Evening star., 1950-01-31
The Political Mill
Raleigh Meeting Called
Both Success and Flop
Political Struggle in South Declared
Full of Meaning for Nation
Bv Gould Lincoln

by G0nd Lincoln
The Democratic Southern Regional Con-
ference in Raleigh, N. c., now passed into
history, is variously described as great
success and complete flop. Supporters Of
President Truman are congratulating them
selves on the event. Dixiecrats take low
view of it. The attitude of the former is
expressed editorially by the Raleigh News
and Observer, the newspaper published by
Jonathan Daniels, the moving spirit in the
conference.
Critics." said the editorial, "who had
hoped for dissension did not find it,
Both the conference and the Jefferson-Jack-
son dinner (Which followed the conference)
were highly pleasing to those who are inter-
ested in the success, rather than the failure.
of the Democratic Party. The most
noteworthy features Of both the conference
and the dinner were that they served to
clear the air. The Democratic Party is
national party and has national program
Civil Rights Unmentioned.
No one. however, either during the sessions
of the conference or at the dinner, rose ana
defended President TrumanS clVn rlgnIS
program No one even mentioned 1t. Every
other feature of the Truman program, 1or-
eign and domestic, was praised to the SKIES,
including the Brannan farm program ana
national health insurance.
SsNSSSAASASA~ ~
that the Southern Truman Democrats-Tru-
mancrats-would have reacted, with few ex-
ceptions, just like a group OF States Rights
Dixiecrats They would have been against
the civil rights program. On the civil r1gntS
issue, the Democratic Party is not united
nationally.
Once upon a time-in the days when
national prohibition was on the up and up
many Southern Democrats fell into the habit
Is ,o4; Lrxy nf than however
served the right to drink wet. Today many
Southern Democrats-not all. but many
have the habit of voting for Mr.. Truman.
and many of them reserve the right not to
swallow Mr.. Trumans civil rights bills.
But as a demonstration of the power Of
the Trumanites to hold Southern confer
ence, the Raleigh meeting was success It
was success, too, because it proved good
sounding board for the administration big
wigs, most of them from the South, who
proclaimed the virtue and the value of the
Truman plans for the people, and pictured
them as mere combinations of a long line
of Democratic policies from those OF Thomas
Jefferson on down, through Jackson, Cleve-
land, Wilson and Roosevelt.
Ambassador of Good viii.
And to cap these efforts, the admlnlstra-
ton sent that priceless ambassador OF good
will, Vice President Barkley, and his charm-
ing pride, 10 grace tIle JSAeASoA oSAooAA
dinner. Mr. Barkley's wit aid unfalllng
good humor-as well as his really capable
arraying of the accomplishments OF the
Democratic Party, were worth good deal
to those who are seeking to bring the party
together again in the South. North Caro-
linian by descent and Kentuckian by birth.
Mr.. Barkley qualified as Southerner, speak.
ing to Southerners.
The Dixiecrat view of the Raleigh confer
ence is that 1t failed because 1t did not bring
to it the Governors of II of the Is States
included; that outside of the congressional
delegation from North Carolina, the host
State, no Southern members Of Congress
attended, although they were invited, and
that other outstanding leaders OF the party
did not put in an appearance. Nor were the
"sinners" the Dixiecrats, on hand to be
converted.
The political struggle now going on in the
States Of the South is full of meaning for the
Nation. Unless the Truman Democrats are
able to gain in that region. unless they can
bring about the election of more Truman
supporters to Congress, they must increase
materially their congressional strength from
the North, East and West. And II they fail
in either direction, the Truman program
fail faa