Evening star., 1948-02-03
The Political Mil ..,
Wallace and ALP Face
Test of Strength Feb. II
Fight for House Seat From Bronx
Finds Democrats Having Edge
By Gould Lincoln


Henry A. Wallace and the American Labor
Party, whose candidate for President Mr., Wal
lace will be- will have their first test OF strength
at the polls in New Yorks Gath Congressional
District on February IT, when a successor to
Representative Rabin, Democrat, Is to be
elected. Mr.. Wallace has agreed to speak for
Lee ISaacson, the ALP candidate for the House
seat.
This district in the Bronx has been strongly
Democratic in the past and ALP has cast q
very considerable vote too. Today four candi-
dates are running for the Rabin seat-Karl
Proper, Democrat; Joseph De Nisris, Repub-
lcan; Dean Alfange, Liberal, and Mr. Isaacson.
American Labor. The Republicans haven't q
look-n. The intrenched Democrats have the
edge. The more radical and liberal vote may
be divided between the ALP and the Liberal
Party candidates And therein lies much of
the test-whether the ALP retains In New York
very considerable measure of its voting
strength.
The Democrats and the Liberals are allies In
this contest-as they will be next November.
For the Liberal Party forces are going along
with the Democrats, including President
Truman.
ALP Is Particular Hate.
Their particular hate is the ALP. of which
the Liberal Party is the more conservative off,
spring. So in the Gath New York District the
fight is largely over which party candidate will
run second, and whether the ALP can really
count still on q lot Of votes. There are many
members of the Amalgamated Clothing Work
ers Union living in this district That union
broke away from the ALP when 1t determined
to 60 along with Henry Wallace and his presi-
dental candidacy
Dean Alfange, a New York attorney and the
candidate of the Liberal Party for the Rabin
seat in the House, was at one time candidate
for governor, running on the ALP ticket. That
was in 1912, when the ALP refused to 60 along
with Jim" Farley's Democratic candidate for
governor, Mr.. Bennett, and put up Dean Al
fange as candidate of It's own. This made
the election of Gov Dewey, Republican, doubly
sure in that year.
Representative Marcantonio, leading figure
IN the American Labor Party, is also campaign
ing in the Oath district for Mr.. Isaacson. He
expresses confidence that the AFL will make
an excellent showing in the election-and that
it will be close. Mr.. Marcantono is Wallace
man-in the present race for the presidency.
He does not hesitate to say that Mr.. Wallace
will roll up large vote in New York-so large
that it will be surprising to many. He is
stay, and calls reports that the third party
candidate will withdraw" later in the year
mere props ganoa on the part of the supporters
Of President Truman.
Statements made by Henry Wallace in Co
lumbus Ohio, where he went Sunday to launch
his campaign for the presidency in that State.
and by Nix Chavoie, chairman of a COMMITTEES
of Democrats for Wallace, in Portland, Ore.
indicate that Mr. Wallace is definitely cutting
himself off from the Democratic Party-at least
for the present campaign. Mr. Wallace said
in Columbus he would not accept a vice presi.
Dental nomination to run with President sTru-
man, even if 1t were offered to him. Mr..
Chavoie said that plans to- enter Wallace In
the Democratic presidential preferential pri-
mary in Oregon had now been abandoned be-
cause Mr.. Wallace felt that, as a third party
candidate for the presidency, it would be dis
honest for him to enter Democratic primary.
Crimp in Kenny Plans.
Bob" Kenny former Democratic attorney
general of California and now leading sup
porter of Henry Wallace. had planned to have
Mr.. Wallace enter both the Oregon and Cali
fornia primaries to run against President Tru-
man. on the theory that Mr.. Wallace would
make such st"onG showing that the Demo-
Gratis would then abandon all idea of nominate
ing Mr.. Truman.
This decision of Mr. Wallace, reported from
Oregon, will put crimp in such Kenny plans,
which were first developed at meeting in
Fresno Calf, last July. Mr.. Kenny Is head Of
the Pea, the organization which has gone all
cut for Mr. Wallace and the organization of a
third Peoples Party
Wallace adherents now are engaged In PLAN
ming an all-out campaign to raise fund-as
much as So 900 900, which is the limit set in the
Hatch Pure Politics Act for a national party
expenditure through a recognized national
! committee in presidential election. They
are confident that they will have plenty Of
| cash.
Nuoe+ions nnd Answers