Evening star., 1948-07-03
Dewey-Warren Ticket
Distresses ) WideIy
Separated Groups
Labor Union Bosses; ADA
And Southern Democrats
Have Much to Lose
By Frank X. Kent

By Frank X. Kent
Three widely separated groups
two Of considerable Importance
and the third of not so much-are
deeply distressed over the Dewey
Warren ticket. First, there are the
labor union bosses; second, the
Southern Democrats; third, the So
called Americans for Democratic
Action, window dressed by the
Roosevelt boys. operated by old New
Deal jobholders and supported by
journalistic liberals" of the bleed
ing-heart" type.
Take first the labor bosses. The
Dewey nomination seems worse to
them than any that could have been
made. Not only is Mr.. Dewey for
the Taft Hartley Act, which they
continue to denounce as a slave
law" but distinctly he is less likely
to submit to labor bullying or
cajolery than any other. In 1916
he showed up these labor bosses as
impotent political frauds. In his
campaign for reelection for Cover
nor they were unitedly hostile. The
American Labor Party, the Liberal
Party, the Communists, the C1O, the
AFL, the railroad brotherhoods and
the whole radical vote of the State
lined up solidly.
He was given first place as an
"enemy of labor" and every ounce
of strength the labor bosses had
was used against him. He not only
beat them; he murdered them,
carrying the State by the almost
unprecedented majority of 100000
and demonstrating the complete
holloWnesS of their threats.
Useful Demonstration.
1t was a useful demonstration,
doing as much as anything to free
Congress from the fear which had
enabled the labor bosses. with White
House support, to dictate to it for so
many years. 1t is entirely natural
for them to be against Mr.. Dewey
now. There is no place for them to
20 except to Mr.. Truman or Mr..
Wallace. If the Republicans win,
their days of unrestrained and ar
rogant power are overland they
do not like the prospect.
Take next the Southern Demo-
,-o,o1t oooiY1ct Mr. Trllr1 q n
because of his advocacy OF anti
segregation and acial-discrimina-
ton legislation, under the general
and misleading head of civil
rights" The DeWey-Warren ticket
weakens their position for the clear
reason that Mr.. Dewey, on this is
sue, must be more offensive to
them than Mr.. Truman, whose &C.
tual position has been more than a
little distorted. Mr.. Dewey not only
was for this civil rights" scheme
which, as Donald Richberg has
pointed out, really strikes at the
basic liberties Of the individual un-
der the Constitution, and as Senator
Taft has said, attempts to achieve
by legislation perhaps laudable
end that just cannot be achieved by
legislation-he not only was for
these civil rights" before Mr.. Tru-
man but actually put through FAN
Employment Practices Act in New
York more than two years ago.
In light of these facts, what in.
ducement is there now for the
Southern Democrats further to spill
their party by revolt in conven'
tion against Mr.. Truman, which
would serve only to make Mr.
Dewey's election more sure? Oh.
viously none, and there are indica.
tions that since the Republican Con-
vention the revolt has lost force
and direction-particularly as the
DeWey-Warren ticket has appar.
emily closed the door on the last
hope of drafting" Gen. Eisenhower
Finally, there is the ADA, the
leaders of whom seem in an ever
more sticky fix. They started out
by being anti-Wallace and anti
Truman. Apparently they are con-
vinced that, by rights, the Demo
cratic Party belongs to them as the
real representatives Of the late Mr.
Roosevelt. Not being-according tt
them-a real New Dealer, they de-
cided long ago that Mr. Truman
must be ditched and. though they
are at heart for the eager Mr.. JUS
Iice Douglas, that Gen. Eisenhower
must be drafted.
Position Is Absurd.
For a number of reasons theil
position appears absurd. One is
that Mr. Trumans nomination al.
ways seemed inevitable; for another
the ADA leaders, with access tc
wide publicity channels, are yet
without influence or delegates;
third, that even had the Repub-
licans gone back to Harding ano
straddled on foreign policy, the
chances of drafting Gen. Eisen-
hover were always exceedingly re-
mote
Nevertheless, the idea is kept
alive. The Eisenhower demand will
be made in the Democratic Con-
vention, but it will get nowhere be-
cause it now has reached the polnl
where there is no longer any
thought that Mr. Truman can be
pushed aside. Now, he is being
appealed to, for the sake of the
party and the country" to ster
aside and personally ask Gen. Ike
to accept There is not the slight
est ground for believing Mr. Tru-
man will do such thing. nor thai
il he did Ike" would favorably re-
spond. So far as the latter is con-
cerned, despite the inspired letter:
pouring in on him, it is difficult tt
conceive of him having SO little
sense.
The optimistic outpourings on the
Eisenhower subject by Elliott Roose'
welt and the pretense of knowing
that Ike" is really receptive, in
sultingly reflect upon his sincerity
and integrity, but do not alter th'
situation. Those in best position
to know assert that in the unlikel,
event Of the convention nominating
him, Gen. Eisenhower would decline
by wire. 1t is even possible anothe.
statement making presentation o