Evening star., 1952-06-17
The Political Mill
Kefuuver Gains STRENGTH
Bucking Odd Coalition
North and South Porty Leaders
Opposed to Tennesseun
By Gould Lincoln

ances. Few are more strange, however.
than that which. willy-nilly, is opposing
the nomination for President of SEN
ator Estes Kefauver Of Tennessee on the
Democratic ticket. On the one hand are
forces backing Senator Russell of Geor-
gta-Southerners for the most part who
have no use for President Truman's Fair
Deal program, including civil rights. On
the other are the Democratic bosses in
many Of the Northern and Western
States, who are for the Truman policies.
Neither wants the coonskin cap in the
White House.
The greatest boost the Tennessean has
had, and he has had his share and more,
was the victory in California on June 8,
when IN the presidential preferential
primary and election of delegates to the
partys national convention he beat
his opposition az to /. He emerged
with 68 California delegates. It's given
him lift for the contests in the Dem.
ocratic State conventions of New Mex
leo on June 26 and Of Colorado on June
28. where his campaign managers hope
to have the delegations instructed for
Senator Kefauver.
Pitted Against Slate.
In California Mr.. Kefauver was pitted
against slate of delegates which were
to be for President Truman, until the
rug was pulled out from under their feet
by the Presidents announcement he was
not going to run again. Attorney Gen.
eral Pat Brown headed up this slate.
hoping to hold it for use in the national
convention. He had no chance of a
nomination for himself. The voters, who
came out in large numbers, plunked for
Senator Kefauver. Representative
McKinnon of California sought the
Democratic senatorial nomination. He
failed to come out for Senator Kefauver
he kept out of the delegate race-and
he lost the Democratic nomination as
well as the Republican to Senator Know
land. Republican, who now virtually is
elected for another term.
Bucking the strange alliance against
him. Senator Kefauver appears to be
gaining strength rather than losing it,
There is no slightest doubt he has long
way to go still, if he is to win. His
hope. and that Of his campaign man
ayers, Is the fact he has shown great
personal strength wherever the people
have been permitted to vote. They be-
lieve that If and when this gets across
to the delegates in the national con-
vention. majority will line up.
The opposition to Senator Kefauver
still hopes to have Gov. Adlai Steven
son OF Illinois as candidate. The only
way they can have him, however, is to
draft him in the convention itself. He
has repeatedly disavowed any intention
OF becoming candidate. The only
thing he hasn't said is that he would not
accept If nominated and would not run
If nominated. With Gov. Stevenson.
they feel. they could not only defeat
Senator Kefauver but have q real chance
for victory next November. Putting
November aside, and first things first.
they think that the Illinois Governor
would make Kefauver nomination an
impoSSibility.
Won't Predict Vote.
The Kefauver managers decline to be
pinned down on prediction Of delegate
vote strength when their candidate goes
into the convention on the first ballot.
They say he will have well over 800
votes-indeed. they claim he has that
many as of today and they expect
him to have still more when the balloting
gets under way. They realize that a
Stevenson draft is still q real threat.
They do not regard other candidates
as such, including w. Averen Hartman
OF New York. whom the party bosses are
giving warming up gallop these days.
The New Yorker has recently been in
Utah and Iowa, seeking delegates. But
according to reports from one of the
State bosses, at least, Mr.. Hartman did
not make dent in the Iowa delegation,
and probably not in Utah.
A late count by the Associated Press
gives Kefauver 246 delegates. Russell
has 8612 and Hartman, 85h. There
are in addition a long line of favorite-
son candidates. Gov. Williams of Michi-
gan-who might become the dark-horse
winner OF the nomination-haS the
most, 40 delegate votes.
Senator Kefauver's great danger Of
course, is that he may run his delegate
vote up to something over 400 in the
convention-and never get any higher.
The danger to the Kefauver opposition,
on the other hand. is that they may
never be able to center on q man to
nominate, with so many ambitions in
the fire. The Stevenson draft move
ment. moreover. will have to jell and
be given some encouragement in the
next few weeks, or it too may become
very difficult.