Evening star., 1951-06-30
The Political Mill
Springboord Is Ready
For Eisenhower Draft
New York 6. o. P. Delegation
Committed to General
By Gould Lincoln

BY 6ould Lincoln
The commitment of the huge New
York delegation to the 1852 Republican
National Convention to vote for the
nomination for President of Gen.
Dwight D. Eisenhower has to all intents
and purposes become an accomplished
fact. Republican State Chairman Will
liam L. Pfeiffer and Republican National
Committeeman j. Russell Sprague have
come out flatfooted for Gen. Eisen-
hover. following in the footsteps of Gov.
Dewey. who months ago declared Gen.
ike" was his choice for the presidential
nomination, and who has reiterated that
choice within the last week.
Chairman Pfeiffer, addressing the
Federation of Women's Republican Clubs
of New York, day or two ago, said:
1T is my hope that the New York dele
cation (Which will be 81 strong) will
vote for him Eisenhower. National
Committeeman Sprague, who keeps in
touch with Republicans all over the
country, in an interview expressed the
view that the vast majority of Repub-
licans, independents and clear thinking
Democrats are in favor of nominating
and electing Gen. Eisenhower.
Here is a ready-made springboard
for draft of the general. 1t is far
more, in practical way, than the set
ting up Of Eisenhower President
clubs. No one has the slightest doubt
that New York's delegates to the ma
tional convention will follow the leader
ship of Messrs Dewey, Pfeiffer and
Sprague; those 81 delegates to the ma
tional convention are as good as in
Eisenhower's pocket-provided he will
run.
Gen. Ike" should he be the Repub-
lican nominee next year, might well
pick up several of the Southern States.
He is rated tremendously popular there
where President Harry Truman is in
tensely diSliked. The Southern Demo-
Gratis already are laying plans to call a
halt to the domination Of their party
by Truman Fair Dealers, from the North
and West, who would ride roughshod
over them in the matter of Federal legis-
lation designed to break down segrega-
ton of the races in the South.
Senator Harry Byrd Of Virginia, Gov.
Byrnes of South Carolina and other
strong leaders are beginning to speak
out. They want return to the old
two-thirds vote in Democratic Ma
tional conventions for the nomination
of presidential and vice presidential cam
didates. They want above all to elini-
nate from the Democratic platform Of
1852 pledges of support for the Truman
civil rights program-with its Federal
FEPC and Truman Fair Deal measures
they believe socialistic.
Senator Byrd's recent speech at a
Jeferson-Jackson Day dinner in At
lanta. Ca, set the pace for the organi-
zation of Southern Democrats against
the Truman administration and Tru-
mans denomination. It was the Presi-
dents boast. after the election in 1948,
that he had won without the solid
South" dour of the Southern States
voted for Gov. Thurmond, States Rights
candidate). However, if he had lost all
the South he could not have been
elected
Apparently. however, Mr.. Truman and
his Fair Deal followers are going to
ignore-or at least meet head on--these
attacks by Southern Democratic leaders.
Democratic State Chairman Fitzpatrick
OF New York has just denounced what
he calls coalition between the South
ern Democrats and the Republicans
coalition which had made it impossible
for the Truman Fair Deal program to
move forward in Congress at the present
session. 1t was all the more significant
because the Democratic State chairman
has recently conferred with Mr. Truman.
In New York, as in other parts of the
country, the belief is growing stronger
all the time that Mr.. Truman will run
again. There are still those who talk
wistfully of plan whereby President
Truman will step aside and call for the
nomination of Gen. Eisenhower by the
Democratic National Convention. Ger
tainly lot of them would like that to
happen. But they realize the Republi-
cans, meeting two weeks earlier than
the Democrats, will have the first call
on the general, and they also under
stand that Gen. Eisenhowers speeches
in the last two years have been any
thing but Fair Dealish
The Southern Democratic leaders.
most Of them, would offer up Mr.. Tru-
man as a worthwhile sacrifice, if by so
doing they could regain their old power
within the Democratic Party. They may
not be able to defeat him for renomina-
tion-a sitting President is always pow
erful enough to handle the national
convention-but they could really take
him at the polls if they could stick
together.