Evening star., 1948-01-15
The Political Min
Presidential Campaign
Already at Fever Heat
Democrats Reach for Liberal Party;
Eisenhower Upsets G. o. p. Chiefs

Democrats Reach for Liberal Party,
Eisenhower Upsets G. o. p. Chiefs
By Gould Lincoln
Rarely has presidential campaign reached
fever heat in January-as 1t apparently has
In 1913. Republican candidates, announced
and unannounced, and their supporters are
striving actively for advantage
The Democratic supporters of President Tru.
man are even more desperate In their maneu.
vers to counteract the harmful activities OF
Henry Wallace and his third-party proponents.
They did their best to WOO Henry back into
the party fold-going so far as to have DEM
ocratic National Chairman McGrath say that
he would be glad Of the support Of Mr. Wal.
lace But Henry went right ahead with his
denunciation of Mr.. Truman and his foreign
policy and with his own plans to run for Presi-
dent on an Independent ticket. So the Demo.
cratic high command has now taken steps to
tie in even more tightly with the Liberal Party
in New York. whose chairman is Adolph Berle.
one of the old Roosevelt New Dealers who Ii
no longer in the Government service. The
President himself has hand In these nego-
tiations.
Right Wing Offshoot.
The Liberal Party represents q right wing
which has now sponsored the Wallace cam
didacy. The tactics OF the Democrats and the
Liberalists will be to draw into the Liberal
Party as many OF the American Laborites las
possible-voters who might be willing to 60 to
the polls and vote the Liberal Party ticket il
they would not vote Democratic 1t may be
a smart move-although there has been such
hard feeling between the American Labor Party
and the members of the Liberal Party that
a happy drom the Democratic point of view
reunion would be difficult. The situation for
the Democrats in New York, however, is des-
perate-particularly should the Republicans
renominate Gov Dewey as their presidential
candidate. 1t does look, however, as though
the Democratic high command in its des-
peration, was just building another Franken.
stein to cause the party trouble in the future.
Undoubtedly the Liberal Party will demand its
full voice in controlling politics In New York
in the future, If it is able to deliver the neces-
sary votes to elect Mr.. Truman.
The Republican candidates for the presi-
Dental nomination-and particularly their
campaign managers or helpers-are unhappy
over the Eisenhower threat, which has come
finally into the open. They are all guessing
how great will be the popular support OF the
war hero in this presidential race. Well, the
New Hampshire primary on March 8 will give
some indication. A slate of delegates for Gen.
Eisenhower has been entered there. Also the
Pennsylvania presidential preferential primary
will provide an added test, If the Eisenhower
supporters go through with their plan to enter
the general in that contest. Just how the
Pennsylvania Republican moguls will look on
this remains to be seen. They figure they can
control the big Pennsylvania delegation-as
~aef orl ln not uyic
have their hands tied. OF course, If they come
around to the idea they would like Gen. Eisen-
hover for candidate and for President, the
matter can easily be determined.
Forum" in Midwest.
recent meeting of Republican State chair"
men of 10 Western and Midwestern States.
including Ohio and Minnesota, both OF which
have native-son candidates for the presidential
nomination, in Oklahoma proved forum.
though private one, for discussion of presi-
Dental candidates. There was no strong crys-
tallization on a single candidate. However.
Gov. Dewey of New York appeared to have
greater support than any other. Both Senator
Taft and Mr.. Stassen had their followers.
There was more curiosity about Gen. Eisen-
hover than there was support for him. In
the hotel lobbies where the State chairmen
were meeting, a group Of young people ap-
peared with II Want Ike" buttons. They
sought to pin them on the chairmen but
met little success.
The Republican National Committee, meet
Ing in Washington January 20 and 81, ostensi.
bly to put the final touches on the plans Tor
the partys national convention, which opens
June 81 in Philadelphia, will give party leaders
still another opportunity to discuss their pref
erences for both presidential and vice presi-
Dental nominees. The main business OF the
committee at this meeting will be to authorize
and issue the formal call for the national con-
vention and to fix the number Of delegates
1904. 1t will also fix Its budget-at 80 ,0o0,0 600,
which is the maximum prescribed under the
Hatch pure politics law.
This looks like piker's sum when compared
to some OF the financial programs outlined
by the major labor organizations to affect the
coming campaign.