Evening star., 1944-11-03

Just this week in a Washington
speech he denied all over again all
the things he had previously de-
MED. Beyond all question, he is the
greatest denier of this campaign
If not of all campaigns. 1t is true
that he has had more things to
deny than any other figure in the
fight and, certainly. it is easier tc
deny than to explain or defend
However, some of his earnest and
ardent liberal" friends are carry
ing this denial business consider
ably beyond reason. Apparently
they do not stop to think that a
stage can be reached where a de-
NAL becomes an admission.
For example, some of these friends
not only deny that Mr.. Hillman is
Communist, but insist that he
actually hates Communists and has
spent most of his life fighting them.
At the same time they concede that
Mr.. Hillman was assisted by the
Communists in obtaining control of
the American Labor party.
1t will be recalled that Mr.. David
Dubinsky and his followers left the
American Labor party after Mr..
Hillman gained control on the
ground that it was Communist con-
trolled and directed. Thus the de-
nial of Mr.. Hillman and his friends
becomes ridiculous. They deny in
one breath and admit in the next
nf< n,,o<nL DLroeo
1t Is the same way with that
trenchant and oft-quoted phrase,
Clear everything with Sidney"
First quoted by Mr.. Arthur Krock
In the New York Times as an in
struction given Chairman Hanne-
gan by the President at the Demo-
cratic convention, and unquestion-
ably true, 1t was at first violently
denied-and still is-by some, but
Is partially admitted by others.
For example, it is now said that the
Republicans are grossly unfair in
constituting that phrase to mean that
everything at the convention had to
be cleared with Sidney" when all
that was ever meant was that the
vice presidential nomination was to
be so cleared. Mr.. Krock himself
takes that view.
Promptly the Hillman defenders
seized upon that. Now they deny,
first, that any such instruction was
ever given; second, that it only
applied to the vice presidential
nomination. Well, what else was
there? The presidential nomination
Certainly cleared with Sidney was
assured before the convention met.
The platform was written and ap-
proved before a delegate reached
Chicago.
What else of the least Importance
did the convention do except nomi-
nate Mr.. Roosevelt's running mate?
There wasn't anything else. That
was everything. And that was
cleared with Sidney" because Mr..
Truman, accompanied by the chair
man, personally did the clearing.
All this confusion between denials
and admissions would be amusing if
1t did not seem serious affair to
have President of the United
States so utterly dependent for po-
litical support on a man who has to
be thus defended and explained, who
has to deny and deny and deny
"asain and again and again" and
whose denials carry so little weight.
Other Things Denied.
first, that Mr. Hillman and his CIO-
PAC aim to take over the Demo-
cratic party; second, that in event
OF Mr.. Roosevelt's election Mr.. Hill
man will be the most powerful DO
litical figure in the country, closer to
the White House than any one else,
welding more influence with the
President than any other.
But these facts are so obvious that
denials are not worth while. AS to
the first, the taking over has, in
effect, already been achieved. The
CIO-PAC today has in many States
a far more effective and formidable
organization than the regular Dem
ocrats. That organization is being
put on a permanent basis.
The CIO-PAC, like the Com
munists, have gone into the Demo-
cratic party and are there to stay.
That is too plain to dispute Nor
does any practical politician doubt
that success in this campaign will
put them well on the road to dom
nance.
AS to the second, it hardly can be
doubted that, if Mr.. Roosevelt wins,
Mr.. Hillman will be his closest and
most important political friend and