Evening star., 1948-05-08
The Political Mill
AIubnmu's Vote Showed
Revolt in Concrete Form

NevOI( III NONCTSCS TOIm
Southern Program Might Throw
Choice of President Into House
By Gould Lincoln
The Southern revolt against the nomination
Of President Truman, and against his re-elec.
ton should he be nominated, took definite,
concrete form when Alabama Democrats voted
last Tuesday to instruct their presidential eec-
tors not to vote for any presidential nominee
who supports the Truman civil rights program.
If other Southern States follow this program.
Mr. Truman will not receive their electoral
votes-which would have the effect Of denying
him the election should he and the Republican
nominee be running neck and neck through
out the country. 1t might, under those con-
ditions, throw the election of President into
the House of Representatives.
Alabama's course, 1t is expected, will be
followed by other Southern Democratic States.
Southern Democratic leaders here insist it Is
the most effective way to make their revolt
stand up. Further, they believe that 1t will
have a very considerable influence upon the
partys national convention and its delegates
once they get down to the job of nominating
presidential candidate in Philadelphia next
July Whether the various State delegations
of the South walk out of the convention II
Mr.. Truman is the nominee, or If the party
platform contains support for the Civil Rights
Program, is, in their opinion immaterial, pro-
vided the presidential electors are definitely
instructed never to vote for Mr. Truman.
Truman Not Yielding.
A number Of Southern Democratic leaders
have been suggested as proper candidates to
whom the electors of the Southern States might
throw their votes-in the event Mr.. Truman
becomes the nominee of the National Conven-
ton. Among them are Gov. Thurmond Of South
Carolina and Senator Byrd Of Virginia. The
Southern Democratic electors, however, would.
under the instructions, given the Alabama
electors, be free to vote for any one they saw
f1t provided he was opposed to the civil rights
program.
President Truman and his supporters, how
ever, show no inclination so far to yield to the
impact Of this Southern revolt. They intend
to go right ahead with their campaign to
nominate the President to succeed himself.
What will be the effect Of this organized re-
volt upon Democrats of States outside of the
South is still an open question. There have
been serious demands from Democratic leaders
in Illinois, in Massachusetts,, in New York and
elsewhere for the nomination Of candidate
other than Mr.. Truman. Mostly the talk has
been about nominating Gen. Eisenhower, new
president of Columbia University. Gen. Eisen-
hover has given no encouragement. Some
of the Democrats have discussed also the wis
dom of nominating Associate Justice Douglas
of the United States Supreme Court-a Roose-
welt New Dealer The Americans for Demo-
cratic Action, whose membership includes
many of the old Roosevelt followers, has
strongly urged Mr. Truman to step aside and
permit the nomination of another 1t has
approved both Gen. Eisenhower and Justice
Douglas.
Has 423 Delegates.
Even should this course be followed, 1t is
unlikely that either Gen. Eisenhower or Justice
Douglas would turn. his back on the civil
rights program to which the Southerners have
taken umbrage. The hope Of the anti-Truman
Democrats is that the Southerners would ease
off In their opposition either to Gen. Eiser~-
hover or to Justice Douglas.
AS of today, the President appears to havs
all the better Of the fight for the presidential
nomination. The Democrats have elected $50
of the 1924 delegates who will make up the
party's national convention. OF these 423 are
for Mr.. Truman, and probably some Of the
1877 unpledged delegates will also support him.
1t requires under the present rules OF the
Democratic National Convention only a ma
Jorty, 6l8 to nominate. Mr.. Truman Is only
1875 short OF this number with GA still to be
finally chosen.
The presidential office, with all its tremend-
Gus power Of Federal patronage makes it ex-
tremely difficult for any revolving party group
to deny the occupant Of the White House nomi-
nation. In addition, President Truman will
have headed the executive branch of the Gov
ernment for three years when the Democratic
convention aSSeubles The record of the DemO-
cratic Party during that period will be his
record. Whoever is the Democratic nominee
will be compelled to stand on that record and
to meet Republican assaults upon 1t. Mr.. Tru-
man, therefore, is the logical choice.
Mr.. Truman has had many ups and downs
in popular esteem. More recently his foreign
policy has been given an uplift by the Italian
Communist elections He has dealt effec-
lively with John L. Lewis, and he may gain
by Intervention in the proposed railroad strike.
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