“Total Peace”: It’s Not Wonderful

A distinguished political analyst explains, citing chapter and verse from the State-of-the-Union Address, why he is ready to resign from this century, and adds: Ill fares the land that applauded it

Washington, D.C. We are indebted to an attentive, not to say worshipful, observer of Mr. Eisenhower’s State-of-the-Union tour de force for an alarming analysis of his audience’s response. According to Roscoe Drummond in the Herald Tribune, the House of Representatives chamber rang most with applause when the President declared “total peace” against the total enemy of mankind. The Senators and Representatives present on this ceremonial occasion (from which only Mr Warren’s Supreme Court and the Soviet Ambassador were conspicuously absent among those bidden) were, as Mr. Drummond read their minds, against war and for peace much, perhaps, as Calvin Coolidge’s pastor was against sin. But Mr. Drummond went on to a further deduction which we may hope unwarranted, reasoning from the congressional outburst that “the American people are far more eager to press negotiations with the Soviets than Secretary Dulles and some others in the Administration have believed.”

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Forrest Davis

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A distinguished political analyst explains, citing chapter and verse from the State-of-the-Union Address, why he is ready to resign from this century, and adds: Ill fares the land that applauded it

Washington, D.C. We are indebted to an attentive, not to say worshipful, observer of Mr. Eisenhower’s State-of-the-Union tour de force for an alarming analysis of his audience’s response. According to Roscoe Drummond in the Herald Tribune, the House of Representatives chamber rang most with applause when the President declared “total peace” against the total enemy of mankind. The Senators and Representatives present on this ceremonial occasion (from which only Mr Warren’s Supreme Court and the Soviet Ambassador were conspicuously absent among those bidden) were, as Mr. Drummond read their minds, against war and for peace much, perhaps, as Calvin Coolidge’s pastor was against sin. But Mr. Drummond went on to a further deduction which we may hope unwarranted, reasoning from the congressional outburst that “the American people are far more eager to press negotiations with the Soviets than Secretary Dulles and some others in the Administration have believed.”