Evening star., 1943-06-17
The Political Mill
Refusal Of Funds by South Carolina Committee
Indicates First Glass Row Among Democrats

South are solidly back of the
President In his war effort.
One reason advanced for the
refusal of the South Carolina
committee to collect funds and
send them to the Democratic
national organization to help it
pay its debts and prepare for
the 1914 campaign is that the
State Democratic treasury is low.
that it needs to be built up. But
even If this were not so, accord
ing to reports from the State. the
committee would have said mo"
because it does not have sympa-
thy with the administration
policies or wish to help perpetu-
ate them.
The play which the Roosevelt
administration has made for the
colored vote in Northern States
play which has included plans
for a new policy, both political
and social, for the colored people
in Southern States-is admittedly
one of the sore spots.
No one believes that South
Carolina or the, solid South" is
going to desert the Democratic
Party. If the war is still on, the
expected drive to renominate the
President is entirely likely to
carry along with it these Demo-
Gratis Of the South. But should
the war be over, or we'll on its
way to a successful conclusion,
the picture might be very differ
ent. AS one veteran Democratic
member of the House from the
South said: The South is sick
of an administration which is
continually abusing the white
people of the South in an effort
to elect Democrats from the other
States to Congress who will carry
on policies which are offensive to
the South"
This same member of the
House warned that the South
may yet hold the balance of
power, both when it comes to
nominating candidates for Presi-
dent and Vice President and in
the elections. 1t has been the
practice of the administration,
he continued, to treat the South
as political chattel upon whose
votes it could count, no matter
what.
1t is all the more remarkable
that this note of revolt should
have come from the State of Mr..
ByrneS, who for many years was
representative and Senator from
South Carolina. Mr.. Byrnes has
been a staunch supporter of the
New Deal administration in the
past-and until he was appointed
TO the Supreme Court he was
leaned on heavily by the White
House to steer administration
measures through the Senate.
1888 Result Recalled.
More recently it has been ru-
mored that the New Dealers we're
willing to throw Vice President
Wallace overheard next year, and
nominate Mr.. Byrnes as run
ming mate with President Roose-
velt. Mr.. Byrnes has denied he
has any ambition to become the
vice presidential nominee. But
that he would accept the nornina-
ton If the President urged it is
the general belief. 1t has been
suggested that such gesture on
the part of the New Dealers
would heal the wounds in the
South.
The New Dealers, headed by
President Roosevelt. took a drub-
bing in South Carolina and
Georgia in 1888 when they sought
to purge Senator Cotton Ed"
Smith and Senator George and to
replace them with Democrats IA
vorable to the administration.
1t was recalled today that the
solid South" was broken badly
in the presidential election of
1928, when four Southern States.
Virginia. Texas, Florida and
North Carolina, gave their cleo
toral votes to Republican Her
bert Hoover against Al Smith,
and one or two other States, it
has been charged, were only
saved to the Democratic candi-
date by the failure to count all
the votes cast for the Republican.