Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-09-24

The Truman Fair Dealers failed
miserably to strengthen their
ranks in the primary elections for
Democratic nominees for the COM
ing congressional elections. With
the completion of these nomina-
tions-including those made by
State convention-the Fair Dealers
suffered three notable defeats in
the selection of candidates for the
Senate-Pepper in Florida, Ora
ham in North Carolina and Taylor
in Idaho. All three of the party
nominees in those States are more
Of the Byrd type of Democrat than
the Truman. The Fair Dealers
did succeed in nominating Mrs.
Helen Gahagan Douglas for the
Senate in California, over a more
conservative Democrat She is
running. however, to succeed an
other Democrat, Senator Downey,
who has never been regarded as
q conservative Democrat"
The primary results, so far as
the House candidates are con-
cerned, give the Trumanites little
to cheer about. OF all the sitting
Democratic and Republican mem
bers who sought denomination,
only six have been defeated. In
other words. the large group of
Democrats in the present Congress
who have failed to go along with
the radical measures of the Tru-
man program, will be back in the
S2d Congress. The only alterna-
tive is that few of them might
be succeeded by Republicans.
The only chance. therefore, for
the Fair Dealers to increase their
supporters in the new Congress is
through the defeat of Republican
incumbents in the House and Sem
ate. The administration, with it's
labor boss allies, has now launched
a vigorous campaign to that end.
II it fails, then President Truman,
even should the Democrats retain
numerical control in both Houses,
would again face defeat of major
items in his legislative program,
with the issues forced over until
the 1852 presidential contest.
Eight Senate Changes
At the present writing it's any
body's guess which party will con-
troll the houses of Congress when
1t meets in January. But it would
really be an unexpected outcome
II the Democrats gained material
numbers of seats in either the
House or Senate-numbers which
would make it possible for the
Fair Dealers to blast through re-
peal of the Taft Hartley labor law,
for example. On the other hand,
1t is quite possible that the Re-
publicans will increase their
strength in both houses, and per-
haps do so substantially.
Whatever the results of the cleo
tons, eight sitting members of
the Senate will be absent when the
new Congress opens. Four of them
declined to run for one reason or
another and four were defeated
for denomination. Those who de-
clined to run are Senators Downey
of California, Leahy of Rhode
Island and Withers of Kentucky,
Democrats. and Darby of Kansas.
Republican. Those defeated are
Senators Pepper of Florida,
Graham of North Carolina and
Taylor of Idaho. Democrats, and
Guerney Of South Dakota, Re-
publican. ..
Forty members of the present
House will not be sitting in the
new House. -Four have died, leav-
ing vacancies that must be filed
In the coming election. Six were
defeated and 80 failed to seek re-
nomination for the House. Some
Of the last ran for senatorial or
gubernatorial nominations.
The six members of the House
who we're defeated in the pri-
maries are Representatives Sims
and Hare of South Carolina, Dem
ocrats; Representatives Phillips
and Jennings of Tennessee, Re-
n1Ih1ioonc. Donracaotofiua Dfaifor