Evening star., 1952-08-24
Campaign Sure to Be
A Tough Fight
Writer Says Independents
Will Decide Election
By Frunk R. Kent


Within the past week at least one
thing has become plain. In this CAM
paign the Democratic candidates. II
elected, will carry forward the Roose-
velt-Truman policies; the Republicans
are the ones from whom a change in
direction may be expected. In other
words. regardless of personalities, and
regardless of Gen. Eisenhower's ex-
ceedingly sound middle-o -the-road
speech last Wednesday, there is choice.
Confirmation of this was given in the
recent CIO Endorsement of Gov.
Stevenson, engineered by Philip Murray,
followed by that of the Americans for
Democratic Action, headed by Francis
.Biddle and soon to be, followed by the
so-called Liberal Party of New York.
of which A. A. Berle is the head. Actu-
ally there was no need for these in
dorsements to. make the situation clear.
Mr.. Stevenson's record has shown that
these far left-wing organizations were
his friends. #'
No informed person, of course, had
any doubt of the nature of MIR. Steven
sons true liberalism" after his selec-
ton of Wilson Wyatt as chairman of
his campaign committee, of Averell
Hartman as one of his chief advisers
and Prof. Arthur Schlesinger, jr,
as his research" aide in Springfield.
Prof. Schlesinger is one of those
charming liberals" who still think it
witty to exude cheap sneers at Herbert
Hoover. AS things now stand, Mr.. Ste
venson, though called moderate" by
his propagandistS, is supported by ex-
actly the same liberal far-left ag-
gregations which supported Mr.. Truman
in 1948 and which would be supporting
him now had he been nominated.
These, groups. plus the Negroes (who
seem to be. in process of propitiation)
and the jobholders constitute the
Democratic army which has won the
last four elections. It is tremendously
potent combination. and, on form,,
should win "again and again and again"
The deceit tpracticed upon the farmers
last time was SO successful that the
Democratic managers are sure it can be
repeated. There is also the eXtraordi-
nary fact that one out Of every nine
persons in the country is now. directly
or indirectly in some form or other, re-
ceiving Federal funds handed out by q
Democratic administration
Add all this up and the total seems
to make the Democrats unbeatable
and perhaps they are. Nonetheless,
there are factors on the other side
which make even those Republicans
who fully realize what they are up
against exceedingly hopeful-that is.
if the great mass of voters who, for one
reason or another, stayed away from
the polls last time come out and vote.
First, there is the widespread convic-
ton that the Democratic Party has been
in power far too long for the national
health and change is imperative.
Second there is the fact that the Re-
publican candidate is personally the
most popular, respected and best
equipped man that party has named in
20 years. Third, there is the unprec-
edented corruption, incompetency and
waste with which, under long Demo-
cratic control. the Government has be-
come saturated. as.. F"
Fourth. there Is the increasing num-
ber of Democrats who, for a variety
of reasons, have become 7disgusted with
New Deal Fair Deal policies and realize
Gov. Stevenson will not-and - can
not-change these, even though the
ultimate economic disaster becomes
clearer, every day. Fifth; there is the
growing feeling of insecurity despite
the Democratic slogan of "You never
had it so good,"2 which slogan seems
strikingly refuted by the recent report
Of the Bureau of Labor Statistics re-
vealing that the average family with
income of $4,000 after withholding, in
come and other taxes. ends the year
with $400 deficit, which has to be
made up either by digging into savings
or borrowing.
Sixth, there is increasing awareness
: that the ruinous imitation, which is the
greatest Of all national dangers, cam
not be averted by the Democratic Ad-
ministration whose policies and political
alliances have promoted it. Finally.
there is the fact that If you add all
the Democratic groups together, they
do not come even close to a majority
OF the potential voters. Therefore, 1T
seems certain that the November .e-
suit is in the hands of the millions OF
independent voters so many of whom
failed to vote last time. All of which
makes it a very tough fight. indeed
from whatever angle it is viewed.