Evening star., 1951-12-16
Truman Foes Can Bal
Him Electoral Votes
In 8 Southern States
By Jock Bell
Associoted Press Sfoff Writer

By Jock Bell
Asseeioted Press Stoff Writer
Democrat enemies of President
Truman apparently have a Legal
opportunity in at least eight
Southern States to deny him their
electoral votes II he runs again
next year.
Whether they will try to do So
however. depends on developments
yet to come.
An Associated Press survey OF
Southern State election laws
shows that only In Florida and
North Carolina will party men,
bers who vote their ticket have
to support Mr.. Truman. if he is
the nominee and If a revolt against
his leadership gains its widest
possible expansion.
Even in North Carolina, how
ever, an elector is only morally,
and not legally. bound to support
the party nominee when he votes
finally on presidential candidate.
Alabama. center of a fight be-
tween National party adherents
and Democrats who followed the
States Right banner in 1948, will
have a showdown next month on
efforts to clinch the States elec-
toral vote for the National party
nominee.
Truman Lost 80 Votes.
The States Rights ticket took
80 votes away from Mr.. Truman
when he won in 1948 by a margin
of 303 electoral ballots to 189 for
Gov. Thomas E. Dewey of New
York. the Republican presidential
nominee.
Despite their failure to affect
the final result of that election,
Democratic opponents of Mr..
Truman's civil rights program give
strong indications that if he runs
again they will make another at
tempt to beat him without them
selves turning to the Republican
ticket.
A bipartisan committee to ex-
plore political realignment re-
ported recently what almost
everybody knew-that there could
be no effective coalition of Repub-
licans and Democrats in the south
or elsewhere next year.
Instead. the weight of evidence
is that the Southern anti Truman
bloc will seek to get the voters of
individual States to pledge their
electors to someone other than
Mr.. Truman if he again is the
candidate.
In at least eight States-Ar-
kansas. Georgia. Louisiana. Mis-
sissippi. South Carolina. Tennes-
see. Texas and Virginia - local
Democratic organizations appar-'
emily could attach the Democratic
Party label to a set of electors
pledged to someone besides the
National party's nominee.
Revolt is Uncertain.
These eight States cast "a elec-
toral votes in 1948-twice the total
of New York-and gave all but %
Of them to President Truman. Ala
bama supplied the other II for the
States Rights tickets 80 total.
Whether the effort to organize
revolt by individual States ever is
carried out apparently depends
largely on whether President Tru-
man runs again and whom the Re-
publieans nominate.
If the President steps out of the
picture. most political strategists
think there will be no revolt Of
serious proportions, even though
the Democratic convention reaf-
firms its strong stand for civil
rights and the new nominee de-
clares himself just as forcefully.
Should the Republican Party
nominate somebody with vast Ma
tion-wide popular appeal, many
politicians here think the South
ern anti-Truman bloc might sing
very low tune. on the theory
there would be no percentage in
bolting the regular Democratic or
ganization in the face of a likely
Republican victory.
Russell Is Suggested.
Senator Russell. Democrat, of
Georgia, has been suggested by
some anti-Truman leaders as the
most likely choice as an alternate
candidate If President Truman
runs again. Gov. James F. Byrnes
of South Carolina and Senator
Byrd of Virginia are among the
Russell boosters.
Senator Russell himself said
last week he has no intention of
becoming a candidate and is
under no illusions about any