Evening star., 1950-05-30
The Political Mil
Grohom Victory Gives
Pause to Democrats
Showing in North Curolino
Primary Not Encouraging
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

There's food for thought-on the part
OF the Truman Fair Deal leaders-in
Senator Graham's victory" in the North
Carolina senatorial primary on Tuesday.
Mr.. Graham. looked on as the staunehest
Truman supporter among the Senators
from the South-except Senator Pepper
Of Florida-led his nearest opponent.
Willis Smith. by about $4,000 votes, but
failed to obtain q majority Of all the
votes cast in the primary. Hailed as the
Fair Deals fair-haired boy, Mr.. Grahams
showing was not too encouraging. Pre-
sumably more than so per cent of the
votes cast were unfriendly to the Fair
Dealers.
During the primary campaign. too. Mr..
Graham shied away from several OF the
major items in the Truman Fair Deal
program-notably the FEPC. compulsory
national health insurance and the Bran
nan farm plan. 1t Is Mr.. Graham'S claim
that he has been against a compulsory
Fair Employment Practices Act such as
President Truman is demanding of Con-
greSS although he was q member Of the
Presidents Committee on Civil Rights
which reported in l947 in favor OF an
FEPC law The fact he was q member
OF this committee was used against him
during the campaign with considerable
effect.
Spared Vote on Cloture.
He was spared the necessity OF voting
In the Senate recently on the Lucas mo-
tion to apply cloture on the proposal 10
take up the FEPC bill for consideration
because he was Ill at the time in North
Carolina, Whichever way he voted on
that one probably would have cost him
votes.
North Carolina has been considered the
banner Truman State in the South. II
is somewhat disconcerting. therefore, TO
f1nd an ardent anti-Fair Deal Democrat,
like Willis Smith. running SO strongly in
that State. Mr.. Smith made no bones
about asSailing the Fair Deal program.
and in total vote of some 600. 900 ran
only $4,000 votes behind Graham, and
Graham only had 48.8 per cent Of tbs
total vote. The primary did not have
the appearance Of giving Mr.. Graham q
mandate" TO support the Truman pro-
gram.
1t is Mr.. Smiths privilege, under the
state primary law. to demand q runoff
with Mr. Graham because the latter did
not poll a majority of the vote cast,
In the event of run-off, North Carolina
will be treated to another red-hot
campaign. The record shows. moreover,
that in some important run-off pri-
maries, the man who ran second In the
first primary has been the winner. That
happened. indeed. in the case Of Gov
ernor w. Kerr Scott in l948. Scott had
ISL ,293 in the first primary that year to
l7Ol4l for johnson. the second man.
In the run-off. however Scott came
through with 217.620 votes to 1872 ,684 for
Johnson-he picked up. indeed. $4,000
votes on his second try.
Hard To Get Out Vote.
The difference between the Graham
vote and that of Willis Smith was creates
than that between the Scott vote and
the johnson vote. 1t would be difficult
to say. however. that many of those who
voted for isolationist Bob Reynolds and
Ola Ray Boyd who advocated ''legalized
lynching"--the two other contenders.
would shift over to Senator Graham.
Also there is always the question Of get
ting out the vote, and whether on June
24-the run-oh date-new voters would
come out. According to all reports the
Willis Smith campaign was carried on
with plenty of money-and he would not
be lacking in funds for the runoff. Sena-
tor Graham. on the other hand. had the
backing of the labor unions, and he did
not seem to lack funds either.
The vote in the presidential election
in 1948 was Truman 459, 900; Dewey. Re-
publican, 258,00O; Thurmond, States
Rights Democrat. $4,000, and Wallace.
Progressive. 1000. Not all OF those
Democrats willing to go along with Tru-
man in 1948 were willing to vote for
Graham in 1850, however.
Willis Smith. former president Of
the American Bar Association. was per-
suaded to get into the race TO give
material opposition to Senator Graham.
whose only opposition UP to that time
had come from former Senator Bob
Reynolds.