Evening star., 1948-09-03
Truman and His Party
Committed 10 Battle
States Rights Rebels

/ President Truman and the
Democratic Party leadership
were committed today to "a war
to the finish" with rebellious
Southern members who have set
up a States rights branch OF
the party.
The long standing breach was
recognized officially when the
Democratic National Committee
yesterday declared the States
Rights Party has bolted the
Democratic Party" and, in effect
read its members out of the party
The national committees posi-
ton was expressed by William j.
Primm, jr., assistant to National
Chairman McGrath, in a telegram
acknowledging support being given
President Truman and his running
mate, Senator Barkley of Ken
lucky, by loyal" Democrats in
South Carolina.
Aid to Republicans Charged.
The loyal" group had asked the
committee what its position would
be in the event they organized to
replace the South Carolina DEM
ocratic group supporting the States
Rights ticket composed of Gov. ].
Strom Thurmond of South Carolina
for President and Gov Fielding
Wright of Mississippi for Vice Pres
ident.
The group now organized under
the name of States Rights Party
or Dixiecrats, has bolted the Dem
ocratic Party" Mr.. Primm told the
loyal" South Carolinians. Neither
they nor their leaders can be recog-
nized as Democrats any more than
Henry A. Wallace and his Progress
sive Party can be considered DEM
ocrats.
Both the Dixiecrats and the Wall
laceites have one thing in common
the aid and comfort they are giving
to the Republican Party. The
Dixiecrats are a fourth party move
ment, deliberately designed by their
leaders to aid the Republican Party"
The Southerners who broke with
the Democratic leadership over the
Presidents civil rights program
quickly responded with words CAL
culated to increase and not lessen
the break.
| Called Useless Sacrifice,
Gov. Tnurmond declared that any
Southern member of Congress who
supported the Presidents "so-called
civil rights" program will be use
lessly sacrificing himself with his
own people"
Southerners, he added, will not
be dictated to by a New Englander
Senator McGrath), who has him.
self bolted the Democratic Party
by violating its basic principles of
States rights
William P. Baskin, chairman oi
the South Carolina State Democrat
ic Party, insisted, however, that the
State group is still part of the
national party, even though its
eight presidential electors are
pledged to the Thurmond- Wright
ticket.
There has been no severance of
ties with the national Democratic
Party he protested A motion for
complete severance of all ties has
not been acted on as this is mat
ter, Mr.. Baskin said, for the State
Democratic convention.
Reputation of Boilers Seen.
Some South Carolina Democrats
refused to attend a meeting of the
State Democratic Committee in Co.
lunbia yesterday, contending that
binding the electors to the Thur
mond-Wright ticket "deprived the
people of the State the right to vote
for the candidate of their choice" "
Mr.. Primm told this group its
actions were approved by the Ma
tlonal Committee and the National
Committee will have no other course
but to recognize it as the official
Democratic Party of South Carolina.
Il am confident" Mr.. Primm add
ed, that the action you are taking
in South Carolina is the beginning
CT a reputation by the people all
over the South of the boilers who
rule the Dixiecrats."
The Southern break was intensi-