Evening star., 1948-06-25
Dewey's Two Nominations Belle
Saying, 'TheyNever Come Back

OvSI SOII1S D~SN
port threw the Dewey entourage
into gloom. But not the Governor
Despite his misfortune in Nebrasks
where he arrived too late and gave
too little, Gov. Dewey decided tt
campaign the Pacific Coast strong
hold of republicism. After all
much more than Oregon's six votes
were at stake. Mr.. Stassen was
killing off the leaders. The nomi-
nation and probably the presidency
hung in the balance.
The country knows how Gov
Dewey worked. No town was toe
small. Mr.. Stassen, who had taken
possession of the State and then left
for the East, hurried back.
| Mr.. Stassen challenged him tc
public debate on outlawing the
Communist Party, the challenger in
the affirmative. If any high school,
debating team got Gov. Dewey's
end of that debate by flip of a
coin they would figure they hao
lost right then and there. The Gov
errors advisers were against it. But
Gov. Dewey accepted the challenge
| He had his own ideas about the
quality of the challenger's argument
And he was getting tired of Mr.
Stassen's implications that the Gov
ernor of New York, which contains
most of the Communists, was cod
ding them. They met.
Caught in Mistake.
Mr.. Stassen addressed the micro
phone, said something about recla
nation projects for Oregon's great
rivers, told of saving lives in the
Pacific something his nonservice
opponent obviously would be un-
able to counter) and then urged the
passage of the Mundt- Nixon bill
making the mistake of saying that
it outlawed communism.
There Gov. Dewey had him. He
quoted the bills sponsor, Repre-
sentative Mundt, Republican, OF
South Dakota, saying in a speech
on the floor of the House that his
bill did not outlaw the Communist
Party. He quoted the Committee
on American Activities, which
reported the bill favorably, as say
ing the bill did not outlaw the
Communist Party.
The debate was broadcast by the
major networks. 1t was heard by
millions across the country. Tha1
was on Monday night. On Friday
the Oregon Jury reported. two
hundred thousand voted and they
gave Dewey a 5000 lead.
Ii Gov. Dewey should come here
as President in January, as the
political polls and the gambling
odds seem to indicate, he may
follow the same course regarding
Government employees that he die
when he was inagurated Governor
in January, 1943. New York Repub.
licans had been out in the cold fol-
20 long years. They wanted the jobs
New York State has about 10000
employees, practically all Of them
under civil service. Gov. Dewey
replaced all the top people on the
policy level and, of course, the
Republican requirements brought
in many people in the higher ad-
ministrative jobs. Although the
Governor was under great heat
from his own party to do something
about it, he left undisturbed the
big body of civil servants. He won
most of them to him by giving
them pay raises. A former New
York official estimated for the
writer that the pay of the New
York State employe has been in
creased SO per cent in successive
pay raises since 1912.
When he took Office there was a
$4,000 ceiling for top State jobs
He didn't hesitate to break through
that ceiling. He increased some OF
them to $4,000 year and today
the commissioners, as the New York
State department heads are called
average $4,000 year.
No Financial Difficulties.
He increased workmen's COM
pensation insurance payments from
$25 to $33 a week. He let the legisla-
ture know ha would 60 along with
whatever they considered an ade-
quate veterans bonus. A legislative
committee was appointed and they
suggested bonding the State an
additional $450,000,000 to make
bonus payments ranging up to $3.50
for 80 days service overseas to the
States 100000 veterans.
He had no financial difficulties
during his two terms. Gov. Lehman
left him a surplus of $60,000,00 and
despite his continuing to halve the
income tax, this grew to $700 600, ,00C
during the war period in which the
State was unable to undertake con-
struction Of highways or buildings
Gov. Dewey added commerce de-
partment which opened a Washing.
ton Office to follow war contract:
and offer the contractors manufac.
turing facilities in New York State
For years legislators from New
York had been introducing bill!
against discrimination in employ.
ment. Gov. Dewey was the frs
chief executive to do something
about it. He appointed a commits
sion under Irving Ives. Assembl.
majority leader '(now junior Sen
ato) to study the matter and mak'
recommendations. Their recon-
mendation was for a law creating
a permanent commission which
would move against discrimination
with conferences. hearings ane
administrative orders. Old lin,
liberals such as Oswald Garrison
Willard wrote letters to the editol
otaeSin0 that s,,Ah . Law, v,on.1r