Evening star., 1948-11-02
The Political Mill
Strange Political Alliance
Passes With Cumbuion
Revolts Led by Wallace and Thurmond
Make Dewey Victory Certain
Ru EouJJ 7 ;ucoIn

The campaign now closed marks the passing
Of the strange political alliance which served
to elect the late President Franklin D. Roose.
velt four times. Probably no other figure in
the Democratic Party could have held this
alliance together for a fifth presidential
campaign-certainly President Truman could
not. 1t Is doubtful that had Mr.. Roosevelt
lived he could have continued to ride herd
successfully over the discordant elements.
The blowup of the alliance resulted in the
formation of two new political parties-ths
Wallace Progressiyes and the Thurmond States
Fighters. Under the leadership Of Henry A.
Wallace the radical fringe of the Roosevelt
party revolted against President Truman and
his leadership, both on foreign and domestic
issues. The Conservative Democrats Of the
South, many of whom never at heart were
supporters Of the Roosevelt New Deal, but went
along for the sake Of party regularity and
what it meant to have Democratic" President
in the White House, could not stomach Mr..
Truman. The reason given for their desertion
Of the President was their dislike of his anti
segregation, civil rights program. Funda.
mentally, however, their differences with Mr..
Truman ran much deeper They have no use
for Mr.. Truman's doglike devotion to the
principles of the New Deal.
Strong Feeling for Change.
The result Of the Wallace and the Thurmond
revolts was to make more certain a Repub-
lican victory at the polls. Both the new parties
took their toll from the ranks which had
elected and reelected Mr.. Roosevelt. It has
been argued during the campaign that .
change in the party control Of the national
government was inevitable that it had been
overdue for four and even eight years, that
had the prewar situation not been so serious,
aAan
D. Roosevelt in 1910, and had this country not
been in the midst Of vital war, Thomas z.
Dewey would have won four years later.
This is mere speculation. There Is not the
slightest doubt, however that strong feeling
existed among the voters by the time the 1916
congressional elections rolled around that .
change was needed-and the feeling was even
stronger at the beginning Of 1948
An interesting field of speculation Is pro.
vided by the Wallace and Thurmond parties.
What future, If any, do they have? Both
Mr.. Wallace and Gov. Thurmond have pro-
claimed that their parties are to continue
indeed, Mr.. Wallace, in the later days Of
the campaign has laid particular stress on
the idea that he was out to build q new
permanent party rather than to win an elec-
ton this year. The States Fighters, unless
they change their minds, intend to continue
as political organization, ready to tight for
q rebirth of the Democratic Party along the
lines OF Thomas Jefferson and Grover
Cleveland
The Wallace hope rests on q belief that
majority Of the American people would be fed
up in the next two or three years with either
. Dewey or Truman in the White House.
tremendous revulsion of feeling, following on
dindcult times will, Mr.. Wallace believes, pro-
@.~k kt~~
Party to take over.
Fate Of Third Parties.
The fate Of other third political parties,
which have been started in this country during
the last half century. can scarcely be an en-
couragement to MIR. Wallace or Gov. Thurmond.
The two which seemed to have the best chance
Of survival and growth-when they were frst
established-were the Bull Moose Party Of
Theodore Roosevelt and the Independent Pro.
gressive Party Of the late Senator Bob" La
Toilette Of Wisconsin. Although Col. Roosevelt
received large popular VOTE and stood second
to woodrow Wilson, Democrat, In the number
Of electoral votes in 1912, the Bull Moose Party
faded rapidly. The La Toilette Progressives
carried only one State in 1924-Wisconsin.
Senator La Toilette died within a year after
that campaign, and the party died with him.
His younger son, former Gov. Phil La Toilette,
sought several years later to revive the Pro-
gressive Party on q national scale. but got
nowhere with 1t.
1t takes money and organization to get .
political party on its feet, In addition to Q
great issue. Neither the Wallace Progressives
nor the Thurmond States Fighters have these
essentials. The prospects are for their passing,
leaving the field again to the two old major
political parties, Republican and Democrats.
"