Evening star., 1948-07-03
The Political Mil
Democrats Terror Seen
In Cries for Eisenhower

n Cries tor EISENHOWER
Party Should Stand Up and Fight
Instead Of Trying to Dra1 in Hero
By Gould LinceIs
The anguished shouts for Gen. Eisenhower,
going up from Democratic throats shows to
what degree the Democrats are terrined when
they contemplate the November national elec.
ton. Never has the party Of Jefferson. jackson,
Wilson and r. d. Roosevelt taken 30 oefeatist
an attitude-all except Harry .. Truman, VINO
from the White House proclainas his certainty
Of nomination and election.
The opponents Of President Truman IN the
Democratic Party in the North ana west are
asainst him for one reason only-they are Ger.
tain he cannot win. A bit OF camounage is
attempted by some Of the Truman enemies in
the party, who declare him not sufnciently New
Dealish. That's the kind Of thing that emanates
from the Americans for Democratic Action.
But even the ADA admits that MI. Truman
cannot be elected.
These terrified Democrats would be In
more enviable-certainly . more couraseous-
position II they would stand up and nsht, IN
stead Of trying to drag into the political picture
Z military hero who has never been Demc-
crat and whose position on the main issues OF
the day, domestic and foreign, is completely
unknown.
Truman Record Ii Issue.
President Truman and his record for the
last three years are the issues on which the
Democrats must make their nght. They may
believe they can shift to something new If they
get Gen. Eisenhower or Associate Justice Doug
las of the Supreme Court for . presidential
nominee. They are mistaken.
1t is incredible that Gen. Eisenhower VIII
stultify himself by accepting Q presidential
nomination after the many statements he mas
made. II he should. how well OF will the DEM
ocrats be? Just about as well Of as they would
be with President Truman. Who believes that
Henry Wallace and his New Party will give up
or that they would love Gen. Eisenhower any
more than they love Mr.. Truman? VIII the
Democratic Party, with Gen. Eisenhower as Its
nominee, be any less war party In the eyes
Of Mr.. Wallace and his followers? 1t viii not,
because Gen. Eisenhower would have to 60
right ahead with the ERP and military pre-
paredness. If he abandoned those, he would
lose millions of votes He would have to 50
along with the civil rights program of Mr.. Tru-
man, or lose thousands Of votes in key indus
trial States of the North and West.
LII COI1UCCIlUIl WIN tuC LLICat WiilCIl
Wallace and his New Party are to either .
Truman or an Eisenhower ticket, 1t may be
pointed out that the New Party and its presi-
Dental candidate have been officially certified
in eight States having a total of lit votes in
the electoral college-and that the Wallace
ticket will split in serious fashion the oppo-
nents Of the Republican ticket
Three Largest States.
Among these States are the three largest, In
point of population and electoral votes, IN the
Union: New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
California with It's Is electoral votes k also
on the list. The wallace party is awaiting
certincation in eight other States. It has be-
gun court proceedings to overrule the decision
OF Ohios Secretary Of State, Ed Hummel, to
reject the Wallace party ticket on the ground
that the New Party has engaged In un-Ameri-
can activities.
The drive for an Eisenhower nomination,
formally launched by Georgia Democrats, has
found its way into Democratic heads in the
North and Midwest and the West. The South
ern Democrats-Georgia for example-wish to
have one of their own rs O running mate for
Gen. Eisenhower. Senator Russell Of Georgia
has been proposed. How well would that sit
with the voters in Michigan, New York, Penn.
sylvania and Ohio?
1T amt no disgrace to run when you am
scared" the late George OConnor used to sing.
The deserters of the Truman ship might take
the line for their motto. Comes a report from
Havana. H., quoting Senator Scott Lucas.
Democrat, to the effect he wouldn't accept .
vice presidential nomination with Mr.. Tru-
mani If offered, and that he has not made up
his mind-and won't until he reaches Phila.
delphia-whom he will support for the Demo-
cratic presidential nomination. This strange
attitude of the Nlinois Senator-who at one
time would have loved a vice presidential
nomination-may be the result Of the demand
Of Jacob M. Arvey, Chicago Democratic leader,
that President Truman be ditched and Gen.
Eisenhower substituted for the presidential
nomination.