Evening star., 1949-01-13
The Political Mill
Democrats Crack Whip
Of Regularity in South
Some National Committeeman Pursed
In States Won by Thurmond
By Gould Lincoln

bv GOnid Lincoln
The fight to make the Truman flair deal"
party the dominating Democratic Party of the
South is developing rapidly. recent list Of
members of the Democratic National Commit.
tee, and also of State Democratic officers, is.
sued through the Democratic headquarters
here, shows the purge is on. So far it has
been applied only to the four States which gave
their electoral votes to the States Rights
Democratic candidate Gov Thurmond of
South Carolina. And even in these States
the lash has been laid on in varying degrees.
For example, in Alabama, Marion Rushton.
who has been the Democratic national COM
mtteeman but who was strong States Rights
leader, has been dropped But Mrs Leonard
Thomas, the Democratic national committee
woman, has been kept on.
In South Carolina, on the other hand, the
sweep has been complete. Trumantes have
succeeded the regularly named members of
the Democratic National Committee, State
chairman and vice chairman, and secretary and
treasurer. The new national committeeman
is Ashton H. Williams who headed the CAM
paign for Truman in South Carolina last fall.
1t makes no difference that Mr.. Truman lost
the State to Mr. Thurmond by wide margin.
The regularly chosen Democratic officials do
not exist in the eyes of the Democratic ma
tional organization, headed by the Democratic
national chairman, Senator j. Howard Nc
Grath of Rhode Island
Purge in Mississippi Too.
There has been purge of the regular Demo-
cratic officers in Mississippi, too Former 1t.
Gov. j. B. Snider, who was Democratic national
committeeman, is out and the Trumanites have
substituted Clarence E. Hood jr.; Mrs Hermes
Gautier, national committeewoman, is off the
lsc% ~.
placements have been made in the positions
of State chairman, State vice chairman, etc.
All this in State where Mr.. Truman polled
scarcely 10 per cent of the Democratic vote
cast.
The list for Louisiana, the fourth State which
went for Gov. Thurmond and against Mr.. Tru-
man, is blank Whether the Truman-dom.
mated National Committee is going to relent
and restore, or pick some substitutes for, the
old members of the National Committee re-
mains to be seen.
The whip of party regularity is being cracked.
Presumably it is to be warning to all South.
ern Democrats, in case any of them are think
ing of strayilg off the Truman reservation in
the future. When, recently, about 100 census
employees were to be taken on in Mississippi,
the Senators and Representatives from that
State were ignored. They had supported the
States Rights -Dixiecrat ticket Recommen-
dations were obtained from the dauntless few
who had stood by Mr.. Truman in the Missis-
sippi campaign.
The Trumanites, however, have so far not
undertaken to tangle with the Senators from
Mississppi-or from the other three States
over appointments which must come up for
confirmation by the Senate. If these Southern
Democratic Senators were ignored in making
such appointments, the fur might really fly,
and there would probably be bitter contests,
holding up these appointments indefinitely,
If not rejecting them.
Resentment Over Rights"
The situation so far as the Truman Demo-
Gratis are concerned is complicated by the
fact that President Truman is pressing for
the enactment into law of his civil rights pro-
gram, including anti-poll tax, antilynching,
antisegregation and fair employment practices
legislation These are the laws he is trying to
stuff down the throats of protesting Southern
Democrats. If he is successful the situation
may become even less harmonious for the
Democrats in Mississippi South Carolina.
Louisiana and Alabama. And the resentment
may spread into other Southern States, too,
which wish to be left alone to work out their
racial problems. The passage of such laws
by Democratic Congress and their approval
d
way toward convincing these Southerners there
is no longer any compelling reason why they
should remain in the Democratic Party. It
might effectually break up the Democratic
solid South" which has been the backbone
of that party since Civil War days.
The real test of the purge, however, is likely
to come when Senators and Representatives
who supported the States Rights ticket come
up for denomination and reelection. Senator
Eastland of Mississippi; who has been the
blacklist on the Truman blacklist, was re-
elected last November, and it would be six years
almost before an effort to purge" him could be
made. Members of the House from Mississippi
and other States in which Mr.. Truman was
opposed must run again in 1850.
In the meantime the 100 per cent States
Fighters are not being invited to the Truman
Inauguration, except, Of course, the members
of Congress.