Evening star., 1947-07-08
The Political Mil
Southern Senators Reply
To Wallace on Purge
Critics See Ex.Vice President Planning
Comeback on Ticket
The Political Mil
By Gould Lincoln

Republic, proposes that President Truman
undertake purge" of "reactionary" South
ern Democrats in Congress.
'Labors spokesmen," he writes, should call
on the President to demonstrate the sincerity
Of his veto (of the Taft-Hartley labor bilD
by taking the leadership now to change the re-
dictionary character of the Democratic Party
in most Southern States"
mo wonder commented Senator Harry
Flood Byrd Of Virginia, "Mr. Wallace wants
to purge the Democratic leadership of the
South Didn't it purge Mr.. Wallace in 1914.
when he wanted to be renominated Vice Presi-
dent? Democratic convention in my own
State Of Virginia took the unprecedented step
OF adopting, unanimously, resolution instruct-
ing the State delegation in the Democratic Ma
tional Convention to do its utmost to prevent
Wallaces denomination for the Office he then
held-Vice President"
Senator Millard Tydings of Maryland, who
was an object Of the attempted Roosevelt
purge" in 1888, because he had opposed the
late Presidents Supreme Court packing bill
and otherwise offended the New Deal ad-
ministration, accused Mr. Wallace Of being a
political opportunist, whose convictions have
shallow roots"
Excerpt From Article.
In his New Republic article Mr. Wallace
writes: In 1945, James Byrnes, Harry Tru-
man and I were together before Roosevelts
funeral. I mentioned that the one outstand-
ing political disagreement had with Roose-
welt was over the 1888 purge attempt, and
that while I had felt I was right in ques-
tioning its feasibility at the time, I was be-
ginning to feel that he had been right and
that the issue was one which could not be
Sol % AaYfa
that the purge was mistake and that had
been right to oppose it, The 1888 situation Is
debatable Roosevelt may have been pre-
mature. But there Is no question about 1s47.
The forces Of liberalism In the South have
grown. The Democratic Partys very existence
is threatened. Truman, as its head, must use
the growing liberal forces to replace those
which have continually supported reaction"
Said Senator Tydings: "Mr. Wallace says
the purge campaign conducted by Roosevelt in
1888 was a mistake. Later on in the article
he says that question is now debatable. Aside
from showing the shallow roots Of Mr.. Wal
laces convictions, he says by inference that
the methods Of dictatorship, If they tend to
accomplish the at-the-moment beliefs Of
Mr.. Wallace, are justidable And yet here is
man who many of his followers say, and
who he himself believes, is a liberal.
"A brief reading of Mr.. Wallace's article
shows 1t presents him as an intolerant man.
not averse to the technique and mechanics of
the dictator. Mr.. Wallace seems ever ready
to unite the churlish knot of dictatorship in
order that the unraveled strings may aid his
patented brands of what he likes to think Is
liberalism.
ANY man who would embrace the mechanics
and technique Of dictatorship marries the
shrew Of the end justifes the means Mr..
Wallace's article indicates he would be happy
living with such a spouse
Attitude Expected.
The attitude Of Senators Byrd and Tydings
toward Mr.. Wallace and his proposed cure for
the ills of the Democratic Party is not unex-
pected. They have never had any use for Mr..
Wallace. Naturally they resent his assertion
that the only way to save the Democratic
Party is to turn the leadership in the Southern
States over to New Deal Democrats-or to
Democrats other than those now in control.
Another Democratic Senator from the
South, who did not wish to be quoted but
who feels as strongly in opposition to Mr..
Wallace, said that the Southern Democrats in
Congress had been helping to keep the party
alive in the days when Mr.. Wallace was him.
self voting the Republican ticket.
"If it had not been for the Democrats Of
the South, the party would have folded up
years ago." he commented, Now this new
conner seeks to eliminate the leadership Of
the party in the States OF the South"
Mr.. Wallace, in his article, again threatens
the Truman administration and the leaders in
Congress with new third parry, organized by
labor, if the administration does not yield to
the dictates of Mr.. Wallace and the labor
leaders 1t begins to look as though Mr.. Wal
lace will have to 60 through with his third
party proposal when 194S rolls around. Some
of his Democratic critics are saying that Mr..
Wallace apparently is seeking to stage q
comeback, even to the extent of demanding
and receiving a Democratic nomination for
Vice President with Mr.. Truman at the head
of the ticket.
Questions and Answers