Evening star., 1952-03-30
Democrats Set Record
For Top Attendance al
StOO-a-PIate Dinner
] BY George Kennedy

More Democrats paid 500 foi
dinner last night at the annual
Jefferson-Ja jackson Embarrassing
dinner at the National Guard
Armory than ever before In the
history of the event in Washing
ton.
There were few vacant seats but
ct one a coonskin cap represented
Senator Kefauver.
It rested on the table to which
the Senator had been assigned,
only short distance from where
President Truman sat during the
!, early part Of the program.
William A. Roberts, Washing
ton attorney and former Peoples
Counsel of the District, who was
at the same table, said he brought
the cap. He said he scribbled q
note and sent it up to the Presi-
dent, explaining that he meant
no harm, but felt he should bring
the cap because, Estes and Nancy
(Mrs. Kefauver) had to stay in
Nebraska"
5,183 Meals Served.
Comparative statistics were not
Immediately available, but the
chefs Of the May1ower and Stat
: Ter hotels after counting their re-
manning steaks came to the con-
clusion that they had served 5,183
meals.
The President, dressed in a
dinner jacket, spent the first part
of the evening at table at one
end of the huge hall, then moved
to the long table at the other
end to give more party stalwarts
a better look and a few hand
shakes.
The diners sat at Gil tables. AS
on previous occasions. the engi-
neering problem Of delivering hot
food simultaneously to such a
vast area Of white napery was
accomplished successfully. The
ice cream was made in donkey
shaped moulds. Some of the last
to arrive at the tables were be-
ginning to resemble elephants be-
cause of the melting process.
The menu was simple one:
Grapefruit. filet mignon. Amer
lean champagne or burgundy. a
hearts of lettuce salad with
Roquefort dressing and the ice
cream. plus cakes and demitaSse.
Economy Of Dinners.
There Is an idea among the
uniformed that these festive
Democrats actually eat 500 worth
of food on these occasions. That
is about rs per cent correct. The
economy of the operation is
roughly this: The dinner costs
about $3.50 plate, the promo.
tion about $3.50 and each dinner
makes a $50 contribution to the.
party. It Is the most successful
fund-raising scheme in the his
tory Of the Democratic Party and
that history is a long one.
That was early in the evening,
before Mr.. Truman made his
startling announcement about not
being a candidate.
The stirring incident Of the pre-
liminaries was the introduction Of
Secretary Of State Acheson and
Mrs. Acheson. The guests had
given perfunctory applause to the
introduction of other cabinet Off
GERS and high party functionaries
at the north head table. But
when Mr.. Acheson's name was an
nounced they all stood and ap-
plauded with fighting spirit the
man often called party liability.
The youngest guest at the din
ner was 6-year-old Betty Ann
Bullard, who came from Newport,
Tenn. with her father, Col. M.
Bullard.
The little girl wore a Kefauver
button. She saw the President
on one side Of the hall and then
was taken over to visit Mrs. Tru-
man, seated on the other side. Her
father explained the Kefauver
button this way:
We're always for Truman but
he isn't running. II he runs we