Evening star., 1946-08-12

the Democratic party. Its hostility
to the Republicans is open and its
indictment of that party has been
SO violent that it could not support
any Republican candidate for the
presidency next time without COM
pletely ridiculous reversal of its po-
sition.
Some of its more silly leaders
have made bitter and disparaging
remarks about Mr.. Truman, who
concededly will be the Democratic
candidate; but they know, as does
every politician of any judgment
at all that they will support him In
preference to any Republican,
even the redoubtable Stassen, who
so insistently proclaims his liberal
ISM" Contention that they would
or could-do anything else is hol-
low and false. They know better.
Adopted Democrats.
They overwhelmingly for it
adopted the Democratic party, made
it their choice as the instrument
through which to promote their re
forms" and move toward their goals.
In New York they have almost taken
it over. Having made their choice,
they cannot shift now. The late Mr..
Sidney Hillman recognized that and
long ago committed himself to Mr..
Truman in 1948.
Thus, If and when Mr.. Dewey
beats this crowd, now all lined up
against him for 1946, he will have
beaten important enemies of his
party in 1948. More than that-he
will be the first Republican to have
gotten them all together out in the
open against him and beaten them
in the State where they are most
numerous, best organized and best
financed. If and when Gov.
Dewey does this he will have ex-
posed the bluff of the radical
groups. demonstrated the folly of
trying to placate them, freed his
party from a great fear and, Incl
dentaly, performed national serv-
ice.
Calmly considering this situation,
it does seem that the combination,
by its all-out- -beat-Dewey campaign,
has so set the stage that if and
when Dewey beats it, he will have
gained enormously in prestige and
be in far stronger position to carry
off the nomination in 1943 than he
was in 1914. The effort to rule him
out with the contention that the
Republicans never have renomi-
mated a defeated candidate is non-
sense.
Perhaps they have not, but it was
not because the candidate had been
defeated but because it was clear
he could not win or for other rea-
sons was not available. And the
Democrats have done it with Cleve-
land in 1892 and Bryan in 1900 and
1908. Mr.. Cleveland won and Mr.
Bryan did not-thus proving that
it is the man that counts, not the
fact that he made an unsuccessful
fight.
Outstanding Victory.
Again, if and when Mr.. Dewey
beats the dangerous radical groups
in New York, whose aim is to domi-
nate and control the National Gov
ernment, his friends can claim that
that alone makes him the outstand-
ing candidate and the Republican
best bet In addition, they can point
out that twice he has demonstrated
his ability to carry the biggest and
most indispensable State politically
in the Union.
Further, they can say of 1914 that
he not only had Roosevelt to fight
but Roosevelt with the tremendous
help which the war gave him. Yet,
he only lost the indispensable State
by less than 350,000 votes-and the
country by less than 100000.
Who" they might ask, could
have made a better fight? Could
Willkie? Could Bricker? Could
Taft? Could Stassen? Could Van-
denberg?" There are not many who
would answer yes to any of those
questions. The truth is that Mr..
Dewey's reelection will put him
in the lead for the 1948 nomination.
Some of the party politicians do
not care for him personally. Some
of our leading journalistic '1iber-
ais" detest him. Belittling and dis
paraging remarks are made and
printed about him. Some of the
party leaders do not like him, but
they do like a winner.
And a reelected Dewey, with the