Evening star., 1949-11-13
Lehman Victory Mandate
Claim Declared Invalid
Federal Payroll Vote Alleged to
Have Decided Election
Bp Frank x. Kent

By Frank K. Kent
1t was inevitable that the New York vic
tory of Gov. Lehman should be construed as
a great popular Endorsement Of Mr.. Truman's
whole beWildering domestic program. The
President not only pitched into the fight
personally with all he had, but through
members of his cabinet and political aides
used every ounce of administration weight.
Naturally, he was pleased and I'D the right
to say so.
Nevertheless, it does seem that he did con-
siderable more gloating than the situation
called for, and his excessive cockiness, as
displayed on election night before the Wom-
ems Democratic Club in Washington, did not
endear him to quite all who saw, heard or
read. AS matter of fact, while a certain
amount of chortling, cackling and Growing
was to be expected, Mr.. Truman appeared
somewhat to oyerdo it. Nor was his refer
ence to the defeated Mr.. Dulles as that
fellow" exactly the way one expects a victor
particularly PreSident-to speak of van
quished opponent, however hard he fought.
But those are unimportant points, matters of
good taste and good feeling, have no bearing
on the result or it's significance.
More timely it is to discuss what may be
expected Of Mr.. Lehman in the Senate. to
what the Democrats really owe their triumph
and what is its true significance. Take first.
Mr. Lehman. Spurred on by his White House
and labor support, he accepted as a whole
Saving only the already doomed Brannan
farm plan and hedging little on socialized
medicine) all the welfare State" theories
and the Fair Deal' formulas. Now, before
he is sworn in, he stands so deeply COM
mitted to the Presidents policies that he has
exceedingly little room for independent
thought or action. He seems to have tied
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tive to the role of rubber stamp is to be-
come traitor to Mr.. Truman and violator
of his campaign promises.
When one considers that some Of the
things he will be called upon to support are
sure to do violence to his convictions and
clash with his common sense, Mr.. Lehman's
position is hardly happy one. Riding on
what MIR. Stassen calls "Trumans gravy
train isn't natural for him. Yet that is
exactly what he is scheduled to do. Nor,
except by those soft-headed enough really
to believe in the Utopian pictures Mr. Tru-
man paints Of a life of. ease and leisure
for all men everywhere, can his election be
regarded as promoting the national inter-
ests. It does, Of course strengthen the
left-Wing elements now ascendant in the
Democratic Party and it buttresses the
type OF economic adviser, such as Leon
Keyserling, who has been consistently edging
Mr. Truman farther away from orthodox
financial doctrine. Also, it does encourage
the Presidents political strategists to believe
in the continuing effectiveness Of the COM
bination OF special interest voters they have
formed
Take next the national Significance of
the result. Already administration propa-
gandists are beating the drums to pro-
mulgate the idea that the people" have
expressed themselves overwhelmingly in
favor of the Fair Deal" and the welfare
State" This is no easier to sustain than the
contention that Mr.. Truman's narrow vic
tory IN 1948 was mandate" from the
American people to repeal the Taft-Hartley
Act and to enact the so-called civil-rights
program, forced on the convention against
Mr.. Truman's desire by such garrulous
bleeding heart" statesmen as Senator
Humphreys of Minnesota. Though Mr.. Tru-
man and his labor allies still talk about that
mandate" no one else took it seriously
and the Democratic Congress elected with
him. ignoring the mandate" threw the bulk
OF the Truman program into the discard.
In this case the election figures and facts
make the mandate" claim even more
absurd. Mr.. Lehman's majority in a total
vote OF 100000 was less than 100000. Mr..
Rogers Dunn OF the Dunn Survey Of Green
wich, Conn.,, contends that Mr. Lehman was
not indorsed by the voters but owes his
election entirely to what he calls the pay
roll vote. In New York there are l78,o0o
Federal jobholders, averaging with their
relatives four votes each which means that
approximately 100000 votes were thus
delivered to Mr. Lehman. Clearly, this isn't
vote swayed by issues or. argument and,
clearly. without it he could not have won.
This argument can measurably be
answered by the fact that there are almost
an equal number of State jobholders In New
York that these are mostly Republicans and
mostly cast their votes for Mr. Dulles Mr..
Dunn rejects that as an adequate answer.
Be that as 1t may. the contention
that Mr.. Lehmans 100000 majority con-
stitutes either genuine Endorsement OF the
voters Of New York or mandate" from
the people becomes ridiculous However,
that will not deter administration journal
istic and political spokesman from insisting
that it does.
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