Evening star., 1951-10-23
The Political Mill
Naming Of Clark Recalls
AL Smith Issue in '28
G. o. P. Chiefs Suyins Nothing;
Southern Democrats Stirred
By Gould Lincoln

NOC SlIlCc The OcIlOCrdCS nominated
the late Alfred E. Smith as their candi-
date for President. in 1928, has American
politics been SO stirred by a religious
issue. President Trumans appointment
now Of Gen. Mark Clark as United States
Ambassador to the Vatican, however,
threatens to revive such an issue, judg-
ing from the mounting number Of pro-
tests from Protestant church leaders.
The Clark appointment is one issue
the Republican National Committee is
saying nothing about-and is not likely
to take to its bosom. AS 1t happens,
there are plenty Of Democrats who eye
the appointment with dislike, especially
from the South.
When and If the Clark appointment
to be Ambassador to the Vatican comes
before the Senate, the members of that
body will be on the spot. Many doubt
less would be glad to avoid a record vote
but whether the appointment could
be either approved or turned down with
out such vote Is extremely doubtful.
First Test in Committee.
The first test will come necessarily in
the Senate Foreign Relations Commit
tee, to which the Clark appointment has
been referred. Senator Connally of
Texas is chairman of the committee
hailing from State which went Repub-
lican in 1928 for the only time in it's
history. But that the nomination can
be bottled up in committeeman so kept
from vote-is also extremely doubt
full.
The politicians, taken by surprise by
the Presidents action in sending the
Clark appointment to the Senate few
hours before Congress was to adjourn,
are breathing hard and saying little. #
1t were not for the fact that the issue
will have to be faced in the Senate, they
would be perfectly willing to just let
the matter ride. They understand that
the appointment will have repercussions
In the 1852 elections some of them
would be perfectly willing to wait on
results.
The obvious reason for the President's
appointment of an ambassador to the
Vatican is that, with the United States
working to prevent the spread of Com
munism in the world it will be advan-
tageous to have representative at the
Vatican, which is one of the strongest
enemies of the atheistic Communist
movement
Political Move Charged.
However, opponents of the President
have been quick to charge that the ap-
pointment was a political move on his
part to gain support of the Catholic
voters in the big industrial centers,
which have been strongholds of the
Democratic Party in recent years. They
hot nf
vote failed to support the Democratic
candidates for election in 1950-and
give as the reason a widespread belief
that the Truman administration had
been too soft in its handling of Com
munists and fellow travellers in this
country.
It is being argued that the appoint
ment OF Gen. Clark to the Vatican post
means that Mr.. Truman has given up
all idea of running for reelection to the
White House and also that it means
another move by him to obtain the
nomination and run again. Doubtless
the President has no illusions as to the
feeling against him in the South-he
saw it in operation in 1948. He must
realize that the Clark appointment is
not calculated to increase his popularity
in that region, and that it will intensity
the opposition to his denomination and
increase the likelihood that he would
lose some Of the Southern States in
the general election if he runs again.
The argument made against the ap-
pointment of an ambassador to the Vat
ican is that it violates the idea of the
separation Of church and state. The
first amendment to the Constitution
says: Congress shall make no law re-
specting an establishment of religion.
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"
1t would be difficult to prove, however,
that the appointment Of an ambassador
to the Vatican violates this provision.
But while religious tolerance is one Of
the tenets of the Constitution, the elec-
ton Of 1928 demonstrated a lack o. its
practice.