Evening star., 1952-07-27
Stevenson Draft Was in the Bag
As EorIy as Monday Session
lCentinaed From First page.l

AhS NCCp Ilhu plcIlty OI UdCh
Ing among Democrats who fel
he Was the best of a bad lot. Hi
age was against him. but wheI
he started to campaign, they sale
people would forget about his age
Labor Dumps the Weep.
But Monday the labor crow,
pulled the rug from under MI
Barkley. At a breakfast they sal,
they wouldn't support him becaus
he was too old.
But actually they had decides
the day before to dump Mr.. Bark
ley because he was getting sup
port from Jim Farley, FDR's oil
political adviser, and other con
servatives. They saw a Barkley
Kerr or a Barkley-Russell ticke
in the making.
If anything happened to tn
Weep, Senator Kerr or Senate
Russell might wind up as Presi
dent and labor feared their con
servative record.
Mr.. Truman. after getting tn,
labor veto of Barkley. went bacl
to his first choice, Gov. Steven
son. and from then on the Whit
House workers were showing Ad
1ai toward the nomination.
The Stevenson campaign, mean
while, was moving in low gear.
Treasure Secretary Snyder ha,
reported the previous Wednesda!
that the Stevenson movement
wasn't moving. A group of politica
amateurs headed by Walter John
son, University of Chicago histor,
professor, was running the onl.
official Stevenson for Presiden
headquarters in the Conrad Hiltol
Hotel.
Professionals Take Over.
Over the week end, .Represen.
tative Sidney r. Yates of Chicago
went to work and called in some
professionals, among them Fran.
els j. Myers, former Pennsylvania
Senator. This gave the scene 8
professional air.
When Mr.. Truman passed the
word that he was for Adlai, he
gave instructions to Frank Nc
Kinney, national chairman, tt
get busy. Delegates and chairmer
who arrived over the week emo
milled around waiting to find out
whether Gov. Stevenson meant il
when he said he didn't want tt
run.
Mr.. Mckinney immediatel!
spread the word: Its Stevenson.
Mr.. Arvey had been saying fo1
weeks that Gov. Stevenson woule
accept a genuine draft. This was
in part at least, only guess. Blu
Monday. as Adlai left the con
vention hall, Mr.. Arvey had th'
definite word: Gov. Stevenson
would accept a draft.
But Mr.. Arvey was in ticklisl
position: If he worked outward!
for Gov. Stevenson, the governo
might suspect that the draft wa
being arranged.
He continued to avoid seekin!
votes, but he did the next bes
thing. He made himself available
all over town. For most of tho
early sessions he was always OF
the convention floor, available t.
anybody who wanted to talk.
Adlai Could Be- Had. /,
He repeated what he had beel
saying, that Gov. Stevenson wa
not seeking the job and had aske'
Mr.. Arvey not to get votes, bu
he always left the door open wild
enough that his questioner hat
no doubt that Adlai could be had
It was also his job to keel
the Stevenson political fences il
good repair.
One crisis occurred Monda!
evening. The johnson group ant
later the Myers crowd had begul
issuing statements which had tn,
earmarks of an organized draft.
Gov. Stevenson, as a delegat,
appeared at the evening session
to hear Gov. Paul A. Dever's key
note address. He was disturbed
because he felt the political &C
tivities were hurting" other can
didates.
He was particularly sensitive
about Averall Hartman.
After the banquet for Mr.. Har
riman on April II in New York
Mr.. Hartman had invited Gov
Stevenson to his home ant
worked until trying to persuade
Stevenson to run. Gov. Stevenson
refused and shortly afterwart
Mr.. Hartman entered the race.
Narrowed to Two Men.
Gov. Stevenson felt he had per
suaded Mr.. Hartman. an old ant
close friend. to run. He also wa
afraid his reluctance had draw
another old friend, Mr.. Barkley
into the race.
Barnet Hodes. former corpora
ton counsel, sat next to Gov
Stevenson in the Illinois delega
ton Monday night. After learn
ing of Gov. StevenSon's mood
he was about to issue a Statement
pulling out completely-Mr. Hode'
called a meeting.
Messrs. Hodes, Arvey, Myer'
and David Lawrence, Pittsburgh
mayor and a Pennsylvania power
met in Chairman McKinney'S Of
flee just back of the platform. 4
memo was written out in long
hand in which Mr.. Myers pledged
to issue no more statements.
Mr.. Hodes took 1t back ant
showed it to Gov. Stevenson, VIII
then relaxed.
Gov. Stevenson was then il
the running, but he wanted t.
win only through a genuine draft
Politically. with Mr.. Barkley'
withdrawal, late Monday night
the convention fight became
two-man show: Stevenson versu