Evening star., 1948-07-11

IL WOulQ TAKE mOQern miracle
to get the Democratic Party of the
Roosevelt New Deal days together
again. The feeling runs deep.
Henry Wallace. former Vice Presi-
dent whose nose Mr.. Truman
bloodied in the 1914 Democratic Ma
tional Convention and whom Mr..
Truman later threw out of the
cabinet. was the first to drive a
big wedge into the old Democratic
ranks. Mr.. Wallace played with
the idea for a while of challenging
Mr.. Truman for the Democratic
presidential nomination. He gave
that up, however, to launch new
political party. and with that party
he is apparently going down the
line-hoping to be in position to
shoot for a nomination in 1852. He
and his adherents plan to make
the New Party the liberal party of
the country.
The Southern Democrats were not
far behind. When the President
sent Congress his civil rights recon-
mendations, including anti-poll tax.
antilynching, antidiscrimination and
antisegregation legislation. the
South saw red. Despite the outburst
from angry Southern Democrats.
the administration Democrats were
at first inclined to laugh off this
demonstration. The South, 1t was
said In those circles, always puts
up howl, but in the end invariably
came around and voted for the
Democratic ticket. They overlooked.
however, what happened in 1928
when five solid South" States. Vir-
ginia, North Carolina, Florida, Texas
and Tennessee. all went Republican
against Democrat AL Smith, then
Governor of New York.
Today Southern delegates are talk
ing confidently of a rump Demo-
cratic convention If Mr.. Truman
is the nominee. They don't call
it rump convention: rather they
speak of a Southern States Rights
Democratic Convention. Plans have
already been laid for meeting in
Birmingham, Ala. July 19-the
Monday following the expected ad-
journment of the national conven-
ton in Philadelphia. Representa-
tives Of at least four, and perhaps
i've, of the Southern States already
are slated to take part. They say
they hope they will be Joined by
sister States Of the South. It is
their purpose to put second Demo-
cratic ticket in the field.
Douglas Boom Revives
With these two deadly thrusts
against the Democratic Party al
ready driven into its vitals, it re-
manned for anti Truman leaders.
like James Roosevelt, son. of the
late F. D. r., Democratic State
chairman OF California; Jacob M.
Arvey, Chicago Democratic boss in
place Of former Mayor Ed Kelly;
Frank Hague. for years the boss OF
New Jersey Democratic politics and
now holding on to his leadership in
the party's national committee:
Mayor O'D&yer of New York City
and others. to sink their knives into
the Truman candidacy. Ostensibly
for the nomination OF Gen. Dwight
D. Eisenhower, they preached a
strange doctrine from Democratic
mouths-that their President, Mr..
Truman, could not possibly be
elected in November. The fact that
Mr.. O'Dwyer and Mr.. Arvey on FRI
day Joined in announcing their sup
port for Mr.. Truman does not fully
nullify the damage done by their
earlier opposition.
These anti-Truman Democrats
from the North and West may
finally come around-since 1t is now
obvious they cannot nominate Gen.
Eisenhower and make the nominal
ton stick. They have to light some
place. There has been a resurgence
of the boom for Associate Justice
William o. Douglas of the Supreme
Court to replace Mr.. Truman. The
effort may be made. But the.
chances of success with Justice
Douglas are mighty slim. He cer-
tainly would get few II any South
ern delegate votes. Further, the
regular party machinery is catching
Its second wind and In many of the
State delegations, a majority, II not
the entire delegation, Is now pre-
pared to 60 down the line for Mr..
Truman.
1t is going to be bitter pill for
some of these Northern and West
ern Democrats to swallow, Tru-
man-the man they say could not
be elected.
How to make 1t more palatable Is
the present job Of the Truman
leadership headed by Senator Nc
Grath Of Rhode Island, chairman of
the Democratic National Commit
tee. The Truman leadership will
have to decide whether to give the
vice presidential nomination to one
Of the Truman opposition. This
might be good tactics and help to
bring the warning factions together.
Many Names Advanced
Obviously, this vice presidential
nomination must receive attention.
Admitting that Mr.. Truman, after
all that has gone before, will be a
tough candidate to elect President.
everything possible, his supporter
say, must be done to strengthen tbs
ticket with popular vice
presidential choice.
Many suggestions have been made.
One that 1t would boost the chances
NJ q Tvxtvx.on SSaf~nk - 49, r--~