JOHN DANFORTH TO LEAVE SEANTE A BETTER PLACE

John Danforth has been Missouri's preeminent political leader of recent times. With a nod to Richard Gephardt, John Ashcroft, Christopher Bond and Thomas Eagleton, we acknowledge this stature for Danforth because of the trailblazing way he had to fashion his governmental career and the demeanor with which he fulfilled it. We regard Danforth's announcement Monday that he plans to leave politics with mixed feelings, partly in knowing new leaders will step forward to fill his shoes and partly in knowing his shoes will be so hard to fill.

Sen. Danforth carved for himself a unique role in the theater of Washington, D.C. When it seemed all around him on Capitol Hill would take the easy way out, the Missouri senator stood firm on principle. When America was led to believe (with some justification) that Congress was the nation's summit of excess, Sen. Danforth provided lessons in restraint. Whether liking or disliking his stands on issues, few ever complained that Sen. Danforth dealt with them dishonestly, or that he measured up to the term "politician" with its most contemptuous connotation.

Since first being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1976 (following a stint in Missouri government, two terms as attorney general), Sen. Danforth has provided this state reasoned and effective representation. For a time in the 1980s, the name "Danforth" was among the most feared in Japan, as the Missouri senator fought to level the playing field of international trade. He was on the forefront of transportation safety and communication issues, advocating drug testing for railroad workers, looking to the future in the airline industry, supporting laws to get drunk drivers off the roads and locking horns with cable television executives over pricing and other regulations. Even on issues where we disagreed with the senator, such as his deference to President Bush's civil rights legislation, his approach was always earnest and true to his beliefs.

Sen. Danforth was even ahead of the curve on a now-popular movement, that of term limits. He said during his first days in the Senate that he would serve just two terms, a declaration forsaken in his last run for office in 1988. Still, his announcement that he will not seek re-election in 1994 demonstrates for us an endearing quality: John Danforth always seemed to realize there was life outside of public service, an actual existence outside of Washington, D.C. An ordained Episcopal minister who will be 58 when he leaves office, the senator wants to do something else with his life. In a business where power is often assumed for power's sake, his decision is refreshing.

All sorts of possibilities exist, all sorts of jockeying is likely, as the competition begins for taking over Danforth's Senate seat. After the 1992 elections, there are plenty of Missouri Republicans without offices to go to. There are also a number of state Democrats whose eyes will alight at the thought of joining the U.S. Senate. Certainly, whoever heads to that post will have John Danforth to thank for leaving that august body a better place and making the job easier.