Evening star., 1948-04-13
The Political Mill
Midwest Party RevoIters
Put to Rout by Trumon
Federal Patronage Power Too Strong
to Allow Conference Custer Move
By Gould Lincoln

Federal Patronage Power 90 StronS
to Allow Conference Custer Move
By Gould Lincoln
The suggested revolt Of the Midwest Demo-
cratic Conference against the nomination Of
Mr.. Truman, meeting Sunday In Des Moines,
fell fiat on its face Wisconsin Democrats .
week ago planned to have the conference 60 on
record against the President, support Associate
Justice Douglas Of the United States Supreme
Court for the presidential nomination and hold
out an olive branch to the Democrats Of the
South who have declared they would never
vote for Mr. Truman because Of his civil rights
message to Congress-
The power Of the White House was too
strong for them. It is that power the Truman
opponents must reckon with in their fight to
deny the man in the White House a nomination
to succeed himself. The Midwest Conference
is made up of IS States-although representa-
tives OF only eight were at the Des MoineS
meeting: Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska. North
and South Dakota, Michigan, Wisconsin and
Iowa. The Democrats, in these States, are at
. low ebb-numerically and otherwise. Not
single Democratic Senator and only four House
members are to be found In their delegations in
Congress, one from Minnesota and three from
Michigan. The Republicans, in all Of these
States, have charge Of State and most Of the
municipal governments. Obviously the power
of Democratic Federal patronage is great In
such territory.
Overtures Made to South.
So these Democratic leaders voted to 90 on
record for the nomination of President Truman
and turned down the idea of advancing Justics
Douglas. They did, however. make overtures to
the revolving Democrats Of the South. And
they made known. too. that the Midwest might
in the future set up q bloc OF Its own-as
an offset to the Southern bloc. These IL
States have IA delegate votes in the coming
Democratic National Convention-compared to
242 for the Solid South.
While Mr.. Truman was getting an indorse-
ment in Des Mones. he was getting, in Pitts
bursh, = jolt from the 100 per cent Roosevelt
Democrats represented in the Americans for
Democratic Action. The national board OF that
organization adopted q resolution saying that
Mr.. Truman was not the man for the presi-
dency and proposing that an uncontrolled"
Democratic convention nominate either Gen.
Eisenhower or Justice Douglas The board ex-
pressed regret 1t could not 60 along with Mr..
Truman but that 1t was evident he and the
Democratic Party would take'a severe licking II
he headed the ticket next November. The
ADA was organized . year ago with Mrs.
Eleanor Roosevelt as one Of its founders. Her
son, Franklin D. Roosevelt, jrr is vice chair
man, and Leon Henderson Is chairman.
So this battle over Mr.. Truman and the
Democratic presidential nomination see-saws.
Tho Southern Democrats appear to be as
adamant against him as they were week
ago. Democratic members Of Congress from
Dixie grimly insist that Mr.. Truman will never
be nominated. They believe that in the end
they will have support from many Of the Demo-
cratic organization bosses in the North and
West.
Still Early to Predict.
It is still on the early side to count Mr.
Truman out, however. OF the six Vice Presl-
dents who became President on the death of
Presidents, before Mr.. Truman, four failed to
be nominated to succeed themselves and two
were 50 nominated. Significantly the two who
did receive presidential nominations were
Theodore Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge. both
within the last half century. The other four
came earlier, when the power Of the President
was infnitesimal compared to what 1t Is today.
Even in 1912 Theodore Roosevelt-who had
been a tremendously popular President-was
unable to defeat President William Howard
Taft for the Republican nomination.
Mr. Truman's supporters were counting on
the PRESIDENT geIuIS pOOSt out vi iAS ho'-
ding Of John l.. Lewis and the coal strike.
Even here, however, the rug was pulled out
from under when Republican Speaker Joe
Martin and John L. Lewis agreed TO have SEN
ator Bridges act as the neutral trustee in the
discussion Of the pension plan for coal miners,
and soon afterwards the strike was called on.
Mr.. Lewis may have used Speaker Martin
to get himself of the hook, but certainly Mr..
Martin was quick to act to end coal strike
which the Truman administration had been
working on for weeks. To that extent 1t was
q feather in the cap Of both Speaker Martin
and the Republicans. There are . lot OF
Republicans and Democrats. however, who
would have preferred to see Mr.. Lewis forced
to capitulate to the Federal courts-as un-
doubtedly he would have had to do.
Questions and Answers
reader can get the answer to any question
of fact BY writing The EVENING Star Information
bureau 316 Eye street NE, Washington 2. D. c.
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