Evening star., 1950-06-01
The Political Mil
Administration in Bottle
To Win South CuroIinu
Fight Opens TO Beot Byrnes
In July II Primories
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

The administration drive to regain
control Of the Democratic Party ma
chinery in the States of the solid South"
moves now into South Carolina. There
on July IL contests for the Democratic
nominations for Governor and Senator
will be settled in q primary election.
The voters win decide whether they want
as Governor former Secretary OF State
James F. ByrneS. a critic of the Truman
Fair Deal. and whether they want Gov.
Thurmond. the States Rights Demo-
cratic candidate for President in Ie4S.
for Senator
President Truman and his Democratic
national chairman. William NJ. Boyle. jr.,
have been making headway. They. have
won control Of the Democratic State En-
ecutive Committee OF Alabama. though
by q narrow margin. They have also
presumably further strengthened their
control in North Carolina, where II IS
now expected Senator Graham viii be
nominated TO his present Senate seat
Only in Florida-which went for Truman
IN the 1s4S election. anyway-did the
Fair Deal Democrats lose out. There
Senator Pepper. 100 per cent for the
Truman program. was defeated by Rep
resentatiye SmatherS who opposed major
items in that program. But even so. Mr..
Smathers has since hts nomination de-
clared himself friendly to the Truman
administration and to the President par
ticularly.
Tough to Beat Byrnes.
The administration admittedly has
tough fight on its hands to defeat Mr.
Byrnes, who has frankly said he wants
to be Governor of South Carolina to be
in stronger position to attack what he
calls Mr.. Truman'S Spendthrift and 80
cialistfc program. 1t would dearly like to
see Gov. Thurmond. who took the
electoral votes of South Carolina, MisSiS-
Sippi. Alabama and Louisiana away from
Truman In 1948. defeated by Senator
Johnston. who has been friendly to the
TrumaniteS.
President Truman'S supporters want to
make sure there will be no such revolt
as that Of 1948 in these Southern States
against denomination for Mr.. Truman,
and against his reelection after he has
been nominated. They also hope that
victories in these Southern States will
weaken opposition to Mr.. Truman's do
mestic program in Congress. and show
that the Democratic Party is not hope
leSSly impotent when it comes to legis-
lation demanded by Mr.. Truman, as 1t
has been in the 10TH 80th and 8lst Con-
crosses. The tremendous influence OF the
Federal Government has been exerted In
every possible manner to attain these
ends. Patronage and favors of many
kinds have been brought into play.
Byrnes Has Three Opponents.
Mr.. Byrnes has three opponents in the
Democratic gubernatorial primary-Les-
ter L. Bates, city councilman In Column
bia, As years old; Thomas H. Pope,
speaker of the State House of Repre-
Sentatives. 81, and Marcus A. Stone,
lumberman of Florence, 81. All four men
are touring the State and speak from
the same platforms. His three opponents
attack Mr.. Byrnes. saying in effect he is
too old, II. to be seeking the Office of
Governor, and that as Secretary Of State
he muffed the ball entirely and per-
mitted Soviet Russia to run away with 1t.
They challenge Mr. Byrnes to talk State
issues MIR. Byrnes ignoring them,
goes right ahead denouncing the Truman
administration and State socialism.
The Thurmond- Johnston race for the
senatorial nomination is attracting q lot
Of attention as the candidates, too, travel
about speaking from the same platforms.
Gov. Thurmond swept the State in his
race against Mr.. Truman two years ago.
Senator Johnston held aloof from that
strife. although he was strongly vocal
in his opposition to the Truman civil
rights program.