Evening star., 1952-12-06
The Political Mill
The Political Mill
Best Democratic Role:
Militant Opposition
Porty Needs to Reoreunize;
Stevenson to Stoy at Helm

Forty NeedS to keor9onIze;
Stevenson to Stoy at Helm
By Gould Lincoln
President Truman and Gov Adlai Ste
venson of Illinois have, in separate
statements, recommended that the
Eisenhower administration be given a
chance to operate before Democratic at
tackS are made on it. Criticism, if made,
they insisted should be constructive and
not merely for political advantage.
That's fair proposal-in the interests
of the country. AS such it will be ap-
plauded.
President Truman told press con-
ference, too. that if the Republicans
make mistakes, the Democrats will
point them out What's mistake in
Democratic eyes may not be mistake
in Republican. The President was say
ing that the Democratic Party. now in
the minority would be q militant OPP
position if occasion arose. That's as 1T
should be. Such an opposition should
keep the Republicans on their toes.
Since the Republican program of leg
islation will differ in material respects
from that of the Truman administra-
ton, clashes are to be expected. The
Democrats quite naturally will prepare
for them Further they will do all they
can to build up their party organization,
nationally and in individual States. Ger
talnly repairs are needed. While the
Republican control of the Senate and
House are by the narroWest kind of mar
gins. the Republicans will have Gov
ernors in 80 States to l8 Governors for
the Democrats, as a result of the recent
elections and holdovers.
Only five States, outside of the So
called solid South, will have Democrats
as their chief executives. They are Mich
igan, Missouri, Ohio. Rhode Island and
West Virginia. Something seems radi-
cally wrong. so far as Democratic organ
lzatlon is concerned. Republicans have
had Governors in New York, California
and Pennsylvania for years now-and
in the recent elections they took over
the Governors in Illinois, Indiana and
Massachusetts, three more big States.
Lausche and Williams.
The Democrats reelected Governors
in Ohio and Michigan. Gov. Frank
LauSche's victory in Ohio. however, was
not due to strong Democratic organ
ization. but to his own personal follow
ing which included lot of Republican
voters. In some measure this was true
of Gov Williams victory in Michigan.
In the national electon-for Presi-
dent-only of the 48 States were
carried by the Democratic candidate.
Gov. Stevenson. These figures empha-
size the need for organiZational work.
The deterioration and disunity in the
io orfy trtac Nnf 1;nI,t
atfair-they have been building up for
several years. One of the principal rents
in the national organization lies in the
South. There Eisenhower carried four
States-TeXas. Virginia, Florida and
Tennessee-and rolled up big votes in
other Southern States, notably South
Carolina and Louisiana.
An outSpoken Southern Democrat, a
critic of the programs and policies Of
the National Democratic Party Gov.
Byrnes of South Carolina, is already
warning the rebellious Southern Demo-
Gratis not to be lured back into an or
ganization that is controlled by the big
city wing of the Democratic Party OF
the Democratic leaders in the South who
supported Stevenson and Truman, and
who now urge the Eisenhower Demo-
Gratis in the South to forget their differ
ences with the national party. Gov.
Byrnes comments: These gentlemen
fail to appreciate the fundamental
change that has taken place in the
leadership of the National Democratic
Party. Now it is a party controlled by
the blg-city bosses, whose control de-
pendS upon their ability to combine Or
ganized labor. the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People
and the various racial groups from Eu-
rope which have settled in the metro
politan areas during the last Is years."
G. o. P. Hope in South.
What President Truman and Gov.
Stevenson and the Democratic National
Committee, propose to do about the
South has not yet been revealed The
chances for the strengthening of the
Republican Party in that area seem for
the time being on the up and up.
Outside of Gov. Stevenson, the big
city Democratic bosses have no candi-
dates for major office of whom to boast,
with the exceptions of Gov Lausche and
Gov. Williams. Stevenson is by far
their best bet for 1856. That he will re-
main as titular leader and chief spokes-
man for the party, nationally, seems
clear-unleSS the Governor should take
himself out of the picture, not now con-
sidered likely move
The Democrats in Congress will play
an important role in building up the
party, necessarily. The policies must be
made by them, since they hold Office and
neither President Truman nor Gov. Ste
venson will after the first OF the year.