Evening star., 1948-03-01

Political Evolution Seen
Likely to Bring About
New AIienments
By David Laurence
What America Is witnessing to-
day Is q postwar evolution Of poll
tical parties that cannot be easily
dismissed as merely the petty bat
tie of ambitions in q contest for
high office.
President Truman undoubtedly
made a mistake in tactics in unduly
rousing the ire Of his Democratic
brethren Of the South, but who will
say that agitation for better ham
ding of the problem OF racial dis
elimination Is not a significant
sign of the times? Whether Mr..
Truman wins or loses this year he
has succeeded in focusing atten-
ton on the abuses Of civil rights.
He has challenged the states to I'M
prove their attitudes. He has m
effect said to the advocates OF state
police power that they must make
the exercise Of the Federal police
power wholly unnecessary.
Henry wallace, on the other nand,
has bored from within the Demo-
cratic Party and Is now urging
from the outside a radical program
on domestic affairs and an entirely
different approach in international
affairs. Who will say after year
or more that the wallace approach
may not have a subtle impact and
produce certain restraints that
might otherwise have not emerged
at all?
Other Factors in Revolt.
The revolt of the South comes to
a head with the civil rights issue but
anyone who has been observing the
trend of the voting in Congress on
economic issues will be compelled to
concede that there Is a conservatism
in the South which is quite opposite
to the so-called "liberalism"-really
radicalism-of the Northern Demo-
Gratis.
Only through the help Of the votes
Of the Southern Democrats did the
Taft-Hartley bill become law. Only
through the aid Of the Southern
conservatives have the Republicans
been able to frustrate such mis-
chievous measures as the revival OF
the excess profits law and other
schemes for the confiscation OF
property and savings Of the citizens.
Mr.. Truman's veto of the two tax
bills and his veto of the Taft-Hart-
ley bill placed>him on the side OF
the northern radicals. Most OF his
messages which are "ghost-written"
are done from the viewpoint OF radl-
cal Democrats and "left-wingers.
The alliance between MIR. Truman
and the labor bosses who want to
continue to exploit the rank and file
of labor is one of expediency. There
are few persons in politics who be-
neve this is the true position that
Harry Truman would adopt II ne
were a free agent. 1t is recalled that
he did recommend to Congress at
the time of the railroad strike in
1946 the most drastic piece OF anti
labor union legislation ever offered
to Congress by chief executive ano
was saved from his dilemma when
Senator Taft, Republican, almost
singIe-handed amid all the hysteria,
blocked passage of the bill.
Party Radical In North.
In the North, the Democratic
Party is a radical, pro-labor- union
party with ideas far closer to So
cialistic philosophy than to true
liberalism. In this group can De
found the advocates OF rigid con-
trolls by the Federal Government
that can only lead to regimentatlon
and a loss Of liberty or a demoran'
zation of industry so that the GOV
ernment must furnish the capital te
maintain the economic system.
In the South, the resistance to
economic reforms has its parallel
among Northern Republicans OF the
conservative school of thought
what is more natural, therefore
than to suggest a realignment OF
major parties, with the Democratic
Party consisting OF a coalition OF
wallace and Truman radicals OF
liberals? Their chief claim to the
word is their liberal expenditure OF
other peoples money. On the
other side would be the Southern
conservatives and the Northern
.liberals," who favor reform on
practical basis, plus the Northern
conservatives.
The question is whether the two
major parties can evolve ooware
better programs without the re.
alignment. Whenever a thlre
party threat arises, reorganization
of the major parties is debated. i
is too early to predict the ultimate
rearrangement, however, If any doe
come. It is possible for Mr.. Iru'
man to be defeated, the Wallace
group to disintegrate, and re-
constructed Democratic Party In the
North to make peace with its
Southern colleagues. Similarly,
Truman victory could cause SLOW
down of his radical program.
The symptoms of pressure for IN,
ey!table change in our social ano
economic system are visible. II
remains to be seen II the major
parties can absorb such pressures
in their stride or find themselves
instead torn with discord ane
forced to look for new common
denominators of political realign-