Evening star., 1948-10-14
The Political Mil !.
Michigan Labor Chiefs
Fail to Slow Up Dewey
G. o. P. Candidate Seen Well in Lead,
Helped by Vote for Wallace
Bv Gould Lincoln

Helped by Vote for Wallace
By Gould Lincoln
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich, Oct. A.-The
Dewey-Warren band wagon is rolling in Michi-
gan notwithstanding the efforts Of the labor
1eaders-on whom the Democrats place their
reliance insthis State-to slow it up and halt
1t entirely. Four years ago the late President
Roosevelt defeated Gov. Dewey in the State
by $4,000 votes-a narrow margin In O total
vote of 100000. Today, Gov. Dewey Is well
in the lead in his race against President Tru.
man, and he is being helped, too, by the vote
which Henry A. Wallace, the Progressive Party
candidate, is expected to poll. These Wallace
votes will be taken in overwhelming number
from the voters who ordinarily would support
Nthe Democratic ticket. If Mr.. Wallace gets
10000 or $4,000 votes, 1t is obvious what he
will do to the Truman-B Barley ticket The
Wallace vote is falling of, however.
The CIo leaders have not given up. They
point to large registration-for which they
claim credt-and murmur that If the vote
comes out in large numbers they still will have
. chance to keep Michigan in the Democratic
column.
Their great difficulty lies in the fact that
there Is no such enthusiasm among the work.
Delano Roosevelt. It is difficult to stir them
up. The AFL is to all intents and purposes
working hard for Mr.. Truman too. The an
tagonism between the two great unions, how
ever, is making itself felt in some parts Of
the State. and regular Democrats resent the
CLOS taking command
Wallace Strong in Detroit
Wayne County Detroit) is the Democratic
stronghold which gave Mr.. Roosevelt lead
Of 238000 votes In the election four years ago.
Mr.. Wallace's greatest strength In the State
lies in Detroit. In addition, there Is reason to
believe that Mr.. Truman's lead there-even
with Mr.. Wallace out of the race-would bs
materially reduced as compared to that of Mr..
Roosevelt.
Mr.. Dewey although he Is Governor of New
York, is a native of Michigan, and this does
him no harm In his race here. He Is the
Michigan boy who made good With him at
the head Of the ticket this year, 1t Is expected
Republican congressional and State candidates
will ride along to victory, too.
Senator Ferguson known before his election
to the Senate as the one-man grand jury who
cleaned up Detrot-he was Judge at the
Internationally will win under his own
power IN the senatorial race. His Democratic
who served five terms in the House. Mr.. Hook
represented the 18th district in the upper
peninsula, the first Democrat to be elected
from that district. He was 100 per cent
New Dealer and made himself solid with or
ganized labor. Senator Ferguson however, has
continued to gain in stature as the chief Re.
publican inquisitor in the Republican Eight
ieth Congress, and he is expected to win easily.
Democratic hopes in Michigan center largely
around the party's candidate for Governor
G. Mennen Williams. Mr.. williams is grad
uate Of Princeton in the class of 1888 and Of
the law school at Michigan University three
years later. During the last war. he served
in the Navy, finally as lieutenant commander.
with 10 battle stars to his credit. He was
aboard four Of the large aircraft carriers. He
has been q Democratic member of the Liquor
Control Commission, Assistant Attorney Cen
eral Of Michigan, and in the years 1939-40 .
special assistant to the Attorney General in
Washington. '" 1850 IS AZ
sigler Victory Seen. q
Mr.. williams is pitted against Gov. Kim Sig.
Ter, who was elected In 1916 by big vote.
Gov. sigler will win again, 1t is expected, not
withstanding certain ructions In the Republ.
can Party stemming in part from the enaity
which Attorney General Eugene Black has for
Gov. Sigler. Mr.. Black was responsible in the
first instance for the grand jury investigations
Of contributions made to the Republican CAM
paign funds by automobile dealers In Michi-
gan. The claim is that the dealers were shaken
down for financial aid and that some of the
contributions were made by corporations, in
violation of the Federal Corrupt Practices Act.
-Four persons have already been indicted In
connection with contributions made to the Re-
publican 1916 campaign. The Democrats are
making as much as they can Of the scandal az
an issue.
The 1916 elections left the Democrats with
only three members of the House of Representa-
tives from Michigan to fourteen for the Re-
publicans. The Republicans will probably hold
nearly all of these-perhaps all-although there
are hard fights in couple of the Detroit dis
tricts. The only Republican incumbent who
fell by the wayside in the primary elections is
Representative Jonkman of the Grand Rapids
| district. He was defeated by Gerald r. Ford.
| jr, war veteran, former star football player
| at the University of Michigan who later studied
| law at Yale and was an assistant football coach
| there. Ford will be elected easily. The CIO
! and the AFL indorsed Mr.. Ford in the primary
| campaign-in order to strike at Representa-.
tive Jonkman. They are taking no stand in
| the present contest, however.
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