Evening star., 1952-11-09
Election Seen Ending
Is Years of Bluff
Writer Believes Eisenhower Free
Of Political Obligations
By Fronk R. Kent

Oy TI0Hk n. Nent
In the vast mass OF alibis and ex-
plantations that have followed the Eisen-
hover landslide Of last Tuesday, there
is one thing that cannot be obscured
and for which the country as q whole
can be particularly grateful. This II
the demonstration that the Roosevelt
Truman formula for success at the polls
the formidable combination Of union-'
labor bosses. Negro leaders In the piv-
otal States and the immense weight OF
q 2.5 million Federal -jobholder machine
lis not invincible. It can be beaten and
1t was-moSt thoroughly and convinc-
ingly.
It is difficult to exaggerate the salu-
brious effect Of this beating. Not only
has 1t given the Nation. for the first
time in 16 years, President wholly free
from personal or political obligation to
any pressure class or group, but 1t also
lessons the weight of these groups in
their ceaseless efforts, through promises
and threats. to force Congress to favor
them with special legislation. without
the White House backing which they
have had since 1896, their influence in
Washington is greatly diminished and
ticians Of both parties harbored in their
hearts has measurably disappeared.
This is not to say that under Mr..
Eisenhower these groups will be treated
unfairly or penalized for being opposed
to him. He is solemnly pledged to be
fair to them. But it Is to say that hav-
ing been massed against him more solid
ly than against any other candidate,
their overwhelming defeat is bound to
make them far less arrogant and dicta-
torial. In other words. for the time at
least they have been "cut down to size"
No one in politics is going to be quite
so afraid Of them as they were. Espe-
cially Is this true of the CIO labor
bosses, who have poured out money
and propaganda. promulgated "black
lists" and threatened to drive out Of
public life those public figures who
dared disobey them.
The first time their inability to make
good on their threats was exhibited two
years ago when they ganged up on Sem
ator Taft in Ohio and were licked by
more than 100000 votes. This time the
most concrete example was in Michigan,
where Walter Reuther, CIO boss of the
State. lost his senatorial stooge, Blair
Moody. Senator Moody. it will be re-
called. was one of the silly little group
at the Democratic convention which
unSuccesSfully tried to make the South.
ern delegations take '1oyalty OATH"
The plain truth is that these truculent
labor bosses Of the Reuther type are
To- n1xy hlsaQe L. -
Gov. Stevenson been elected. they would
have claimed full credit. So would the
Negro leaders. And so would Mr.. Tru-
man. whose delayed message Of con-
graduation to Gen. Eisenhower was one
of the most churlish on record but
whose jobholder machine functioned at
full speed against him. And they would
all have been right. They would have
deserved the credit for a Democratic
victory because without them no Demo-
cratic candidate would have had q
chance. Had their combination again
put over their candidate. their control
Of the Democratic Party would have
been firmly riveted and the legend Of
invincibility almost irrevocably estab-
lished.
AS Senator Harry Byrd said during the
campaign, this was our last chance. If.
through this combination. Democratic
control of the Government should be
continued four more years, all hope of
breaking its power would vanish and we
would proceed in the direction we had
been going until the inevitable catas-
trophies occurred. As things are now, no
group or class possibly can claim credit
for the Eisenhower victory. The mag
nitude Of his majorities both in popular
and electoral vote would put that out Of
the question, even had he had their sup
port.
No man and no collection Of men can
claim to have elected Gen. Eisenhower.
II ever man owed his elevation to tho
presidency to his own personal prestige
and character it Is he. He, of course, Is
bound to make many mistakes and no
one should expect him to perform mir
acles. Nevertheless. after our experience
of the past Is years, 1t is thrilling
thing to have wholly free President
in the White House, an unshackled man
who can do his best for all of us without
having to consider how 1t will affect just
a few Of us.