Evening star., 1948-04-04
New Dealers Desertion J.
Of Trumun Lacks Loqic
Sporadic Demands That Party Ditch
President Seen as Stupid


Sporadic Demands That Party Ditch
President Seen as Stupid
By Frask r. Kssf
It Ii IN ironical fact that outside Of the
South, where there Ii . special reason. the
current clamor within the Democratic Party
against Mr.. Truman comes not from the ele.
nents that logically might be expected 10
oppose his nomination but from those which
by every rule Of reason should support him.
Certainly. he deeply distressed conservative
and anti-New Deal Democrats when he vetoed
the Taft-Hartley bill; when he came out
strongly for the so-called civil rights includ.
ing that Fair Employment Practices Act which
has 20 enraged the South: when he delivered
his state Of the Union" message In which hs
went far to the left on social and spending
legislation: when he failed to give encourage
ment to the effort to reduce the size and cost
Of the Federal bureaucracy.
However, 1t is din1cult to see In any OF this
-or In anything else Mr.. Truman has done
an excuse for the vicious and vociferous at.
tempt to defeat him now being made by the
worshipful followers of the late Mr.. Roosevelt.
On the contrary, the course Mr.. Truman has
followed should have especially endeared him
to these. For, without exception, every policy
he has is q Roosevelt policy. Not one Is original
with him. Undoubtedly most Of them, such a.
the civil rights proposals and his support Of
the CIo bosses, are unsound economically.
demagogic politically and doubtful constitu-
tionally. None the less. they are Roosevelt
policies and as such were enthusiastically ad.
yocated by the very New Deal politicians.
columnists and commentators who today are
trying to cut his throat, hypocritically alleging
tAA AA~ HAk~ >1lAtA -
q
This is so transparently false that one won.
ders at the effrontery Of those who charge It.
Actually. the only two things alleged by these
screeching anti -Trumanites which can be even
measurably sustained are tD that hs has
failed to keep In his administration certain
notorious New Dealers, notably James M.
Lands; ca that he reversed himself on the
Palestine issue.
30 far ~ the first is concerned, It Il true Mp.
Truman made no effort to retain number Of
these self-advertised statesmen, but In most
cases there are adequate reasons for not doing
So In the case Of Mr.. Lands. 1t was kind
ness to him that Mr.. Truman "took the rap"
without publicly proclaiming the reasons.
AZ to the second, Mr.. Truman's original
advocacy Of Palestine partition was politically
Jewish vote upon which the machine politi-
clans count so heavily. That was not an ad-
mirable action. But later, when he realized
his mistake and was convinced by the State
Department and the Secretary Of Defense that
the national security was imperiled, he reversed
himself. And that was m admirable action
nonpolitical and courageous.
whatever Mr.. Truman,s deficiencies, Il seems
plain he Is getting very shabby treatment from
group with q very poor case against him.
Particularly mean Is the yapping OF the Rooss.
velt brothers, Franklin. jr.. and Elliott As for
Mrs. Roosevelt, when she left for England she
was neutral" Recently some Of her self.
appointed spokesmen declared she will stand
by her sons" that she Is . very great woman
whom millions love and follow. Perhaps 60 but
there are other millions who regard her as q
very dull, sef-righteous and tiresome person.
and who will certainly 60 In ths opposite
direction.
It seems exceedingly unlikely that this
drum-beating anti-Truman drive will alter
the conviction Of Gen. Eisenhower that presi.
DENTAL nomination Is something he distinctly
does not want-especially one from . party not
his own and engineered by individuals whom
he does not highly esteem. Clearly, the sort
OF draft now suggested is one In which he
would have to connive. Few believe that after
his unequivocal statement he could be induced
to do anything remotely savoring Of stultin-
cation. 1t Ia incredible that he would permit
himself to be used by persons whose motives
are 20 completely transparent and 20 wholly
selfish. In brief, 1t is unlikely Gen. Eisenhower
can be played for . sap.
OF course, 1t Is possible Mr. Truman may be
frightened by the kind Of publicity the people
behind this drive" are able to command.
But those who know him best do not think
20. One reason Is that he Is not the sort
OF man to be scared out Of . fight just be-
cause the odds are against him. Another ID
that certainly he will lose more self-rsspsct
and 20 down in history ~ stoddy character
II he quits under this kind Of IRE than II he
stands up and takes his licking no matter
how bad It may be. Hoover, Landon and
William II. Taft all gained In public esteem
through defeat.
still another reason n that thsrs may be
change Of political scenery before nsxt NO
vember. In ls46 Mr.. Trrman's prestige was 10
low that Q demand was made that he rssign.
In six months he was running ahead In the
popularity polls. This Is not to say Mr. Truman
can duplicate that performance Things look
worse for him now than they did then. But
1t u possible In any event, under existing
circumstances, his stupidity In allowing this
gang to ditch him would be exactly equal TO
the stupidity OF the Democratic Party In doing
the ditching. Their fortunes are inseparaby
linked. In tearing down Mr.. Truman all these
snorting liberals" can do Is to make Q bad
situation worse.
States. On the scarlet field around tbs large
star are other RhitA atarx one for ZACH Stata