The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1948-07-08
THE GREAT
GAME OF
POLITICS
BY FRANK r. KENT.
Copyright by The Baltimore Sun and
reprinted in The Republican by per-
mission,
Three Distressed Groups

] ~ NAAONAFo
Three widely separated groups
two of considerable Importance and
{ the third of not so much-are deeply
distressed over the Dewey-Warren
ticket First, there are the labor
union bosses; second, the Southern
Democrats; third the so-called Amer
leans for Democratic Action, window
dressed by the Roosevelt boys, oper-
ated by old New Deal jobholders and
supported by journalistic liberals"
of the "bleeding-heart" type
Take first the labor bosses. The
! Dewey nomination seems worse to
them than any that could have been
made. Not only is Mr.. Dewey for the
Taft-Hartley Act, which they continue
to denounce as a "slave law" but dis
tinctly he is less likely to submit to
labor bullying or cajolery than any
other. In 1916 he showed up these la
Dor bosses as impotent political
frauds. In his campaign for re-elec-
ton for Governor they were unitedly
hostile. The American Labor party,
the Liberal party, the Communists,
the CIO, the AFL, the railroad broth
erhoods and the whole radical vote of
the State lined up solidly.
He was given first place as an
enemy Of Labor" and every ounce of
strength the labor bosses had was
fused against him. He practically
murdered them, carrying the State by
! the almost unprecedented majority of
100000. It was a useful demonstra-
ton, doing as much as anything to
free Congress from the fear which
had enabled the labor bosses, with
White House support, to dictate to it
for so many years. 1t is entirely
natural for them to be against Mr..
Dewey now. There is no place for
them to go except to Mr.. Truman or
Mr.. Wallace. If the Republicans win,
their days Of unrestrained and AFRO
giant power are Overland they do not
like the prospect.
Take next the Southern Democrats.
in revolt against Mr.. Truman because
Of his advocacy Of anti-segregation
and acial-discrimination legislation,
under the general and misleading head
of civil rights" The Dewey Warren
| ticket weakens their position for the
clear reason that Mr.. Dewey, on this
issue, is more offensive to them than
Mr.. Truman. Mr.. Dewey not only was
for this civil rights" scheme, which.
as Mr.. Donald Richberg has pointed
| out, really strikes at the basic liber-
ties of the individual under the Con-
stitution, and, as Senator Taft has
said, attempts to achieve by legis-
lation a perhaps laudable end that
just cannot be achieved by legislation
he not only was for these civil
rights" before Mr.. Truman but actual
ly put through a Fair Employment
Practices Act in New York more than
two years ago.
In light of these facts, what induce
ment is there now for the Southern
Democrats further to split their parry
by revolt in convention against Mr.
! Truman, which would serve only to
make Mr.. Deweys election more
sure? Obviusly none, and despite the
action yesterday Of Virginia and
Georgia, the revolt has lost force and
direction-particularly as the Dewey
Warren ticket has apparently closed
the door on the last hope of draft
ing" General Eisenhower
Finally, there is the ADA, the
leaders of which seem in an even more
sticky fix. They started out by being
anti-Wallace and anti-Truman APP
parently they are convinced that, by
rights, the Democratic party belongs
to them as the real representatives Of
the late Mr. Roosevelt. Not being
according to them-a real New Deal
er, they decided long ago that Mr..
Truman must be ditched and, though
! at heart for the eager Mr.. Justice
Douglas, that General Eisenhower