Word: laird
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...Republicans would agree more heartily with that sentiment than Melvin Laird, a bright, balding Congressman from Wisconsin, chairman of the 1964 Republican Platform Committee and a man who means to write a document acceptable to all G.O.P. factions. Says Laird: "We're not writing a Goldwater platform, a Rockefeller platform, a Scranton platform or a G.O.P. Governors platform-we're writing a Republican platform...
...American Position." Laird describes himself as "a creative conservative"; he is tightfisted on fiscal matters, and extremely knowledgeable in foreign affairs. Although only 41, he is serving his sixth term from central Wisconsin's dairy-minded Seventh District, which contains Marshfield (pop. 14,-600), his birthplace and still his home. He earned a B.A. from Minnesota's Carleton College, a Purple Heart in a kamikaze attack on his destroyer in World War II, entered politics through the Wisconsin state senate. Last year he wrote an introduction to a collection of scholarly essays known as The Conservative Papers...
...Laird was serving as vice chairman of the G.O.P. Platform Committee when Richard Nixon flew to Manhattan, huddled with Nelson Rockefeller, and arrived at the famed "Treaty of Fifth Avenue," which considerably liberalized a platform already drafted. Incumbent President Eisenhower was irked by its implied criticism of his defense policies. Conservatives on the platform went into open revolt, and the situation got so out of hand that Laird had to step in and take over the chairman's gavel from Illinois' inexperienced Charles Percy. Within 20 hours, acting both as cop and conciliator, Laird worked things out. Again...
Pinpointing the Principles. This year, to avoid a disruptive clash, Laird consulted frequently with Rockefeller and Goldwater, more recently with Scranton, to pinpoint principles upon which all can agree. He has pleaded with state leaders to name reasonable, rather than emotional delegates to the 106-member Platform Committee (each state selects one man and one woman, as does the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands). The committee will include 16 members of Congress-largest number in the party's history-and Laird is high on its overall competence...
...CIVIL RIGHTS. Goldwater's vote against the civil rights bill set this up as the key issue. If there is to be a major platform battle, Laird believes that it will be between Goldwater delegates who insist that the party advocate repeal of parts of the new bill and moderates who may propose much tougher measures than are included in the bill. Already, Pennsylvania's Senator Hugh Scott, the Scranton spokesman on the Platform Committee, has urged a flat statement that the party considers the bill constitutional, which would go directly against Goldwater's declaration...