your colleagues

assess euch aspirant and to ask the capital.

"can he persuade the man-in- the-street to send him to the White House?"

10

"He was a fine man. But the trouble of it was that he thought in terms of milliary power. And it was Marshall who laid down the basis of our post-war policy.

"And then General Eisen-: hower came later as President. And they can't escape the idea of military strength. They have e military complex...

"Well, they are worried. They are greatly alarmed over the rearming of Germany. They feel that the United States. is encouraging the Germans.

"And I was greatly concerned over the

effective lack of diplomatic activity on the part of the American diplomats and their allies.

In such a large country talent can sprout in unexpected places. A man of ability may make his

Behind the scenes mark as governor administering a great siete far removed from Behind the parades, the bands, Washington, like Illinois or Cali- the cheering, the whole circus fornia. Or he may, like Presi- atmosphere of the conventions "You remember we had a

They are all out of touch dent. Eisenhower, have won his there will be hard bargaining in great general in our civil war, with the people. There is little reputation not in civil govern hotel rooms and in whispered Ulysses Grant. He was a great one contact with political armed consultations behind the scenes. general but he turned out a leaders. The representatives of ment at all, but in the services of his country.

It is It is these which will determine poor President, You had Welling the English speaking world surprising how many American the final two candidates for the tan who was a great soldier

have → real hatred ot presidents have had a military Presidency,

but not so good, it appears, as a

Communism.

record. Or he may have made After the conventions come i politician.

a great name in the Senate, or the two parties' campaigns. The less often in the House of rival champions will march for

"The trouble is we are relying

Representatives, without ever drive or fy) Gross America too much on weapons of war. -holding an administrative office attended by an entourage of Not on a mentality of political

at all.

supporters, speech-writers, thinking." cameramen and correspondents.

Free-for-all

They will strain their old

TALKING

POINES

In other words there is no pool to the limit, and even of talent, no "Establishment" in the last presidential election where the Top People are cer- General Eisenhower and Adlai tain to be found. The quad- Stevension travelled over 80,000 rennial race for the White House miles each. And in trying to is a genuine free-for-all and it is reach the vast scattered elec- by no means the favourite who torate they will spend a fortune. always wins.

There are two main stages in them cost over

The 1930 campaigns between ten million the contest, The first is the winning of the nomination, the pounds. But in the end there will be low Americans who don't second the winning of the elec- know their names and who Few know the use of life tion.

haven't a pretty shrewd iden about which one they would like before 'tis past.

JOHN DRYDEN.

American electioneering is not year. Yet

a pleasurable sport for the hot to see in the White House, text months of the

Whoever is the lucky man each that is when the two great will have proved that he has the parties traditionally hold their stomina necessary for the presidential nominating conven toughest job in the world. dona. This year they will meet Whatever else a U.S. presidential in July the Democrats in Los election campaign may be, it is Angeles the Republicans in supertative test of endurance. Chicago-to choose their candi-

dates su

towards this goal thrt the efforts TOMORROW

of most of the presidential aspirants are now directed.

Cool, crafty and clever lab.

Love is the salt of life.

-JOHN SHEFFIELD.

Malice drinks one half of ils own poison,

-SENECA. London Regan Berplos).

His reasons

"Therefore it is not fashionable to mix. And therefore they are living in a world completely cut off from reality.

"They still repeat the old cliches and they still keep them- selves to themselves."

I then asked Mr Eaton why he thought the Summit talics had broken down,

"In my opinion," he replied, "There was a great influence brought to bear on President Elenhower after his meeting at Camp David with Mr Khrushchev.

"I think at that time then wea an homest desire to reach pa understanding.

"But then pressure 9783 forðacht.."Azure was the Almăc Energy Commission. The Pan- tagon The .CL.A.The Centre! Intelligence Agency,

"All people who have a vested interest in loveping bersian between, the East sind: the

FAS

ESCAPE ROUTE

WAG

CANC

Wilson broke away from the Seventh Day Adventists because of what he described as **the

If God permitted Abraham tó marry more than one wife, there can be nothing wrong with the practice, its leaders argue.

London Express "Service),

BY JAK

aristocrat, då Gaurade 7: