Evening star., 1952-07-26
The Political Mill
UnityAmong Democrats
Now Is Anybody's Guess
Dignity, Sweetness and Light
Went Out Convention Window
By Gould Lincoln

By Gould Lincoln
CHICAGO, July 26.-The Democratic
party walked up the hill. and like the
king of France, walked down again. In
national convention it took steps on the
opening day to let the Democrats of the
South understand they would have to
toe the line or else. Some 48 hours later,
the convention reversed itself. It begged
the South to come back, it even went to
the extent Of voting to seat the recall
citrant delegations from Virginia, South
Carolina and Louisiana. bitter though it
was to do a complete about-face.
It's gamble, of course. whether the
electoral votes of the solid South are
more valuable to the party-the ma
tional party, as the Democrats of the
North, East and West cali it-than the
chance of carrying the electoral votes of
the big industrial States of the East, the
industrial and farm States of the Middle
West and the Far West. To hold the
South, they must not run afoul Of the
race issue-civil rights is the new term.
To gain the big industrial States it is
necessary to 60 violently against the
South on the civil rights issue.
The more radical groups in the DEM
ocratic Party are strongly in favor Of
kicking the Southern Democrats down.
stairs, taking a chance that eventually
things will change in the South and it
will be possible to get its votes back
again.
Valuable Asset for Years.
For years, however. the solid South
has been a valuable asset to the Demo-
cratic Party. Its national candidates
have been able to count on upwards of
12l electoral votes which those States
possess. Only once, since the end Of
the reconstruction days, have the Re-
publicans carried any of these States.
That was in 1923, when the religious and
wet-and-dry issues burned their way
through the South. Four years ago. four
of these States gave their votes to an
independent States rights Democratic
candidate for President, Thurmond of
South Carolina. When President Tru-
man was reelected in spite Of this
Southern revolt, the Democrats Of the
North began to ask themselves whether
they couldn't do away with the South
ern electoral-vote nest egg. Many OF
them think they can; hence the cava-
lier manner in which the national con-
vention opened up on them.
Second thought, however, changed the
attitude of the majority in the conven-
ton. 1t took look at the Republican
presidential candidate, Dwight Eisen-
hover, and took another look at the
South. 1t occurred to this majority that
Eisenhower might easily take these
Southern States far more quickly and
just as effectively as Grant took Rich
mond.
Many of the more liberal Democrats
are already complaining bitterly. They
thought it would be far better for the
party to slough off the conservative
Democrats of the South, particularly
those who follow the leadership of Sem
ator Byrd of Virginia. Cows. Byrnes Of
South Carolina. White of Mississippi,
and Talmadge of Georgia. They want
above all to get rid of those conservative
Democrats who allied with the Repub-
licans in Congress- have been able to
hamstring many of the New Deal-Fair
Deal measures dear to their hearts.
South Resents Radicals.
The Democrats Of the South have
CNcll 1c0S use 1UI tIlC IdulCdIS VI LIlG
North, they resent the determination of
these radicals to control the party of
Thomas Jefferson. They do not wish to
move over to the Republican Party,
where, indeed, they really belong. Per-
haps, with Eisenhower as a candidate,
the Republicans may win political VIC
tories in the Southern States this year.
If they do, real step may have been
taken to build up two-party system
in that section of the country-an end
long overdue.
The division in the Democratic Party
was shown in the bitter strife on the
floor of the national convention, almost
uncomfortable at times. Whether the
wounds inflicted can be healed during
the next few months so that the party
can go forward unitedly against the
G. o. P. is anybody's guess.
The Democrats opened their conven-
ton with jibeS at the Republicans, held
up their hands in horror at the horrid
fighting between the Eisenhower and
Taft forces. Those Republican rows
seem pale beside the bare-knuckle af-
fairs which took place in the Democratic
convention. The dignity and sweetness
and light which the Democratic leaders
hoped for-before their convention got
really under way-went out the window
so fast it was ludicrous.