Voice in the Land

Toward the end of winter, Washington seemed to be in the grip of the word "inevitable." A meeting at the summit was inevitable; a quick tax cut to brake the recession was inevitable; some kind of politically popular, high-subsidy farm program was inevitable; a wishy-washy Pentagon reorganization plan was inevitable. Last week the President, back in command of the Administration in all its divisions, proved in a busy week that there is nothing inevitable about anything when leadership provides its own direction. Items:

Recession. Optimistic over the week's economic reports, the President preached less hurry-up spending, quietly opposed any quick tax cut, inspired G.O.P. congressional leaders to brace at last against the avalanche of Democratic antirecession bills and win their biggest legislative battle of the session.

Farm. Ignoring panicky pleas from farm-state Republicans, the President put principle over politics, vetoed a Democratic bill freezing 1958 supports at 1957 levels. In his veto message he explained why the bill would do farmers more harm than good. From the land came kudos for his courage.

Space. The President sent Congress a careful blueprint for space agencies and space exploration that is bold but durable and sensible enough to last as a work guide for decades.

Defense. As promised in his State of the Union message, he sent Congress the outline for his defense reorganization plan. It reflected his own military experience, bore his own touch. If carried through, it can ultimately be as important to the U.S. as any of its new weapons, because it gears the military establishment to fast decisions in the day of instant war.

Nowhere was the mood of the week better displayed than at the President's news conference. Visibly buoyed by the capital's warming weather, he opened the session with a reference to haunting lines of the Song of Solomon: "The winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.'' Ike looked well and obviously felt well: for the next 30 minutes he staged a performance that turned out to be his best conference since his stroke.

Leaving the Indian Treaty Room at conference's end, more than one newsman was impressed enough to report that the clearest springtime voice to be heard last week was the voice of the President of the U.S.

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