Cheers and Eisenhower Sign Greet Sen. Taft on Common

Politically-inspired signs, airplanes, cheers, and laughter greeted Senator Robert A. Taft, aspirant to the Republican Presidential nomination, at non-political Patriot's Day exercises on Cambridge Common last Saturday morning.

The commemorative program included the usual veterans' parade, patriotic speeches, the Governor's Proclamation, and the reappearance of William Dawes, mounted and 15 minutes late.

Soon after Taft mounted the rostrum, the droning of an airplane somewhat drowned the remarks of one of the speakers. The plane circled, flaunting a streamer which read: Win with Eisenhower April 29. The crowd was amused, angry, or indifferent, depending on individual political sentiment.

Taft briefly outlined our fight for liberty and the personal heroism of Paul Revere and William Dawes and then declared, "Today we face an assault on liberty." He went on, "The gradual growth of taxation itself has been a threat to American liberty."

Gootenberg Heckles

Then a number of signs were quickly raised in the audience. Roy Gootenberg, teaching fellow in Government, held a sign saying, "If you are elected, will this be your cabinet?" Other placards said, General Douglas MacArthur, Secretary of Defense; Chiang Kai-Shek, Secretary of State, and Senator Joe McCarthy, Atterney General.

Taft merely glanced at the signs; smiled, and continued his short talk.

Later, when the ceremony was almost ended. Gootenberg engaged in a bitter dispute with Cambridge policemen over the placards. The police refused to permit display of the signs, even though Gootenberg quoted a number of court cases in his own defense.