Evening star., 1948-02-21
Wallace in Fight to Stoy,
Democrats Will Find
Appeasement of Third.Party Candi.
date Seen Destined to Fail
The Political Min
By Gould Lincoln

Someday-perhaps-th Truman administra-
ton and Democratic National Chairman Nc.
Grath are going to come to the conclusion
they must fight Henry wallace-not appeass
him. Someday--perhaps-t will understand
that they are not going to be able to wheedls
the former Vice President back into their
camp-that Mr.. Wallace is In this fight to
stay, with his third-party candidacy for
President.
Up to the present, however, the Truman
Democrats have been delicate, very delicate,
in their handling of Mr.. Wallace. Chairman
McGrath for example, In a radio address after
Mr.. Wallace and his candidate for the House
seat In the Bronx, Leo Isacson. had taken the
Democratic organization to the cleaners, held
out the olive branch to Mr.. Wallace. He hoped.
he said that Mr.. Wallace would see the error
Of his ways. 1t was virtual invitation to drop
the third party and return to the Democratic
fold. 1t is the same tactic that Mr.. McGrath
has tried, with Mr. Wallace, IN the past.
Passed Over Wallace Threat.
President Truman, in his Jefferson-Jackson
Day Dinner address to the embattled Demo-
Gratis of the Nation, passed over completely
the Wallace threat. and the Wallace victory in
the Bronx. In view of the fact that the Tru-
man forces had just taken a frst-class licking
at the hands of the Wallaceites in the New
York district, Mr.. Truman was expected to
take couple of solid punches at the third
party candidate. 1t was the one thing that
might have reused the fighting spirit of Demo-
Gratis throughout the country-as well as 1t
might have lifted the spirits of the $500
patrons who had paid 500 each to attend the
dinner here. Instead, Mr.. Truman pinned the
banner of progressive liberalism" to the
Democratic flagstaff, and let it go at that
except for few informal words denouncing
the Republicans as "reactionaries" who were
not to be trusted, which did not go out over
the air to the listening millions at all.
Mr.. Truman If he had not been intent upon
leaving the way open for the return of the
prodigal-Mr. Wallace-night have climbed
all over the Wallace frame-picturing him as
the mouthpece of Stain and his Russian
Communists, and as historys greatest migrate
to the Democratic Party which had honored
Mr.. Wallace by making him, first Secretary Of
Agriculture, then Vice President, and finally
Secretary of Commerce. A good fighting
speech would have paid off. But the speech
that Mr.. Truman delivered was dull, with
nothing new in it, and fell on ears that were
hoping for something far different.
Democrats nl-Tempered.
Mr.. Wallace is at present riding high wide
and handsome. 1t seems incredible that so
many people in this country should follow
such man. 1t is indicative, however, Of
the discomfort of the people with things as
they are. Nothing that has happened in this
preconvention period of politics has been cali
culated either to dampen the spirits of Mr..
Wallace or to cause him to think of return
ing to the Truman leadership.
Except success, nothing travels SO fast an
failure. And the failures Of the Truman Dem
ocrats mounting to point where the
Democrats are fighting among themselves,
critical and ill-tempered Mr.. Truman's ILL
timed blast to Congress- demanding all the
legislation which the States of the solid South
are against-on the race issue-has stirred
up hornets nest. 1t has been widely said.
however, that the South, having no place
else to CO." will wind up docilely in the Tru-
man camp next November. But the feeling
against Truman, it now appears, comes from
the grass roots-and is pushing the Democratic
members of the South to activity, rather
than stemmng from the Southern members
of Congress.
Resent Racial Demand.
Southern Democrats resent the fact that q
Missouri Democrat should demand no segre-
CATION of the races. They could understand
such an attack from Republican-but not
from one of their own kind. There are some
too, who are saying that since the days Of
Reconstruction the South was never dis
turbed so much in its handling of the race
issue under Republican Presidents as it has
been during the last IA years under the Roose-
velt and Truman administrations. If the anti
Truman sentiment in some of these States
grows apace, the situation for Truman elec-
tors there might become serious
In Tennessee, for example, Franklin Roose-
velt in 1914 carried the State 100000 to 2Oo,-
900 for Dewey The same State went Repub-
lican in 1928 by $4,000 for Hoover to $4,000
for Smith 1t went Republican, too, in 1920,
giving Harding $4,000 to 100000 for Cox
Virginia went Democratic in 1914 by $1,000
But it went Republican in 1928 by $4,000
These figures show what has happened
indicate what might happen if the rank and
file of the people are sufficiently aroused.
Questions and Answers