Evening star., 1952-08-13
Thomas L. Stokes:

The Republican Party has its
best chance ever this year to
begin real building for a two
party system in the South.
This is perhaps somewhat
paradoxical, because a defeat
was suffered by those who, on
q one-shot, one-election basis,
had schemed to tie up with
Oixiecrat elements, get their
candidate. Gen. Dwight D.
Eisenhower, on the regular
Democratic ticket, and thus
freeze out the regular Demo-
cratic ticket as was done In
several cases in 1948.
Such a fiimSy coalition now
has failed through the series Of
compromises worked out at the
Chicago Democratic conven-
ton by which Southern leaders
were appeased to the point
where they agreed to get the
names of Democratic nominees
on the regular Democratic ticket.
That process has developed suf-
ficiently so that Republicans
now are stirring themselves to
organize on a Republican basis
and to iron out intra-party dis
putes between Eisenhower and
Senator Taft pre-convention
factions.
AS a result, the Republican
Party must stand on its own
feet, which is the best way to
build on a permanent basis.
and in fact the only way.
For this beginning-and it
may take time to do the job
the party is favored this year
through its candidate. Gen.
Eisenhower is not too closely
identified with regular Republic
canism so that it will be easier
for Southern voters to break old
habits and instincts and cast a
ballot for a Republican ticket
headed by him.
This will, in effect, represent
q coalition if it happens that
Democrats Of lifelong persuasion
join with Republicans, Of which
there have been a slowly in
creasing number in recent years.
But it will be a coalition from
the bottom, which is necessary
for party realignment in the
South, and not a temporary
coalition, for one election, ar
ranged at the top by election
trickery.
The next step, once that
foundation is laid, is for Repub-
licans to offer for local and
State offices and Congress in
greater numbers, and thus build
the party from the ground up.
This has been done to a very
limited degree and spottily in
recent years, but it will have to
become general If the party is
to become a real factor in the
South.
Once before Republicans in
the South seemed to have such
an opportunity with a candi-
date who, like Gen. Eisenhower.
was not then identified as
G. o. P. Old Guard. That was
Herbert Hoover in 1928. Mr..
Hoover paid considerable atten-
tion to organizing in the South
and. in fact. opened his CAM
paign in a speech at Elizabeth
ton. Tenn.
He carried four Southern
States. 1t was recognized. how
ever, that a powerful influence
in that result was an uprising Of
prejudice in the South against
his opponent, Gov. Alfred E.
Smith Of New York, who was a
Catholic and an anti-prohibi-
ZIONIST. Prohibition then was a
major issue-the Republicans
taking the dry side of that argu-
ment now long forgotten. Mr..
Hoover sought after his election
to build a real Republican Party
in the South, but it miSfired for
one and another reason. includ-
ing the failure to get the party
leadership in responsible hands
and, with the depression, the
South f1ocked back unitedly into
the Democratic fold four years
later in the Roosevelt landslide
Prejudice of another sort
racial prejudice that was scan-
dalously exploited. was a factor
in the breakup Of the South II