Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-01


of Idaho for Vice President.
Thus will end the unusual non
in which, for the first time since
1924, the electoral votes of one or
more States are likely to be lost to
the Democrats and Republicans.
No Multiple-Party System
Although five parties will have
presidential tickets on the Novem-
Der ballots in a number Of States,
this does not mean that this coun-
try is headed toward the multiple
party system of France. Italy and
prewar Germany. The most likely
to happen this year is that the
Southern States rights" Democrats
who nominated Gov. J. Strom Thur
mond of South Carolina and Gov.
Fielding L. Wright of Mississippi at
Birmingham will take over the 20
electoral votes of Alabama and Mis-
sissippi and may win the IT votes Of
Arkansas and South Carolina. The
secessionists may also cause one
or more of the remaining States of
the Confederacy to 60 for the Re-
publican ticket of Cows. Dewey and
Warren, as five did in 1928. The
pro- Communists Progressives may
win a few congressional seats in the
largest cities, but their showing, to
be impressive, must be- measured by
the unknown millions of votes they
hope to get throughout the whole
country.
The Communists and fellow-trav-
elers who dominated the recent
Progressive convention at Philadel-
phia are working for control Of a
new front" organization that will
be able to take over the Democratic
Party in 1852. 1856 or 1860.
Thomas Again on Ballot
As to their preliminary efforts
this year. it is an open question
whether these captors of Henry Wal
lace overplayed their hand at Phila-
delphia by their obvious writing Of
the Progressive platform, with its
undisguised appeasement policy
toward Soviet Russia, and of the
rules setting up the organization OF
the new party. Many observers of
practical politics think that the
Communist-Soviet coloration of the
New Party will cost 1t the support
and votes of sincere liberals and in
dependents who believe that small
but vigorous third party provides a
valuable social prod and an intel
lectual irritant to the two major
parties.
In the past, such vanguard ideas
were presented to the country by
the Peoples or Populist Party, the
Socialist Party, the Theodore Roose-
welt Bull Moose" movement and the
indigenous Progressive Party of the
elder Senator Robert M. La Fol-
lette of Wisconsin.
The Socialist Party, which has
nominated Norman Thomas for
President and Tucker P. Smith, a
trade union organizer turned eco
nomics professor, for Vice President,
is again on the ballot of many
States; in others there will be a
write-in vote. 1t is doubtful, how
ever, whether this party will get
credit for more than the 80,518 pop
ular presidential votes that were
counted for it in 1914. Yet this is
the party that gave the country
such advanced political leaders as
Morris Hillquit, Victor L. Berger
and Eugene Debs.
All Have Common Aims
All advanced parties have COM
mon aims. but the Socialists can
properly claim that they were
among the first to advocate such
measures, later approved by the ma
jor parties, as woman suffrage
progressive income, inheritance
corporation and franchise taxes
workmen's compensation, minimum
wages, a shorter work week, aboli-
ton of child labor, effective factory
and mine inspection. conservation
of natural resources, public work
for the unemployed, curbing of in.
junction powers in labor disputes
establishment of department OF
labor, expansion Of public educa-
tional and health services and pub
lie ownership of electrical and other
utilities.
This year the Socialist platform
again calls for public ownership OF
basic industries plank copied by
the Progressives-but no party is as
bitter against the Soviet dominated
Communist Party. The Socialists
have lost few Of their most radi-
cal members to the New Party, but
under the direction OF Mr.. Thomas,
the party's perennial presidential
nominee. they are recognized by
the Communists as worthy intel
lectual rivals.
This brings UP an interesting
comparison between the Socialists
and the La Toilette Progressive par
ty Of 1924 and the Wallace PRO
gressives" of 1913.
Not an Honest Campaign
The La Toilette Progressiyes were
an outgrowth of the agrarian, anti
monopoly Populists of 1892. To
these ideas. it added the trade un-
ionist political and economic pro-
grams OF the American Federation
OF Labor and the railroad brother
hoods. Under Mr.. La Follette's
leadership, the presidential cam
paign was based on facts which