Evening star., 1948-09-25
Mrs. Roosevelt Seen
Dealing Blow 10 Party
In Backing Liberals
Cundidotes She Indorses
Were Violently Opposed
To Trumun Nomination
By Frank r. Kent

nave SpGCldi IiltcIeS I1cI AOCt
is that all citizens concerned witt
good government should work ant
vote for these candidates.
Needless to say, they are al
'liberals' and include such modes
characters as Chester Bowles, VIII
is running for governor of Connec
ticut and the ineffable Mrs. Heller
Gahagan Douglas, of California
who has been so highly publicized b,
the professional bleeding heart
commentators on the air and IL
the press. 1t is notable that with
out exception all those approved b.
Mrs. Roosevelt more or less violentl!
opposed Mr.. Truman's nomination
at Philadelphia, believing, alons
with her son James, for DR.. Eisen
hover, Mr.. Justice Douglas or prac'
tically anyone else.
In particular, however, M
Roosevelt expresses her special IN
terest" in the election of Mayor
Hubert Humphrey of Minneapolis
Democratic candidate for the Senate
against Senator Ball. Him SHE
praises most lavishly. He, she says
might infuse new life into Con-
gress that certainly needs it."
His Outstanding Act
In this connection it is interesting
to note what, before he gets to
Congress-if he does-Mr. Hum
phrey already has done for the
Democratic party, Mr.. Truman and
the country. The outstanding act
of his career, for which he ought
long to be remembered, occurred at
the Democratic Convention IN
Philadelphia last July. 1t was Mr.
Humphrey who, against the personal
wishes of Mr.. Truman and the
advice of White House spokesmen
knocked out the Administration S
"civil rights" platform plank which
was similar to that in the 1914 plat
form, which was Endorsed by Mr.
Truman and which was, If not salts
factory, at least tolerable to the
South The substitute for which
Mr.. Humphrey led a successful hight
went far beyond the generallties OF
the 1914 plank which the South
having swallowed once under Mr.
Roosevelt, would have swallowed
again. 1t specifically and in detail
pledged the party to put through
Congress the four points OF Mr.
Truman's "civjl rights" program in.
cluding the exceedingly offensive
Federal Fair Employment Practice:
Act.
The Administration forces, caught
off base, were in no position effec'
lively to fight this proposal. Aidec
by convention confusion and mis-
management, and by the leaders o1
the CIO and the ADA, all o1
whom had been against Mr.. Truman
it was jammed into the platform
from the floor. 1t is not easy te
recall a more signal disservice tt
the party, or, for that matter, te
the country. Naturally, the South
Immediately and violently gagged
Some Southern delegates bolted the
convention without delay. Others
bitterly denounced the Humphrey
plank and organized to fight. In
brief, the Southern revolt, which
every clearheaded man knew was
inevitable under such circumstances,
was on. Stimulated by the Ameri-
cans for Democratic Action, pro-
NOTED by their CIO allies and pre-.
cipitated by young Mr.. Humphrey
a split developed more serious than
any in Democratic history.
The platform, as finally adopted
was interprted-and rightly-as
committing the party to carry out
a civil rights" program (by force
from the Federal Government If re-
uuired) which would alter the whole
structure of social organization in
the South. The States Rights
ticket headed by Governor Thur
mond was an inevitable develop
ment. The result is that two months
before the election Mr.. Truman al
ready has lost As electoral votes
with more probably to come. Moth
ing short of a political miracle car
now save the Democratic party from
defeat-and political miracles are
700 rare 10 IeCdll Ollc.
Not All Damage Done
But that is not all the damage
inflicted by the Humphrey plank. A
much worse result has followed thar
the defeat of Mr.. Truman and the
Democratic party would be. That
plank forced the Southern revolt
and the Southern revolt has wors-
ened race relations in that section
1t has presented an opportunity FOL
the white supremacy" demagogues
of the Talmadge type and has weak
ened the efforts of many enlightened
Southerners who for years have beer
steadily striving to promote political
Justice for the Negroes-and have
made real progress. No one car
consider the great increase in Negro
voting, the rarity of lynchings, the
rapidity with which the poll tax /!
disappearing and the advance II
Negro education without concedine
that in the past so years the South
on its own, has made remarkable
progress in handling this race prob
lem, so vastly more vital in tha
section than anywhere else.
Nor can it be denied that, with
understanding and sympathetic ait
from outside, the South would have
continued to make progress. 1t ha!
not had that kind Of aid. On TIT
contrary, it has been handicapped
and hampered by cheap politician
in both parties who yapped abou
social and political equality with
out in the least understanding wha
they were talking about. Certainl.
the attempt, for transparent polit
ical reasons, to force on the Soutl
by Federal law so-called reforms
that strike at the very foundation
of its social life does not promot
progress. Quite the reverse-i
abruptly halts it, creates an emo
tional state bad for the Negro, ba
for the white man, bad for tn
country.
1t Is not too much to say that tn