Evening star., 1948-07-12
Iemocratic Session
Opens; First Draft
Of Platform Finished
Continued From First Page.)


for the vice presidential nomina
ton four year ago, when the lat
President Roosevelt sent letter t,
the then Democratic Nationa
Chairman Robert E. Hannegan, sug
gesting the then Senator Truman
and Justice Douglas as satisfactor,
candidates for Vice President Sen
ator Barkley became so angry tina
he threatened not to go ahead witr
the nominating speech of Presiden
Roosevelt and was only persuaded
to make the speech after severa
hours.
The Truman bandwagon for tn,
presidential nomination continu :;
to roll today as the national con-
vention opened about noon
The California delegation, at /;
caucus this morning, voted AZ to l.
for President Truman on the frs
ballot. Among those who agreed t.
vote for Mr.. Truman was Jane!
Roosevelt, Democratic State chair.
man and national committeeman
from California, who was a leader
in the so-called anti Truman revolt
One of the IL not listed for Mr.
Truman said later he would VOTE
for the President, too.
New York's large delegation alsc
held causuS and it was apparent
that President Truman would re.
ceive considerable majority of the
Empire States votes.
Queens Voting for Eisenhower.
James A. Roe, Democratic leader
in Queens County, who has been a
leader in the fight for the nomina-
ton of Gen. Eisenhower before
going into the caucus said that 81
of the votes from Queens would
be cast for no one but the general
after Mr.. Truman has been
nominated" he said, "as good Demo-
Gratis we will 60 down the line fol-
him in the election
Two announced candidates are In
the field to oppose President Tru-
man despite the atmosphere OF
gloom as far as party victory in
November Is concerned.
They are Senator Pepper Of Flor
ida and Gov. Laney of Arkansas, the
one attacking the President from
the political left. the other from the
right.
Like the presidential nomination
fight, the presidency also is mixed
up in ire revolt of the Southern
Democrats over President Truman's
civil rights stand.
Hits Republican Record.
He said, that the Republicans In
the closing days of the session, had
iammed through Legislation that
will prove to be ill-timed, illogical,
and utterly meaningless in the solu-
ton of the critical issues of our
times"
The announced candidacy Of Sen
ator Pepper was surprising
eleventh hour development. Gov
Laney came into the field as the
"favorite son" of the Southerners
after a caucus yesterday. He said
he expects his name to be placed
in nomination first-possibly by the
Alabama delegation, first on the roll
call. The Governor admitted he
can't get the votes to beat the Presi-
dent to the nomination. however.
The sequence of the opposition te
Mr.. Truman, which began with the
boom for Gen. Eisenhower and now
has ended UP with Senator Pepper
and Gov. Laney. is illustrative oi
the utter disintegration of what
started out as a major political op-
Grafton.
Senator Pepper undoubtedly has
hopes of becoming the choice OF the
anti-Truman Southern Democrats
His trouble lies in the fact that many
of these Southerners have no more
use for the Floridian than they have
for Mr.. Truman.
Soft-Pedaled Civil Rights Program.
One of Senator Peppers first
moves was to soft pedal the Truman
civil rights program, saying he
would have a program Of his own.
This was interpreted as bait Tor
Southern delegate votes.
This Pepper boom. even should 1t
die before full bloom, gave the dele
gates on an infinitely dull conven-
ton eve something to talk about.
Senator Pepper, at one time a
friend and adherent of Henry A.
Wallace, was asked II he thought
Mr.. Wallace, now candidate for the
presidency himself on the New
Party" ticket, would go along with
him.
His reply was that he did not
believe Mr.. Wallace would ever have
gotten into the race had he known
that he, Senator Pepper, was to be
the Democratic nominee.
The comment of James A. Farley,
delegate-at-large from New York
and the old master" In the political
game, dh the Pepper statement an
nouncing his candidacy was not
f1attering. He said:
The Pepper statement is fantas-
tic and stupid - the most stupid
statement made in convention OF
stupid statements"
Would Be Hybrid Alliance.
Senator Peppers hope is to gather
In the CIO delegates in the Demo-
cratic National Convention - OF
whom there are a number-and
other left wingers as well as the
Southern delegates. 1t would be a
hybrid alliance could it be made.
One Truman aide estimated that
the President would have l 100 dele
gate votes on the first ballot. There
is total of 1924 delegate votes in
the convention-although there are
1896 delegates, some of them with
half a vote. Other more conserva-
tive estimates give the President
about $50 votes. 1t takes 618 votes
to nominate-or majority of those
voting.
While the presidential nomina-
ton appears to have been settled
beyond a doubt, the convention will
have still on its hands the adoption
Of a platform and the nomination
of a vice presidential candidate, a
running mate for Mr.. Truman.
Obviously the choice Of a running
mate will lie with the President,
provided he does not choose one
distasteful to a majority of dele