Evening star., 1952-01-20
Douglas to Continue
On Supreme Bench
Writer Suggests vinson Also
Should Avoid Politics
By Fronk R. Kent


Politics. to be sure, Is full of sur
prises but 50 far In the new year none
has been as completely unprotected
(nor Is likely to be) as the announce.
ment that Justice William O. Douglas
OF the Supreme Court has firmly re.
jected" either first or second place on
the 1852 Democratic national ticket.
What Mr.. Truman. Senator Taft, Gen
Eisenhower and other conspicuous polit.
ical figures do may have greater public
and political effect: but no decision
any Of these make viii be as unexpected
as that Of Justice Douglas, who. accord.
ing to the reliable Arthur Krock
in the New York Times has written
firmly to Mr.. Truman that he now
intends to make a lifetime career Of
being Supreme Court member and Is
unavailable for draft" Certainly this
raises several interesting questions.
-s.s
Naturally, the first is: Could Mr..
Douglas be rejecting something that
has not been offered? Or, what makes
him think there Is q draft" movement
for him? It unanimously has been
assumed by all politicians and all politi-
not himself want to be nominated (and
few think he does) he will be able to
dictate the nominee. The power of the
White House incumbent is such that he
always can do that. But 1t is not rea-
Sonable to believe that Mr.. Truman
offered either the presidential or vice
presidential nomination to Mr.. Douglas,
because it is quite well known that Mr..
Truman's choice as his successor is his
close friend. Chief Justice Fred Vinson.
That fact has been printed thousands
Of times. Certainly, II Mr.. Truman
wants Mr.. Vinson for the first place, it
would be unthinkable to take another
member Of the Supreme Court for Sec
ond place. .......
Therefore, 1t seems clear that In
firmly" rejecting these posts Mr..
Douglas was rejecting something that
had not been offered by Mr.. Truman.
This being 80, the second question arises:
Who, then. did make the offer? We are
informed that Douglas-for- President
clubs had been formed all over the West
and a movement existed to "integrate"
these into a national organization. OF
the existence either Of these clubs or
the integrating movement there has
been no evidence whatever. Up to the
time Of Mr.. Douglas rejection no one
seems to have heard Of them.
4
It now is said that Mr.. Roosevelt
wanted Mr.. Douglas to run with him
in 1914 and that Mr.. Truman wanted
him in 1948-and that Mr.. Douglas
declined both times. That hardly flts in
with his attitude toward his left-wing
boomers. Toward their efforts he has
been anything but discouraging. In
fact, he has seemed, not only TO out.
siders but to colleagues on the court, to
revel in the publicity they engendered.
There was no secret that other JUS
tices resented this sort Of thing. thought
1t violated the traditions Of the Supreme
Court, diminished its dignity. damaged
its prestige. Now, it seems, Mr.. Douglas
has withdrawn encouragement from
his boosters and for the rest OF his life
will keep aloof from politics. devoting
himself to the duties of his high judicial
position. There Is no use saying that
this Is what he should have done long
ago. There Is no use saying that his
political publicity was pointless. fruit
less and claShed with the dignity Of the
court. Now that he has done 1t, the
only thing to do Is to commend him
and, perhaps, hope that the Chief Jus
tice, whose name is almost daily batted
around In one political story after the
other in q quite undignified way, may
find some effective means Of putting an
end to it. It would be really fine
thing If, between them. Mr.. Vinson and
Mr.. Douglas could establish once and
for all that the Supreme Court Of the
United States really is above the politi-
cal level.