Evening star., 1952-07-31
Dixie Marks Time

FRANCIS P1ckenS Miller, who was Soundly
trounced by Senator Byrd in Virginia's recent
Democratic primary, has returned to the political
wars with the contention that Governor Battle
gave the Democratic National Convention a
"clear implication of responsibility" to support
the Stevenson-Sparkman ticket.
It was precisely this kind of misinterpreta-
ton which the Virginia delegation to Chicago
feared, and which underlay its unwillingness, on
grounds OF principle, to sign the loyalty pledge.
If anything was made clear at Chicago, it was
that no delegation, including those who signed
the pledge. was obligated to support the party
ticket. At the very most, the Virginia delega-
ton, which refused to sign the pledge, is obIi-
gated to do no more than exert every honorable
means to see to 1t that the names of the party
nominees appear on the Democratic ballot. And
it appears that under State law they would be
obligated to do this if they had never gone to
Chicago. Governor Battle and the other State
leaders, if they wish to do SO, are entirely free
to refuse to campaign for the ticket, or even to
go out and openly support General Eisenhower.
The foot-dragging that is evident in Virginia,
and elsewhere in the South, does not necessarily
mean, however, that the Southern leaders intend
to desert the Stevenson -Sparkman ticket. More
probably, they are playing wait-and-see game.
Three Of Virginias 10 congressional districts
the national ticket. In each of them however,
local political influences undoubtedly were con-
trolling factors in this action. The new tenth
district just across the river is out in front with
an unconditional and wholehearted" pledge Of
support for the nominees. Although this district
went for Senator Byrd in the primary, it contains
thousands of New Deal and Fair Deal voters, and
it would have been politically risky for the local
committee to stall on Endorsement of the ma
tional ticket. Much the same thing is true Of
the first district in the Newport News area which
Senator Byrd carried by a slender margin, and
in the ninth district in the western part of the
State, which Senator Byrd lost. In all three
districts the early show of support for the party
ticket be attributed, at least in large part to
purely local political considerations.
In most, if not all, of the other districts the
Byrd-Battle position is stronger, and their poiti-
cal aides at the district level are in safer posi-
tion to mark time And although no one is
saying so, the chances are that they are really
waiting for an opportunity to see how the Demo-
cratic campaign shapes up.
It is unlikely that the Byrd-Batte element
would refuse to support the ticket on any ground
of personalities. If it is not ideal ticket from
their point of view it is at least as good they
could reasonably have hoped for. But Demo-
cratic factions In the North and elsewhere have
taken a strong position in opposition to Senator
Sparkman's presence on the ticket Several i'm
f1uential Negro leaders have said they will not
support the ticket unless Senator Sparkman
takes firm stand in behalf OF the party's civil
rights plank
In other words, pressure is being brought to
bear to compel the Alabama Senator to retreat
from his stand in Congress, which generally has
been against the civil rights program. And
Senator Byrd and the others probably are walt
ing to see how Senator Sparkman reacts to this
pressure. If he should yield to it. they might
very we'll come out against the Democratic ticket
and in favor of General Eisenhower. If he does
not yield, the Democratic ticket quite probably
will be supported by most, If not all, of the Vir-
ginia Democrats.