Evening star., 1948-06-07
President's S Trip West
Seen Aimed 10 Prevent
Loss Of Nomination
Move Held Encouraging
Supporters and Warning
Those Seeking New Mon
By David laurence

Those Seeking New Man
By David Laurence
Just why did President Truman
feel 1t necessary to leave Washing
ton at this most important stage
Of the congressional session and
journey across the continent as
political stump-speaker?
This question Is being asked not
withstanding the fiction that the
trip is "nonpolitical." One has to
be blind to the political facts of life
to 60 along with the idea that Mr..
Truman's trip is merely that OF a
President reporting to the people on
public issues.
The reasons why the trip is sup
posed to be nonpolitical may have
reference to the fact that the Demo-
cratic National Committee does not
want to spend any Of its meager
funds when the same can be taken
out of the taxpayers pockets. Con-
gress appropriates annually GER
tain sum for presidential travel, and
good taste implies that the money
will not be used by President
merely to further his own selfish
ambition.
Speeches Show LEFT" Trend.
Mr.. Truman's first impromptu
speeches indicate that he naturally
veers to the left" Ali the dema-
goguery about the moneyed people,
and how they control" things
sounds more Like Henry Wallace
than Harry Truman. But 1t may
reveal what has long been suspected
that Mr.. Truman, left to his own
devices, would be radical. He
seems to envy those who have made
. success in business.
Talk among Washington observ-
ers has been that the trip could not
do any political harm and might
benefit Mr.. Truman politically. This
has been based on the idea that the
Presidents political stock had
fallen so low, not only within his
own party but with the country as
. whole, that he couldn't possibly
make things worse for himself and
might even make them better if he
did q bit of personal campaigning.
In all probability the real reason
why this particular time was select
ed for the stumping trip was that
Mr.. Truman does not want to lose
the Democratic nomination through
inaetion. Unless the man at the
head shows signs that he really
wants the nomination, there Is al
ways the danger that stampede
may be started to wrest 1t from
him on the theory that he does not
care much about 1t anyway. A few
months ago there was an impress
sion spread that Mr.. Truman was
resigned to defeat this autumn.
Defeatism Worries Party.
Such an attitude of defeatism
causes worry inside the party. Too
many Democrats already want to
see Mr.. Truman withdraw in favor
of Gen. Dwight Eisenhower. This
reveals the truly selfish side OF poll
tics. Many members of Congress and
State officeholders who stand to
lose their own posts If the size OF
the Democratic Party vote comedies
with the drop in popularity OF the
presidential nominee have indicated
that they want Gen. Eisenhower
nominated mostly because they
think he could win. There is no
aversion in either party to dumping
an unpopular leader and exploiting
Q well known name.
Mr.. Truman's trip constitutes
notification to the rank and file OF
the party that he is in the contest
to stay and that he will not coun-
tenance defeatism. 1t tells office
holders far and wide that they had
better line up behind the President.
It is one way to assure nomination
at the Philadelphia convention. For
nearly all the delegations are
directly or indirectly controlled by
the officeholders or party machines
which are beholden to the White
House for past favors. =.
It is the radical or "left wing
seement of the Democratic Party
in the North which has shown such
a readiness to ditch Mr.. Truman
and take on either Gen. Eisenhower
or Justice william o. Douglas. BY
talking the language OF the left,
Mr.. Truman's tactics now appar-
emily are designed to persuade the
radicals that he will make their
kind Of campaign. This fallacious
strategy already is responsible Tor
the low esteem in which Mr.. Iru-
man is held in both parties. He
had q chance to capture the middle
of-the-road or liberal-conservative
vote, but he played ball with the
left wing" in vetoing measures de-
sired by more than two-thirds OF
both houses Of Congress.
Mr.. Truman went West to give
encouragement to his own followers
and prevent the nomination from
being wrested from him in July. 1t
had not occurred to most political
observers that the emergency was
20 great as to persuade the Pres
ident to leave Washington IN the
final days of an important session
Of Congress. But evidently there
was such an emergency inside the
Democratic Party.
I-Lt gA%