Evening star., 1951-01-11
The Political Mill
Moves Seen to Revive
Fair Deal Measures
Liberal Democrats Outline
Plans at Lehman Table
By Gould Lincoln

The banding together of Truman Fair
Dealers in the Senate, at the dinner ia
BILE of Senator Lehman of New York, is
the newest manifestation of liberal DEM
ocratic dismay or determination-or both.
Having been defeated in their attempt
to elect member of their group, Sena-
tor O'Mahoney of Wyoming, over the
choice of the Southern Democrats,
Senator Mcfarland of Arizona, and hav-
ing viewed with distaste the overrunning
of the liberal Democrats of the House
by a Southern Democrat-Republican
coalition on the opening day of the new
Congress. they have been further grieved
because President Truman soft-pedaled
such measures as socialized medicine,
the Brannan farm program and repeal Of
the Taft-Hartley Act in his state-of-the-
Union message to Congress.
After its initial dinner meeting,
Senator Lehman said that those Senators
felt that the Democratic Party is the
party OF liberalism. They wanted no part
in any abandonment of this position.
They apparently wish to reaffirm their
own position, too. so that all may know
they still carry the torch for the New
Deal-Fair Deal legislative program.
One OF the reasons, it is understood, that
Senator OMahoney was thrown into
the leadership fight was to give the So
called liberals place to go, rather than
vote for Senator Mcfarland, known as
the candidate of the Southern conserva-
tives.
Later Messages Possible.
The Presidents failure to make spe.
ciflc recommendations to Congress for
enactment of his civil rights program and
for repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act was
a shock to the liberals and also some of
the leaders of organized labor and Negro
leaders. Mr.. Truman, however, has not
closed the door to later messages deal
ing with these subjects, although he
now seems intent upon seeking unity
in the halls of Congress for his national
defense program. The liberals are
particularly anxious that organized labor
and the Negro voters get no ideas that
the Democratic Party is running out on
them.
While Southern Democrats in t..
Senate have in the past held frequent
meetings to discuss civil rights legislation
and what they could do to block it and
other measures of the Fair Deal pro-
gram, the present banding, for discus
sion purposes, of the Lehman group is
something new. In the past the Fair
Dealers have had charge of the Demo-
cratic organization, but that is gone with
the wind of the November election which
tossed out Majority Leader Lucas of
Illinois and his assistant and whip.
Senator Myers of Pennsylvania. The
advent OF Mr.. Mcfarland, with the bless
ing OF the Southerners, as the new
Democratic leader, and of Senator
Lyndon johnson of Texas as his assist
ant presents. for the liberals. a disturb
ing picture.
Kerr Hits at Critics.
Senator Kerr of Oklahoma, strong
proponent of Senator Mcfarland for
party leadership. takes dim view of any
liberals" who disparage the newly
elected leader. His comment was: I
am persuaded that only indifference to
facts or deliberate Misrepresentation
OF them would permit some synthetic
liberals to discount Ernest, McFarlands
real interest and deep understanding
OF the great masses from whom he sprang,
What would like to know is, how can
any group, from any section, ascribe to
themselves monopoly on good inten-
tlons toward the welfare of the average
man."
Senator Kerr was not speaking spe-
officially of the group of Senators headed
by Senator Lehman-but of any liberals
critical of Mr.. Mcfarland. Senator Leh-
man has already stated that his group
would not organize as a separate bloc
but would operate through the party's
elected leadership, even though that
leadership did not reflect "the liberal
viewpoint" on many domestic matters.
That the Lehman group proposes to
buck the Southerners in the Senate is
apparent from their decision to seek
enactment of the bills for statehood
Tor Hawaii and Alaska. These measures.
which passed the House in the last Con-
greSS, were blocked by Southern Demo-
cratic fillbuster-although it was not
called that officially-in the recent and
last session of the 81st Congress. It is
presumed that the liberals also will trv
to have some of the Fair Deal measures
brought before the Senate when opuor-
tunity offers.
The liberals have been ruling the
Democratic rooSt-when it came to fix
ing legislative program before the Senate
Tor so long time that the present
situation Is a new and unpleasant ex-
perience.
Questions and Answers