Evening star., 1948-03-04
A Revolt Buckfires

The political revolt of the Virginia Demo-
Gratis is not going according to plan.
This is best evidenced by the fact that
the Committee on Privileges and Elections
of the General Assembly is meeting tonight
to hear testimony pro and con on Gov
ernor Tuck's bill to hold in allegiance Vir-
ginia's eleven electoral votes. Public hear
ings by this committee were no part of
the original plan, for when the bill was
offered last week the committee promptly
acted favorably and unanimously on it.
The opposition in the State proved to be
so extensive and so determined, however,
that sponsors of the bill have had to
backtrack.
The opposition springs from three prin-
cipal sources. One source is in Southwest
Virginia, where the Republicans are a
serious threat. The Democrats from that
section have spared no effort to sell the
voters on the idea that. come what may,
they should vote the Democratic ticket, and
they are very much afraid that the Tuck
proposal can be turned to partisan ad-
vantage in their districts by the Republi-
cans.
The Democrats who are opposed to
Senator Byrd are another source of
opposition. These Democrats, or con-
siderable number of them, suspect that
Senator Byrd is the real author of the
Tuck plan. and they think that the true
purpose of the plan may be to throw
the election into the House of Repre-
sentatives, where, these opponents argue,
Senator Byrd might hope to be elected
President. This seems improbable on it's
face. If there Is any basis in fact for it,
then Senator Byrd must be far less astute
in politics than he has been represented to
be. The report is going around the State,
however, and good many Virginians be-
lieve it.
The third main source of opposition
is composed of Virginians who do not
like the idea of any restraint on their
freedom to vote, by name, for the Demo-
cratic presidential candidate. There is
little evidence of any enthusiasm for Harry
Truman, but If Harry Truman is the Dem
ocratic nominee they want to vote for him,
and not for a slate of electors who would
get their instructions from State Demo-
cratic convention.
The character and extent of this op-
position show conclusively that Governor
Tuck and his advisers were guilty of a
major blunder when they tried to shove
the bill through the Legislature without
hearings and without any adequate effort
to educate the people as to its stated OBJ
jectives Whether the effects of this
blunder can be overcome through the hear
ings now scheduled is an open question,
although the additional amendments
which the Governor has agreed to, and
which would make it possible to vote for
President Truman, have improved the
bills prospects in the Legislature.
It is more than likely, however, that this
bill is doomed if it's long range purpose is to
take Virginia out of the Democratic Party.
There is practically no sentiment for that.
1t also seems doomed if it is intended
to be used to throw the election into the
House as step toward the selection of
Senator Byrd as President. On the other
hand, If the Tuck bill, as its sponsors con-
tend, is intended primarily as bargaining
weapon to prevent the enactment of Fed
eral racial legislation it still has chance
of being passed.
The loudest critics of the Tuck bill, in
cluding some of the leading newspapers in
the State, are hardly less vigorous in their
denunciations of the Federal racial bills.
But, while opposed to the Tuck plan, these
critics have no program of their own for
preventing passage of the racial laws.
This anomalous situation is indicative
of the confusion in the State and of the
doubts as to the real purpose of the
Tuck plan. 1t suggests two things: First
If the party leaders are to get their bill
passed, the testimony at the hearings which
begin tonight must convince majority of
the Democrats that the purpose of the
Tuck bill is to forestall enactment of the
Federal legislation, not to punish the Pres
ident or the Democratic Party. Second, 1t
must be shown that adoption of the Tuck
plan would hold out some real hope OF
heading off the racial bills, either by
preventing the adoption of cloture in the
Senate, which may be possible, and which
would give Southern Senators a chance to
filibuster against the bills, or by defeating
the racial measures If and when they come
to a vote in the Republican-controlled
Congress. That these bills can be de-
feated, if they come to a vote, is highly
improbable.