Evening star., 1952-05-01
The Political Mill
Kefouver Gains Strength
In Florida Primary Fight
Tennesseun Counts on Aid
Of Labor and Negro Voters
By Gould Lincoln

val County-Jacksonville tough ter
ritory for Senator Kefauver in his race
with Senator Russell Of Georgia for
Florida'S presidential preference vote.
The Tennesseean, however. and his
friends are putting on an astonishingly
active campaign and it may have sur
prising results.
Thousands Of Georgians have moved
into this area Of Florida. They are
expected to cast their votes for the
Georgia Senator for old times sake and
pride in the State of their birth. In
addition, 1t Is expected that those
Floridians who go along 100 per cent
with Senator Russell in his stand against
compulsory FEPC law win support
him. FEPC. and all its implications.
is like red rag to bull when waved
before lot Of the Florida voters. It is.
indeed, principal issue in the RUSSELL
Kefauver campaign. For the Tennessee
Senator. while not favoring compul-
sorry FEPC. has said he will support
the Democratic national platform
adopted next July in Chicago. even
If it contains a drastic FEPC plank.
The race between these two South
ern Senator's for presidential preference,
even IN this area, is not as one-sided,
however, as might be expected. The
kefauver campaign managers are count
ing strongly on support for the Ten
nessean from organized labor. They
are counting. too. on the support Of
the Negro voters, whom they describe
as scared to death" of the Russell
candidacy.
Unions Helping Kefauver.
"The unions are providing us with
all the secretaries, typists and stenog-
raphers we need. entirely free Of
charge" one of the Kefauver leaders
told me. Further. we have at least
a hundred volunteer workers in this
city-none Of them receiving a cent of
pay-who are stepping up the CAM
paign." Both the AFL and the CIO
are helping to boost Kefauver. he said.
The Negro vote is substantial in Du-
val County-even larger than the Negro
vote in Miami. There are 1000 reg
istered Negro voters in the county, out
of total $4,000 registered voters; this
would give them the deciding voice if
the white vote were split at all evenly.
Every effort is being made to get this
Negro vote to go to the polls next
Tuesday.
The race issue necessarily cuts both
ways. It is not too helpful for Senator
Kefauver with many white voters if it
Is advertised he has the solid support
OF the Negro voters. The Kefauver
campaign managers figure, however. that
the issue is in the campaign in a big
way and they have little to lose and
perhaps much to gain by being frank
regarding it.
Other Kefauver Support.
The Kefauver support by no means is
confined to organized labor and the
Negroes. The Tennessee Senator, 1t is
explained, came into Florida with the
Senate Crime Committee of which he
was chairman. and helped to clean up
and clean out the gamblers, the rack
eteers and corrupt politicians. allied
with the underworld. He came here,
moreover. at the invitation of Florid-
ianS who had tried without success
to get the Justice Department to in
terest itself in the Florida situation.
His campaign managers say thousands
OF them are grateful for what Ke-
fauver did, particularly the women and
many Of the churchmen.
Florida has it's full share of aged
voters. Many of them have come from
States of the North and West. Some
are interested in old-age pensions
more and larger pensions. And some
OF their leaders are interested in the
Kefauver candidacy.
On the Russell side of the picture, the
entire Florida congressional delegation
is supporting the Georgia Senator.
including the two Senators. Senator
SmatherS has been travelling with Mr..
Russell and introducing him to the
Florida crowds. In addition, the county
Democratic organizations are backing
the Georgian. Senator Kefauver has with
MIN, however, one of the States princi-
pal officials, Attorney General Richard
Irwin.
Russell Aides Concerned,
Originally, Senator Russell was ex-
pected to sweep the State, including
Ouval County. A growing sentiment.
expressed In many ways, for Senator
Kefauver, has given the Russell man
ayers concern although they continue
to express entire confidence that Senator
Russell will win handily in the coming
primary test. Up until day or two ago.
scarcely anything in the way of Russell
organization had been set up In Jack
sonville. The great activity shown for
kefauver here, with headquarters in two
hotels, Kefauver sound trucks operat-
ing, and newspaper advertising, gave the
Russell people different picture of the
situation. They have appointed Hans @.
Taenzler. jr., the Russell campaign
Chairman, started raising funds for ad-
vertising. and finally opened a head
quarters here.
Senator Douglas of Illinois, who an
nounced some time ago he had enlisted
IN the Kefauver army "for the dura-
tlon," and Gov. Browning of Tennessee
have both been in the State, speaking
Tor Senator Kefauver, and both have
had interested audiences.
Florida's delegates to the Democratic
National Convention will not be elected
until a second primary on May q. An
unusual situation presents itself, for the
result Of the presidential preference pri-
mary will not be binding on these dele
gates. To make the situation still more
obscure, SO delegate candidates are run
ming on the Russell slate for "a conven-
tion places. There are only % delegate
candidates on the Kefauver slate. Obvi-
ously, the large number of Russell dele
gate candidates may so divide the Rus
sell vOto of will o1oo& - -