Evening star., 1948-11-06
The Political Mill St'",E
Strong Future PotentioI
Still Seen for 6. O..P.
Margin of Truman's Victory Shows
Many Opposed to His Policies
By Gould Lincoln

Many Opposed to His Policies
By Gould Lincoln
Hindsight is easier. II Is easier to evaluats
factors in a political contest after the votes
have been counted. The vote Is all in. Credit
for his victory must 60 nrst to President Tru-
man and his magnificent fighting spirit
which carried him up and down and across
the country In an almost unprecedented cam.
paign.
Second, the work Of the CIO, the AFL and
and the political agencies they set up had
a tremendous effect. They got the vote regis
tered and they got 1t to the polls.
Perhaps even more important was the fact
that the country is in q period of great en-
ployment, high wages, great production and
large earnings. Industrial workers and farm
ers alike are in good case. It Is unusual for
the American people to kick out party in
control Of the Federal Government when times
are prosperous.
Next, President Truman continued the at.
tacks on big business which had been started
by the late Franklin D. Roosevelt, claiming
that the interests owned the Republican Party,
and both were the enemies Of the common
man. He warned the voters that If the Repub-
hcans came into power, the workers could
only expect rough treatment and hard times.
He gave the same warning to farmers-who
have been prosperous beyond their dreams.
G. o. p. Overconfident.
On the negative side, overconfdence en-
meshed the Republicans. It was agreed the
election was in the bag, and it is entirely prob
able that many who might have voted for
Gov. Dewey did not go to the polls. Moreover,
Dewey's campaign while extensive was pacific
rather than a fighting campaign-which he
might easily have made it. 1t left too many
people cold.
In the light of what happened on election
day. it may we'll be asked why political writ
ers-myself included-did not get the feel OF
all this and expect a Truman victory. We
didn't-and am no seeker of alibis.
The great overturn Of Republicans in favor
of Democrats in Congress and in State gov
ernments, is indicative of the fact that. the
people have by no means halted in their move
ment to the left, begun under Roosevelt. It
was DUE in the main, to the same factors
which produced victory for President Truman
not excepting the gallant fight put up by
the man whom many Of these Democrats had
earlier in the year called hopeless candidate
and detriment to their own candidates..
Not even the splits in the ranks Of the old
Roosevelt alliance-with the radicals going to
Henry A. Wallace and the conservative Demo-
Gratis Of the South to Gov. Thurmond Of South
Carolina, the States Righter-were sufficient
to bring q Republican victory although the
Wallace vote in New York made it possible for
Gov Dewey to carry that State, and Gov.
Thurmond performed according to specifca.
tions.
Narrow Margin Of Victory.
The vote tabulation shows President Truman
a victor in both the electoral vote and the
popular vote-although the President had
plurality, not q majority, Of the popular vote.
It shows, too that the Truman margin Of
victory in some of the key States was narrow.
and that comparatively small shift in the
vote would have given these States to Gov.
Dewey. Further, it shows that there was not
great outpouring Of voters-but that more
of them came out for Mr.. Truman than for
Gov. Dewey The total popular vote was less
than in any Of the Roosevelt elections-despite
the large increase in population and the mum.
ber Of citizens eligible to vote.
The Truman margin of victory in five States,
California, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio and Virginia,
totaled less than 100000. A mere hundred thou
sand votes taken from Mr.. Truman in these
States and voted for Gov Dewey would have
votes. Added to 189 he did receive, these votes
would have totaled 2ss electoral votes for Gov.
Dewey % more than necessary to elect him.
Obviously there still remains in this country
a numerically strong opposition to MIR. Truman
and his policies and his administration, po-
tential to which the Republican Party can
look in the future. The failure Of Henry
Wallace and his Progressives to poll even q
million and a half votes seems to sink Mr..
Wallace completely. 1t should be remembered,
however that his is the extreme leftist, Com.
munist vote. In the event Of an economic
bust" under the Truman administration, that
vote might become dangerous.