Evening star., 1948-10-31
JOURNEYS End

tr. JOuIuSy Iho
There will be few lamentations at the
passing of the 1948 political campaign.
Instead most people will feel sense OF
relief that at last 1t is over.
For one thing, it has not been cam
paign which has provided either an ex-
citing or an edifying spectacle. The
political speech seems to be losing its
charm. Perhaps we are Nation Wnicn
Is coming of age, or it may be that the
new role of the United States as the fore
most world power, and our growing aware
ness of the real responsibilities which ac-
company that role, tend to make us more
Indifferent than formerly to the things
political candidates say when seeking
office. In any event the last of the major
speeches has been made. The torrent OF
words has subsidized, and there is little point
In reviewing the things that were said or
left unsaid If there is any one in the
United States who can read or listen, and
who still does not know what the candi-
dates have said, he will not be interested
In any resume at this eleventh political
hour.
a. There may be more purpose In trying to
sppraise the effects of the campaign. II
political oratory can divide the people of
the United States, If political appeals can
set one group against another, then there
may be reason to believe that the campaign
has hurt us. But any such assumption
would be dubious one. For the political
speech, when 1t takes the form of some OF
those delivered by the President, or by Mr..
Wallace, or Governor Thurmond, Is de-
signed not so much to create division as
to capitalize on division that already exists.
Sometimes this strategy Is successful in
the vote-getting sense. But its effect Is
likely to be a temporary one. When an
election is, over the American people tend
to get back about where they were before
the speechmaking started, and that prob
ably will be as true this time-so far as the
speeches are concerned-as it has been in
the past.
It is possible, however, perhaps even
probable, that by-product of this cam
paign, having nothing to do with the
speeches. will be permanent realignment
Of our political structure.
No such change Is apt to come from the
wallace movement Whatever chance
there may have been of lasting third
party emerging from that quarter seems
TO have evaporated, possibly because Mr..
Wallace has talked his cause to death.
Nor is there much reason to look for any
new alignment in the Republican Party.
The change, If there Is going to be
change, will come in the future relation
ship between the Democratic Party and
the South. There are two schools Of
thought on this, one holding that the left
wingers will fall away after the expected
defeat of President Truman and that the
old-line Democrats will again climb back
IN the saddle. But there is Just as much, If
not more, reason to believe that the pendu-
lum will swing the other way, that the
national Democratic Party will be forced
still farther to the left by the pressure of
political realities. If that happens, If the
future emphasis is to be on a party that
appeals primarily to the labor vote, the
Jewish vote and especially the Negro vote,
IL! Is hard to see how the Southern Demo-
Gratis will find an acceptable place in it.
And If they cannot return to the
Democratic Party they have no feasible
alternative but to attempt to organize
permanent third party, built initially at
least around the Thurmond movement. To
speculate on the likelihood of this cannot
be much more than guesswork But it is
reasonable to believe that If any lasting
change comes out of this election 1t will
be along these lines.
AS for the election itself, the only real
area of doubt seems to lie in the Senate
race. Unless all of the signs are wrong,
Governor Dewey will be elected President
and will have safely Republican House.
But the Democrats are very hopeful that
they will be able to take over control of
the Senate.
lit will be extremely unfortunate if it
works out that way Governor Dewey, If
he is going to be chosen President, ought
TO- start out with Congress controlled by
his own party. He ought to have this op-
portunity to put into effect whatever pro-
gram he may have, and the political lineup
ought to be such that responsibility for
success or failure can be clearly fixed. A
Democratic Senate and a Republican
President could be expected to produce no
other result than to muddy the waters
and weaken our political effectiveness when
1t is imperative that we be strong
,@o ,a. Reading by Ear