Evening star., 1945-11-11
Definite Political Trend
Lacking in Tuesday Vote
Defeat of CIO Candidate in Detroit Raises Oues.
ton as to Future of PAC Influence, but
Democrats Will Seek to Hold It
By Gould Lincoln

The elections Of ls45 offer slim pick
ings to the political prognosticators Of
what is likely to happen in the congress
sional elections next year-slim very
largely because the elections themselves
were very few and because, for the most
part, they were fought out on local is
sues. Outstanding In the brief list,
however, were victories of Mayor Jeffries
in Detroit over his CIO-backed oppon-
ent, Richard T. Frankensteen, and Of
Mayor-elect william O'Dwyer of New
York.
The Detroit election was run on q non
partisan basis. However, the Demo-
cratic high command in Washington de-
termined to 60 the limit for Franken-
steen and CIO victory. AS sequel, the
Democratic organization in Detroit, such
as it is, formally announced for Frank
ensteen. Presumably most of the Demo-
Gratis voted for him and the Democratic
National Committee is believed to have
dumped some money into the campaign.
The Republicans in Detroit offered
their backing to Mayor Jeffries, but he
refused, insisting that the mayoralty
contest was nonpartisan affair, so in
tended by the laws and was being waged
on city issues, not party issues. Never
theless, the Republicans are supposed to
have joined largely in the vote for JEFF
fries. And there you have it. 1t is pos
sible, under these circumstances to argue
a Republican victory took place. But
the main issue in this contest was
whether the city was to be dominated
in its government by the CIO. Also,
racial issues figured prominently.
Frown on Nonpartisan Races.
The Democratic national leaders. on
the theory that the great cities of the
country are fundamentally Democratic
and not Republican, are looking askance
on nonpartisan municipal elections. A
nonpartisan victory, in their opinion, is
a Democratic defeat. What they would
like is the formation Of strong Demo-
cratic organizations in all the cities
patterned on the Democratic organiza-
tions which control in Chicago, New
York, Jersey City and several other big
centers Of population.
Furthermore, the Democratic leaders
have come to the conclusion apparently
that the CIO and its Political Action
Committee are valuable adjuncts. They
intend, 1t appears, to cling closer to the
CIO than brother. They have seen the
CIO get out the vote in the big centers
in the 1914 presidential election and get
it out for their candidate. However. that
was when the late President Roosevelt
was running-the favorite of millions of
working people. It was comparatively
easy to get out the vote for him. With
out candidate as popular as Mr.. Roose-
velt, the activities of the CLOS PAC
may be far less effective. In fact, this
was demonstrated In the Detroit elec-
ton when the CIO and the Democrats
were backing Frankensteen, an interna-
tional vice president of the Automobile
Workers Union.
Democratic victories during the last
IL years have been won almost entirely
IN the Industrial centers of the country.
1t is the big-city vote that pulled them
through. The farm areas were the first
to turn away from Roosevelt and both
Willkie and Dewey, the last two Repub-
lican presidential nominees, carried
most of the big agricultural States of the
Midwest. So it may be expected the
Democratic strategy win be to stick to
the CIo, closely-knit organization
which has had considerable experience
in partisan politics during recent years.
AFL Keeps Aloof From CIO.
Obviously, however, it is going to be
a more dificult task to line up the vot-
ing workers for a candidate who does
not equal Roosevelt in popularity. In
the first place, the American Federation
OF Labor unionists are disinclined to 60
along with the CIO leadership in poll
tics. The AFL stuck to Roosevelt be-
cause it had to-the members Of their
unions were devoted to the late Presi-
dent. In the recent Detroit mayoralty
election, however, the AFL unionists
worked hard to defeat Frankensteen,
just another evidence of the difficulty
the Democrats and the CIO may have
AAA kAAV SOA6ACookOAld4 CkCCtlOllo Ol 1870
and the national election of 1948.
In New York, the Democratic mayor
atty candidate cleaned up. His opposi-
tion was divided, in the first place,
through the activities of the outgoing
Mayor, Fiorello H. La Guardia. Mr.. La
Guardia wouldn't or couldn't run him
self for fourth term-he says one thing
and his enemies say the other-and he
would not stand for hand-picked Judge
Jonah ]. Goldstein, Democrat who had
been associated with Tammany but who
broke away from it. Judge Goldstein
was the choice of the Liberal party and
was supported by the Republicans and
Gov. Thomas E. Dewey. Mayor La
Guardia ran his own candidate, New
bold Morris, Republican president of the
City Council, on q mo Deal" party
platform.
Either because they could not swallow
The Sterling Bloc
The present sterling area is a war
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