Evening star., 1948-03-09
Truman Declaration
Seen as Sign Of Both
Weakness, Strength
Indicates Advisers Need
TO Worn All Dissident
Federal OfficehoIders
By David Laurence

By David Laurence
President Truman's announce
ment that he will be a candidate
for the Democratic nomination for
= the presidency Is q sign Of both
weakness and strength.
To the extent that the announce
ment was forced prematurely in
order to set at rest rumors of with
drawal, 1t indicates that Mr.. Tru-
mans political advisers need the
offcial decision at this time to ward
off disintegration of the Truman
strength among Federal off1cehold-
ers In the various States. These
of1ceholders usually control the
selection of delegates.
In the sense that Mr.. Truman's
political stock has been declining due
to revolts within the party, the an
nouncement carries with 1t a note
of defiance and tells all dissident
factions that Mr.. Truman isn't
going to pull out voluntarily and
that he means to make a fight
This may be considered ample
warning. and, Of course, 1t assures
him Of the nomination. With the
presidential power to remove almost
all Federal appointees now complete,
due to recent decisions Of the Su-
preme Court of the United States,
woe betide any Federal officeholder
who ventures to fight a nomination
wanted by the Chief Executive.
Entitled to Nomination.
Mr.. Truman is not up for re-
election, as he was not the party
nominee for President the last time,
>. but he has held the presidency
since the beginning OF the present
fourth term of the New Deal lack
ing only about three months. BY
all the rules of the political game,
'he is entitled to the succeeding
, nomination in his own right.
3, There is an old saying in politics
that II President does not deserve
to be continued in Office on the
basis of his own record, no other
party member can hope to run on
that record either. There have been
Vice Presidents who succeeded to
, the presidency and have not won
, the presidential nomination ut the
, first subsequent nominating con-
vention, but this has not happened
for many decades. Thus, in the
present century, Theodore Roose-
. welt, who succeeded President Nc
Kinley in September, 1901, within
six months after Inauguration, was
accepted for nomination in 1904.
F. But he held the antithird term
sentiment 80 strongly that he an
nounced almost Immediately after
his election in 1904 that he would
not be candidate for denomination
in 1903 for what really would have
been only o second term in his own
right.
Vice President Coolidge, who sue
ceeded President Harding In August,
1923, in the midst Of a presidential
term, accepted one nomination in
1924 but announced that he did not
choose to run" in 1928. President
Franklin Roosevelt ignored all these
precedents and, In the language OF
his national chairman, James A.
Farley, engineered his own nomi-
nation" and took not only a third
but O fourth term nomination.
Mr.. Truman Is beset with internal
strife in his party and undoubtedly
he was importuned to try no longer
to give the customary impression OF
being drafted or sought by the
party. The danger that he might
be abandoned by his party II he
failed to announce his intentions
has been intensified by the Southern
revolt.
Revives Old Custom.
The decision to crack the whip
and make Federal officeholders toe
the line revives an old presidential
custom. Back in 1908. when Presi-
dent Taft had lost his popularity
and Theodore Roosevelt wanted the
nomination, the Federal officehold-
ing group was able to save the
nomination for Mr.. Taft, but 1t split
the party wide open and the regu-
lar Republican nominee didn't get
q dozen electoral votes.
There Is no gainsaying the fact
that President Truman is by no
means the strongest candidate the
Democratic Party could name. Chief
Justice Vinson would easily win the
contest this year If given the party
nomination. So would Senator Harry
Byrd Of Virginia.
What Mr.. Truman has failed to
perceive Is that this country Is to-
day nonradical. A majority of the
voters leans away from fake liberal
ism and radicalism, and Mr.. Tru-
man has completely misjudged the
temper OF the country by alignine
himself with the labor union bosses
and other radicals. The Congress
today reflects the popular will ex-
pressed in November. 1916, not only
through the Republican majority
but the substantial number of DEM
ocrats who voted for the Taft
Hartley law. Yet Mr.. Truman clings
desperately to the foolish spolitical
strategy which ties his kite to the
CIO stars. Mr.. Truman might have
been q popular figure and might
have been regarded in March, 1948
rs q sure winner If he had not
chosen to cast his lot with the radi-
Gals.
CReproductton RIGHTS Reserved:
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