Dick v. Ezra (Contd.)

There is one fact on the U.S. domestic scene that both Republican and Democratic presidential hopefuls agree upon: Ezra Taft Benson's farm program has resulted in one big mess. But where Democrats have a wide field for criticism of Administration policies, front-running Republican Richard Nixon is on a ledge: so long as he is a member of the Eisenhower team, he cannot risk a serious party split by taking out after Agriculture Secretary Benson. Last week Dick Nixon told a group of farm-state Congressmen of a politically momentous decision: he intends to cut himself off from the Administration's agriculture record later this summer by presenting his own farm program--despite Ezra Benson's own recent statements that he had Nixon's support.

The news leaked out after Nixon met in his office with Iowa's five Republican Congressmen--Ben Jensen, Charles Hoeven, Fred Schwengel, H. R. Gross and John Kyl.* The lowans, who sought the meeting to measure Nixon's stand on farm policies, blasted Ezra Benson, cited the painful and growing surplus situation and the severe drop in farm income (which in 1959 sank no less than 16% or $2.1 billion from 1958). They warned Nixon that the Democrats would probably pass a wild cornucopia of a farm bill that Ike would have to veto. The political consequences in farm country, they said, were easy to foretell: the Democrats could then declare that the Administration was doing its best to ruin the farmer.

As the lowans talked on, Nixon listened intently while his campaign adviser, onetime G.O.P. National Chairman LenHall, sat beaming. Said Nixon at last: "My father was born in Ohio and my mother was born in Indiana, and they were farm people. I think I know how a farmer feels." Then he said, referring to the failures of the Administration farm program, "If you only knew how I've suffered in this. I know what you fellows out there have been up against. But I'm on a team, and I've got to either stay on the team or get off."

To the surprise of his guests. Nixon revealed that he had already begun naming an informal fact-finding committee whose members will tour the farm areas and collect on-the-spot facts, figures and information on attitudes to help him formulate a workable program. Such a program, he said, will be ready for a campaign plank after the Republican Convention, and hopefully it will be a good one, so that neither he nor G.O.P. Congressmen will have to run on Ezra Benson's record. Nixon added that he plans a hard campaign through the Middle West and particularly in towns under 10,000 population, where he can talk to farmers. Said Ben Jensen: "Nick,* you will honor every small town in America if you do that. That's where America lives."

After that the lowans left, confident that Nixon's loyalty to the Administration will not interfere with reality.

*Elected at a special election last December despite heavy attack on Benson by his Democratic opponent (TIME, Dec. 28).

*A nickname still used by friends who got to know Nixon when he was serving in the House.

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