Evening star., 1949-08-18
The Political Mill
Snub to Dixiecruts Sure
To Stir Party Bitterness
Democratic National Committee
To Elect Boyle Next Week Here
Bv Gould Lincoln

By Gould Lincoln
The Democratic National Committee.
meeting in Washington next week. will elect
a new national chairman to succeed Senator
McGrath of Rhode Island, appointed At
torney General by President Truman. Tho
election will take place without any outward
clash whatever-such as arose when the
Republican National Committee recently
elected a new national chairman by skimpy
three-vote lead over an opponent. But the
national committee meeting Of the Demo-
Gratis will not be without It's own bit Of bitter
ness.
Retiring National Chairman McGrath. in
calling the meeting, has ignored the party's
national committee members representing
those Southern States which turned against
President Truman and voted last fall for
Gov. Thurmond Of South Carolina, the DEM
ocratic States rights candidate for President.
Once again the Truman Democrats have
chosen to smash these Southern Democrats
in the face. They did 1t at the Philadelphia
national convention In 1948, when they
wrote into the party platform complete sup
port of the Truman civil rights program.
President Truman later. on the upswell Of
his victory, took another crack at them
when he said he was glad he had carried
the election without New York and the old
solid South
Clear Notice to South.
The four Southern States which failed to
give Mr. Truman their electoral votes were
Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and South
Carolina. Instead of now attempting TO
make peace with the Democratic leaders, the
Trumanites are seeking to run them out OF
office and to make it possible Tor some OF
their own sympathizers to take over control
-. y, C4o+n "a
whole power of the Federal Government, IN
cluding Federal patronage, will be exerted.
if necessary, to bring this about.
It's clear notice to the Southerners they
must take what the Trumanites ladle out
to them, including the civil rights program,
whether they want it or not. The reactlon
to this kind of treatment may be severe.
1t might conceivably bring real and last
ing party split. The States -RlghterS nave
been waiting to see what the Northern ana
Western Democrats had in store for them
in the meantime promising TO- continue tne
States rights movement.
The ADA, Americans for Democratic Ac-
tion has helped to point up the snub OF the
States rights Democrats by Chairman
McGrath. Joseph L. Rauh, jr., chairman OF
the National Executive Committee OF that
organization sent Mr.. McGrath his con-
gratulations for "unmasking the Dixie
Gratis in his call for the national commit
tee. "Your fortnight action Mr.. Rauh
wrote, signifies support of the Presidents
civil rights program"
Won't Bring Harmony.
Since this program is the chief bone OF
contenton-though not the only bone-oe-
tween the Truman Democrats and the
States Fighters, and it is opposed by prac-
ticaly all of the members of Congress from
all the Southern States, the comment Is
not calculated to bring harmony in Demo.
cratic ranks.
At bottom, it is the opposition to Mr..
Truman and his program by southern
Democrats which has made farce OF the
administrations efforts to get what 1t de-
manded from the 81st Congress. Whether
this continued bearing down on the South
erners by the Trumantes is going to make
the administrations course in the second
session of the present Congress easier or
more difficult remains to be seen. The
Truman forces may have gained an inkling
| of what lies ahead from the result OF the
I Virginia primary recently. when the Byrd
organization elected its candidate for the
Democratic nomination for Governor. beat
ing the CIO- Truman faction Of the party
by considerable margin.
The Democratic National Committee Will
elect William Boyle-of Missouri-its new
chairman. He has Mr.. Truman's blessing
and that of Chairman McGrath. 1t will
be Mr.. Boyle's Job from now on to tame
the hitherto recalcitrant Southern Demo-