Cabbages and kings

Following the Grand New Party's Grand New March last Tuesday was the "Elephant Hunt." By way of introduction, the toastmaster explained the difficulties of finding a new symbol to replace the twenty-year-old cartoonists' version of an elephant looking back on its laurels of yesterday. Three women and a man, dressed like African hunters, and equipped with ping-pong ball guns, then stalked onto the stage to the beat of jungle drums. The man grappled with the microphone which barely reached his chin and informed the party workers that they were starting on an elephant hunt, but that only the young in heart could follow. "Everyone must do what I do, and say what I say," he added.

"Let's go on an elephant hunt," he started, rhythmically slapping his knees to simulate the sound of stamping through the jungle. "Let's go on an elephant hunt," chanted the audience as it followed suit. "We have to go through some tall grass," the hunter announced, waving his arms as if to move the grass out of the way. "We have to go through some tall grass," repeated the audience, and this reporter was soundly flailed in the process. There were more obstacles such as a small river, a big river, some trees, and the elephant's cave which were all surmounted with appropriate sounds and motions. Suddenly, with a pained cry, the intrepid hunter discovered the apocryphal elephant and went through the whole routine, backwards and in double time.

Then came the fireworks. The gunbearer shot off a spate of ping-pong balls into the ballroom. Whoever caught one of the three white ping-pong balls were to receive a prize. Two men and a woman stepped up to the platform; the first man received a small stuffed elephant, the second a larger stuffed elephant. The woman, after affirming her faith in the GNP, received a stuffed elephant which took four people to carry. The elephant hunt was over.

Things began to settle down. After greetings and thanks from the co-chairman of the dinner, Mrs. William Kirliam, and a progress report on the Massachusetts GNP from Daniel Tyler (State Committee Chairman), Sinclair Weeks introduced Robert Montgomery, one of the principal speakers. The audience rose and cheered as a short, gray-haired and glamorous man with hornrimmed glasses shook hands all around and stepped up to the microphones.

His theme was "Plunder at home, blunder abroad." |Instead of being a responsive instrument to the people's will," he stated, "the government imposes its will on the people... Instead of looking trustfully toward it for enlightened leadership, the people apprehensively await the next official directive, the next arbitrary restriction, the next capricious bureaucratic regulation. In short, we have stood by complacently while a concerted effort was made to scrap the time-honored system of government by laws, in favor of government by men."

"The government's record," he said, "is stained and besmirched by plunder and corruption, checkered with black characters, and written in red ink."

Montgomery sat down and the GOP National Committee Secretary, Mrs. Charles P. Howard, rose to present Senator Saltonstall "and," according to the program, "members of our Congressional delegation." Unfortunately, the delegation members had either not been able to come, or, like Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers, had not been able to stay. Senator Saltonstall was introduced as a man whose "Yankee integrity (is) reflected in his South Boston face."

He said that members of the Grand New Party "cannot waste time shaking hands with each other . . . The GNP has got to rub truly friendly elbows with everybody . . . Our victory will make America American again."

In introducing the feature speaker, Senator Nixon, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge stated that Republicans were asking for votes "on the assurance that we will clean out the revolting and inexcusable corruption in government, climinate the tremendous waste in government, and ruthlessly discharge and punish whatever Communists there may be in government."

After a long round of applause from the standing spectators, Nixon began by commenting on the crowd's enthusiasm. "Talk about staid old Boston," he said, "well, you have the answer to that, and you'll have the answer in "52!" (thunderous applause).

Following the usual practice, Nixon handed out copies of his address to the press before speaking. But, after his introductory remarks, he said, "for the benefit of the press," that many of the things that he was going to say had been said already, and that he would have to make some changes. He told the newsmen to just act as if he said what was in the press release anyway. This was greeted by muffled guffaws from the direction of the two press tables.

For the next forty-five minutes Nixon had the newsmen rifling madly through the nine-page handout, trying to keep up with him as he jumped from page to page. "Just stick to the release," I was told afterwards, "it's safer that way."

"We have had corruption in our history," said Nixon, "but never before have we seen corruption defended by those in high places." (page 7). Returning to page three a little later, he said, "A Republican administration will recognize that ... our military and diplomatic thinking should recognize the best thinking of all Americans, including those who disagree with the President."

"You cannot spend thousands of lives and billions of dollars without developing an effective program to meet the activities of the Communist fifth column," he went on (page 5). "Lets resolve any doubt in favor of the American people, not the individul." However, he "warned against "indiscriminate name-calling and professional red-baiting."

Advertisements had run across the nation saying that Nixon's speech was to be televised, but it was not. Nixon refused either to make a recording of his speech for use on the radio or to appear before the TV cameras. Instead Senator Saltonstall's speech replaced Nixon's for the TV audience.

After a short benediction, 1450 satisfied Republicans swarmed out the three doors, down the red-carpeted steps into the lobby, and from there into the night.