Evening star., 1950-09-24
ALP Names Own Slate
To Preserve Existence
Writer Sees Radicals Forced
Into independence
By Fronk R. Kent


The factor in the New York political
situation that most harasses Democratic
leaders in the State and the Nation has
had almost no publicity. This is the
nomination by the allegedly Communist
controlled American Labor Party not
only OF its own candidate for Governor
but also for United States Senator.
For obvious reasons the Republicans
as well as the Democrats shrink from
revealing fully the situation this action
creates. Each is reluctant to admit the
extraordinary dominance which the
Communists have achieved in the politi-
cal scenery of the greatest State in the
Un1on-a State that has more than
100000 voters and an electoral vote Of
47-one-tenth of the whole. But, this
state of affairs ought to be of concern
to every American citizen everywhere.
AS to the Communistic control of the
American Labor Party, it was because
OF This control that its non-C Communist
members broke away some years ago and
formed themselves into the Liberal
Party. But the ALP held more than
half its original strength and is today
the oest disciplined most compact po-
litical entity in the United States. It
regularly polls about 100000 votes in
New York City and nearly IS 900 outside
the city. These approximately half a
million voters vote as one man and
rigidly follow the party line"
sometimes they nominate candidates
OF their own; sometimes they make no
nominations and often they indorse the
Democratic candidates. There has been
no occasion when they have indorsed
Republican candidates. Considering
these facts, there seems much logic in
the claim that when the Democratic
State majority has been less than the
known ALP vote, Democratic success
would have been impossible without
ALP votes
The most recent example was in the
senatorial election last year when Sen
ator Herbert Lehman, Democrat, ran
against John Foster Dulles, Republican.
Mr. Lehman was elected by approx
mately $4,000 votes. The ALP had no
State candidate Of It's own, but its weight
undoubtedly was on the Lehman side.
1t Is true there never was the slightest
tinge OF Communist liberation about Mr..
Lehman. However. the Daily Worker.
which lays down the party line which
the ALP so rigidly follows, was violently
against Mr.. Dulles and highly favorable
to Mr.. Lehman.
The ALP has nominated John T. Nc
Manus Tor Governor and the Negro his
torian. DR.. w. E. B. Du Bois, for Senator.
There Is no expectation either will be
elected but every expectation that each
will poll the full ALP vote. In 1949, the
only ALP nominee was Mr. Marcantonio,
who. as a candidate for Mayor polled in
in New York City alone 356,4O6 votes.
The contention is that Mr.. Lehman
with, of course, no effort on his part)
got the great bulk of these votes plus
most Of the 10000 ALP votes cast up
state. If those votes did not go for
Mr.. Lehman, where did they go? There
seems no answer to that question. As
the ALP preference was for Mr.. Lehman,
Democrat and New Dealer, over Mr..
Dulles, conservative Republican, the ALP
did not have to indorse him to make that
clear.
If. this time, the ALP candidates poll
only half their potential vote, the Re-
publican candidates seem likely to be
elected. Aware of this threat, Demo-
cratic leaders admit their chances de-
pend upon two things: Cd That because
OF the increased resentment against
Communists the ALP vote will be much
smaller than before; co that because
State candidates are running this time
as well as city and national, the total
vote will be much heavier than last year
and thus the ALP vote will be less de-
cisive. AS to why the ALP should nomi-
nate candidates this time, the answer
seems to be that not to do so and not
to poll the required percentage of the
vote would mean loss of its position as
separate political party.