Senator Attacks Republicans for 'Backward Look'

Senator A. S. Mike Monroney, speaking before the Young Democratic Club Saturday, stated that the Republican administration suffers from a "recession in ideas." He accused the Republicans of "looking backward instead of forward" and of "underestimating the intelligence of the American people."

The junior Democratic senator from Oklahoma, speaking on "The Future of the Democratic Party," warned that the nation is "going on the same train ride that we went on from 1925 to 1929." He added, however, that he was not afraid of a major recession because of the good work done by past Democratic administrations.

Speaking on foreign policy, Monroney expressed disapproval for "Dulles' policy of massive rigidity." He warned that our European allies were starting to ignore us because of our lack of insight and of intelligent leadership.

The speech, which lasted only thirty minutes, was followed by a longer question period, in which Monroney discussed several topics. In reply to a question on civil rights, he stated, "There is no major difference between the two parties on the segregation issue."

Monroney also commented on the outlook for the 1958 and 1960 elections, expressing confidence in the chances of the Democratic Party. He predicted that the next election would bring 12 additional Democrats into the Senate.

In discussing Adlai Stevenson Monroney maintained that no other candidate could have beaten President Eisenhower in the 1952 and 1956 elections.