Evening star., 1946-07-19
President Expected
To Confine Stumping
To Individual Races
Ry the As,ocioted Press

ny the As,oeioted Press
Democratic politicians fore
cast today that if President Tru-
man takes the stump this fall he
and other party leaders will pick
individual congressional contests
rather than arrange a country
wide tour.
Associates said that SO far as they
know there is no thought in Mr..
Trumans mind of trying to dupli-
cate the grand tour of 1918 in which
President Wilson carried his fight
for off-year control of Congress to
the people.
The Democrats lost control of
Congress that year in surge which
carried the Republicans to full
command of the National Govern
ment in 1920. B. Carroll Reece, Re-
publican national chairman, has
marked this leaf in the political his
tory books in concentrating 1946
Republican efforts on congressional
races.
No Specific Plans Made.
While Mr.. Truman's personal po-
litical future thus may be at stake,
he told his news conference yester-
day no specific plans for a speaking
tour had been made. He said he is
willing to help out Democrats where
he can.
He did not know, he added in re-
sponse to a question, whether he
would speak in New York. There
Senator Mead may be the Demo-
cratic nominee for Governor in q
contest with Gov. Thomas E. Dewey,
the 1914 COP presidential choice.
Senator Mead, still coy about the
governorship race, told reporter:
'If were a candidate this year.
I should certainly feel privileged to
have the President of the United
States speak in my behalf"
But some other legislators, with
the defeat of Senator Wheeler,
Democrat, of Montana, fresh in
mind, were not so sure that presi
dental aid is the best political medi-
cine.
Without reference to the Montana
primary, Senator Thomas, Democrat,
of Oklahoma, observed to newsman
that there is doubt in his mind
whether any outsider-even the
President-can influence the voters
favorably for another candidate.
Purge Attempts Recalled.
st don't think President Roosevelt
did me much good when he came to
Oklahoma in 1888 and Endorsed me-"
Senator Thomas said. That was
year Mr.. Roosevelt attempted to
purge several Democratic Senators
in the primaries and lost every bat
tie. He was credited, however, with
helping bring about the defeat Of
Representative John J. O'Connor,
Democrat, of New York.
With the exception of Montana
and Missouri. where Mr. Truman
has announced his support of Sena-
tor Briggs and his opposition to the
denomination of Representative
Roger C. Slaughter. the President
has stayed out of the primaries.
AS for his comment on the ap-
preaching general elections and Mr..
Slaughter, COP Chairman Reece
said in statement:
MI Truman's decision to make
political stump-speaking tour this
fall shows a realization on his part
that the fortunes of his party are
on the down grade and his attempt
ed resort to the purge is proof that
his partyois still operating on rule
or-ruin basis, with the radical group
continuing in control
spent on a political tour by the
President could be spent more ad--
vantageously If he remained in
Washington and attempted to bring
some degree of order out of the
organized chaos which exists in the
Federal Government today"
Others Welcome Intervention.
Some other Republicans, however,
said they would welcome Mr.. Tru-
mans intervention in the November
contests.
Senator Wherry of Nebraska, the
minority whip, told reporter:
IF Mr.. Truman takes the stump
to help Democrats who have sup
ported his platform, I think that
will be very helpful to the Repub-
hcans running against them. After |
all, Mr.. Truman got only about five
of the jor planks of his platform
through Congress and he couldn't
recognize them after he got them.
Representatives are pretty close to
the people and I think that indi-
Gates about what the people think
OF the Presidents proposals.
1t was on the basis of Mr.. Slaugh-
ter's opposition to his legislative
proposals that Mr.. Truman said he
had acted to line up the Pendergast
group in support of Enos Axtell
against Mr. Slaughter.
Politicians thought the results in
that race August might have
weighty effect on how much activity
the President displays in the gen.
eral election campaign.
last night Mr.. Slaughter declared:
THE President of the United
States cast the issues today when
he said If Slaughter is right, I am
wrong accept that challenge
with all of its implications, includ-
Ing fight to determine the future
course of the Democratic party"
Earlier in the day, the Missouri
Representative told newsmen that
the White House, Democratic Ma
tional Chairman Robert E. Hanne-
gan, the late Sidney Hillman and
the CIO-PAC had been engaged
in a common enterprise" in con-
nection with his race.
Expressing the fear that the Pres
ident lis prisoner of the Political
Action Committee" the robust 40
year-old Congress member said he
was glad of the opportunity ito de-