Evening star., 1951-09-08
The Political Mill
Southern Leaders Seek
Ways to Defeat Trumon
Feeling Against President
Stronger Than in lo48
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

Southern Democrats opposed to the
reelection of President Truman-who
now seems likely nominee of the Demo-
cratic Party's convention next year
see two ways the South may contribute
to Truman defeat at the polls First.
the Southern Democrats may put up
a presidential candidate of their own
Cor a series of candidates in different
States) and so withhold the electoral
votes of enough States to throw the elec-
ton into the House of Representatives.
Second, the Southern Democrats may
support the Republican nominee against
Mr. Truman.
So drastic is the anti-Truman feel
ing, it is said, that a number of the
Southern States would vote for Gen.
Dwight D. Eisenhower if he had the
Republican nomination. This is believed
to be definitely true of such States as
Georgia, Virginia, South Carolina, Ala
bama Florida and Texas. This should
certainly not dim Gen. EisenhoWer's
chances of a presidential nomination at
the hands of the G. o. P. Some of the
Southern Democrats would prefer Sen
ator Taft to Mr.. Truman, but it is un-
likely the Ohio Senator would be as
strong a candidate in that section of
the country as would Gen. Eisenhower.
Stronger Than in '4S.
The anti-Truman feeling among the
rank-and-file voters in Southern States,
according to many reports, is stronger
than in 1948 when Mr.. Truman lost
four of the Southern States to Thur
mond, the States Rights Democratic
candidate-South Carolina, Mississippi
Louisiana, and Alabama-and one cleo
toral vote of Tennessee. Had Texas and
another Southern State, in addition,
given their electoral votes to Mr.. Thur
mond, the election then would been
tossed in the lap of the House of Rep
reSentativeS. That's how close the going
was, and it might be much closer next
year. President Truman carried Virginia
IN 1948 by $4,000 voteS-a plurality Mr..
Thurmond received 10000 Virginia votes.
II these votes had gone to the Republi-
can candidate, Gov. Dewey, the latter
would have won by some $4,000 votes.
Just what the tactics of the Southern
Democrats are to be next year has not
been determined. They do not know yet
whether President Truman will be a
andidate-although they realize that if
he seeks denomination at the Democratic
~,
withstanding opposition of the South,
They do not know whether the Repub-
licanS will nominate Gen. Eisenhower.
But, while they are not crystallizing
plans yet and probably will not for some
time to come, they are actively build
ing up anti-Truman strength. State
ments made by the two leading candi-
dates for the Democratic gubernatorial
nomination in Mississippi are proof
enough. Former Gov. Hugh White-who
won the nomination in a run-off pri-
mary-led the Mississippi delegation
when it marched out of the Democratic
National Convention in Philadelphia in
1948. He said: II walked out once and
I would walk out again" And his
runner-up, Paul Johnson, said: IF Mr..
Truman is renominated, will not only
bolt the party; will lead the bolt"
Look to Byrd and Byrnes for Cue.
Many Southern Democrats who OPP
pose Mr.. Truman are looking to Senator
Byrd of Virginia and to Gov. James F..
Byrnes of South Carolina for their cue.
The Virginia Senator is scheduled to
speak November !. at Selma, Ala, and
it is expected he will again harshly criti-
cize Mr.. Truman and his Fair Deal and
Civil Rights programs. The invitation
came to him from the Farm Bureau
Federation of Alabama, and it has been
seconded by many leading men in the
State. Senator Byrd made his first call
on Southern Democrats to rise next year
against Truman reelection or the
election of any nominee standing for the
same things, in Atlanta, Ga, last spring.
One hundred thousand copies of that
speech have been circulated throughout
the South.
The belief is expressed that if Mr..
Truman is renominated, Virginia, South
Carolina Mississippi and Alabama will
not cast their votes for him, and prob
ably others of the solid South" The
time has gone when it could be more or
less freely predicted that, no matter how
loudly they talked. the Southerners
would come to heel on election day and
vote for the Democratic nominee for
President, no matter who he might be.