Evening star., 1948-07-02
Truman Nomintion
Will Set Back hrty
Years, WriterHo|ds
Urges Presiden Retire
To Give YouneliberoIs
Chance to Show North
By David La,orAce

- President Truman has adificult
choice to make in the next0 days
--he must decide between ersonal
ambition and the future bf the
Democratic Party not onlytn the
1948 election but in 1852 as Tell.
Mr.. Truman can be nomihted-
presidential pressure can always
accomplish that result-but he is
defeated in November, as SONS so
certain now, he will put the Semo-
cratic Party back anywhere from
eight to IL years. 1t takd that
long for a party whose ora raniza-
ton and morale have been wicked
to get back into the cunningham
The Democrats were beah in
1920, and it was not UNI u
years later that the tide tined.
The Republicans were beath in
1882 and now, Is years later it is
conceded that the people wi vote
for q change.
Question Of Strategy.
What then is the best stratef for
the Democratic leadership? Is 1t
better to satisfy Mr.. Truman per
sonal desire for vindication a the
convention or is it better fol the
party to honor him and for hh to
decide of his own volition nt to
be a candidate?
If Mr.. Truman doesn't run,Eho
should make the race? The Ideal
man is Justice William o. Dotlas.
He, more than anybody else who
has been mentioned, repreSentfrue
New Deal philosophy and the ssire
OF the liberal Democrats for a.an-
didate who can express intelisnt-
ly the quasi-socialiStic docthes
which Mr.. Truman has so den
tried incoherently to express
Mr.. Truman has turned Nrd
the cleft" but has not been dn-
sistently on that side. He has lot
followed New Dealism as mucHas
the New Dealers would have lid.
Yet at the same time he has b.
tagonized the right" and mty
people in the center" 1t is ID
cal for him to step aside and et
a 100 per cent New Dealer take tp
an aggressive leadership for be
party.
This will not please the Southp
Democrats, but it looks as If te
Southerners cannot take the led
ership away from the radic$
either. So the natural thing is f
both sides to fight it out, as con
promise seems impracticable. !
the end, the Southern Democrat
might. of course, be able to fin
a common ground with the Rd
publicans on the civil-rights pro
gram. The Republicans are not .
extreme on this subject as they az
sometimes represented.
While Justice Douglas Is probabl
not at heart any different from NJ
Truman on the civil-rights issue !
might be able to come forth Wih
a statement that will satisfy te
South. Justice Douglas would, 4
course, have to resign from f
bench to accept the nominatit.
He is good speaker and woF
make a colorful campaign.
But if Mr.. Truman runs andts
defeated, nobody will be able to +
organize the Democratic Party D.
til new leadership develops in be
1852 contest. This means a losspf
four important years.
Would Open New Era.
If Mr.. Douglas runs and is T.
feated but makes an impressive cat-
paign, the way is opened to T.
velopment of new era inside te
Democratic Party. The younA'
liberals would be in command. 7
would seem that Henry Wallaf
would. under such circumstance
come back into the fold.
Mr.. Truman can insist on rut
ming, take severe defeat, an
prove nothing by his attitude. z
will prove in November only tht
he should have stepped aside at te
nominating convention. He will rIt
prove that the policies espoused y
the younger New Dealers were pl-
sented effectively to the people. e
will retard those advocates of socll
progress who think that the Fra1t-
lin Roosevelt programs and reforts
still constitute a major alternate
to the liberal conservatism offeH
by the Republican ticket.
Mr.. Douglas would make a betf
race than Mr.. Truman because p
new personality would come on te
scene. The change which th
country wants would be satisfied b
part at least by a change in tf
leadership of the Democratic Part.
Gen. Eisenhower is better ar
vertiSed name but apparently T
cannot be persuaded to accept tf
nomination. If President Trum5
put his whole influence in the part
behind Justice Douglas and If tn
Wallace movement joined in, tn
presidential campaign would be
clearcut contest between rival phi
losophies of government and tn
people would see a very intereStin