Evening star., 1951-07-01
Demand for President
To Run Again Appraised
Writer Sees 'PoyrolI Setup'
As Trumun Asset
By Eronk R. Kent

Recently there has been a recurrence
OF newspaper articles and interviews to
the general effect that, despite the OBJ
vlously cogent reasons why he should
not do so, Mr.. Truman is sure to try for
another term in the White House. To
some extent these journalistic outpour-
ings have shaken the popular convic-
ton that he had made up his mind to
retire. They also have distressed certain
Democratic Senators known to cherish
White House aspirations.
The thing that particularly pains
these senatorial aspirants is the re-
peatedly printed statements concerning
the strong demand" that the President
run again and the accompanying asser-
ton that this demand" will force"
him to make another fight. Privately,
these gentlemen say this is all stuff
and nonsense" that there is no "de-
mand" and 1t is absurd to talk about
it. But they are mistaken. There is a
demand for the President and a very
strong one indeed.
However, an analysis of Tn. "de-
mand" may afford these Senators some
degree of comfort. For it largely comes
from the Federal jobholders, vigorously
supported by luSty chorus of New
Deal-Fair Deal publicists and poll
ticians, Of whom Jonathan Daniels Of
North Carolina is typical. Any one
who thinks this combination is not
powerful or that 1t cannot generate
about the most effective propaganda in
the country Just does not know the
facts. Probably the man who has most
deeply studied this payroll setup" is
Rogers c. Dunn Of the Dunn Survey,
Greenwich, Conn. For years Mr.. Dunn
has contended that the Republicans
cannot win an election until they find
some way drastically to decrease the
size of the Federal machine. He sup
ports this view by some interesting
figures. For example. in his latest "re-
lease" Mr.. Dunn estimates the number
Of civilian Federal employees In May at
2.3 million. Assuming-as Is conserva-
tive-that every one Of these is worth
four votes, he says, insures at least
go million votes for the 1852 election.
This is about 20 per cent Of the total
vote (49 million) cast in 1948. Since
Mr.. Dunn's last estimate at least 10000
more have been added. Senator Harry
Byrd asserts that new jobholders are
going on the payroll now at the rate Of
one every minute and half. Actually,
this jobholder's demand is more formi-
dable than any other demand from any
other voting group In the country. The
reason is simple enough. It is based not
on sentiment but on self-interest. Most
Of these 2.3 million have been on the
Federal payroll since 1888. It was then,
under the New Deal, that the extraor-
dinary expansion Of the governmental
machine began. Now, after 18 years, it
is swollen beyond all bureaucratic dreams
and the cost is more than SO billion q
year. To many hundreds Of thousands
Of these jobholders the continuance Of
Mr.. Truman In the White House means
continuance Of their own security. A
change in administration-even if the
Truman successor should be another
Democrat-would shake that security.
The election of a Republican would
destroy it completely.
Undoubtedly, this would cause great
pain. Many thousands of these Federal
jobholders have held their jobs until
they have come to believe they have a
vested right in them. The idea of being
ousted is utterly abhorrent The surest
way to vaccinate against such calamity
is to renominate and re-elect Mr.. Tru-
man. Under these circumstances it is
natural not only that there should be a
strong demand for him to run but that
all of these 2.3 million should act as one
man to force him to do so.