Job Wanted

Maine's Senator Margaret Chase Smith usually wears a yellow tea ,rose on her shoulder. Like the Senator, the rose is handsome but it has long, sharp thorns, and many a rueful politico sees a symbol in that fact, too. Political opponents of Senator Smith have been known to get scratched.

One politico who has had some experience with the Smith thorns is Maine's own Republican Owen Brewster, who was defeated for re-election in the 1952 senatorial primary (by Frederick G. Payne). Since then, Lawyer Brewster has been pestering the Eisenhower Administration for a job. First he wanted to be Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations, then a member of the Maritime Commission, a Pentagon official, a Commerce Department officer, a Tariff Commission member. In short, anything. The Administration was chary about Owen Brewster, especially because of his old contacts with Influence Peddler Henry ("The Dutchman") Grunewald.

Not wanting to turn down a former Senator, Administration job dispensers in each case asked Senator Smith if she would object to his appointment. She said that she would not. Then the Administration men would ask her if she would take "responsibility" by recommending Brewster. No, she would not do that, either. That finally killed Brewster's hopes for a job in the Executive Branch.

Entered. Brewster turned to Congress, and his old friend Senator Joe McCarthy came through. McCarthy offered him a job as counsel for McCarthy's full Gov ernment Operations Committee. Margaret Smith, distinctly no friend of McCarthy, is a member of the committee. Last month she pointedly absented herself from a committee meeting called to consider Brewster's appointment. The other members talked it all over and decided they needed more time to think about it.

Last week McCarthy called the committee into a second executive session. Again, nothing came of it. Said Joe: "We decided to poll the committee." Next day the committee was polled on Brewster's appointment. Republican Karl Mundt, the first member approached, said he would approve Brewster--if Mrs. Smith and three Democrats on the committee also approved. Senator Smith was approached next. Again she refused to take responsi bility for Brewster or to give him her unqualified backing.

She would, she said pleasantly, put in writing her willingness to sign an approval of Brewster--but, of course, only if all the other Republicans on the committee and three Democrats would sign.

Scratched. That put Illinois' Ev Dirksen and Idaho's Henry Dworshak on the defensive. Asked to sign, they declined, saying there was no sign they would ever get the three Democratic signatures that Mrs. Smith had demanded. At about this time, Dirksen got word from the White House that no one there would be disappointed if Brewster did not get the job.

Republican John Marshall Butler of Maryland signed without stipulation. Then Brewster called on Dirksen, raged at him and recalled their old Senate friendship. Said Dirksen: "Oh, well, okay, I'll sign." He insisted, however, that his signature would not be valid unless three specified Democrats, John McClellan of Arkansas, Stuart Symington of Missouri and Henry Jackson of Washington, also signed. Charles Potter, Michigan Republican, signed with the stipulation ,that three Democrats--any three Democrats--would have to sign before his signature was valid.

At week's end the Democrats caucused and decided to stand unanimously against Brewster. Margaret Smith, without actually opposing Brewster and McCarthy, had quietly maneuvered her two old nonfriends into a spot where Owen Brewster's appointment appeared unlikely.

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