Evening star., 1952-05-31
The Political Min
2 Purties Foce Problem
On Civil Rights PIonks
Both Sides Woo Negro Vote
As Well as Southern Whites
By Gould Lincoln

Republicans and Democrats alike face
to writing civil rights planks into their
1852 party platforms. The decisions they
make involve the white vote of the South
and the Negro vote Of the North and
South.
The problem of the Democrats is to
hold on to the white Democrats Of the
South and, at the same time. keep the
Negro vote of the North. Since the
days Of the Civil War. the Democrats
have held on to the white voters Of the
South. Only once since reconstruction
days have Southern States in any num-
Der voted Republican in a presidential
election. That was in 1928, when the
religious issue. plus the prohibition issue.
carried ffve Southern States against AL
Smith of New York. Democrat, and for
Herbert Hoover Of California, Repub.
lican.
For the last 20 years-since the late
President Franklin D. Roosevelt took
over In the great depreSsion-the mass
Of Negroes in the North have voted
Democratic.
Republicans Must Decide.
The Republicans. therefore, have not
had the support Of the Southern white
voters. conservative Democrats or liberal,
nor in recent years the votes of the
Negroes in the North and West. The
Republicans must make up their minds
which group to angle for in the coming
presidential campaign. The Democrats
are trying to work out q program which
will hold on to both the Southern whites
and the Northern Negroes. It's as
simple as that.
Some of the Democratic leaders would
like very much to go back to the party's
1914 plank on civil rights-and forget
in 1914 holding the Southern whites and
the Northern Negroes. But in 1948.
when the Truman influence made itself
felt, along with that Of the Americans
for Democratic Action, the Democrats
wrote a plank which called for a Fed
eral compulsory FEPC, and Federal anti
lynching and anti-poll tax laws. The
result was an uprising in the South
which many predicted would not hap
pen-and the loss of four Southern
States by President Truman. Had the
revolt been just little more virulent.
the election of President might have
been thrown into the House of Repre-
sentatives.
South's Democrats Stronger.
This year the Southern Democrats
have indicated plainly that they do not
intend to be dominated by the liberal
and radical Democrats of the North.
They have strong and determined lead
ers-stronger and more determined than
they had in 1948. The threat they hold
over the Democratic Party today is.
in the event of the readoption of the
1948 civil rights plank and the nomina.
tion of a candidate who stands four
square on that plank, to take away the
electoral votes of all or nearly all of the
Southern States.
President Truman, the ADA and other
Northern and Western Democratic lead
ers, however, continue to demand the
drastic civil rights plank. The ADA
just the other day pounced upon Gov.
Dever of Massachusetts, who has been
recommended for the job of keynote
speaker and temporary chairman Of
the Democratic National Convention,
because he said that he saw little diff
ference between the 1914 and 1948 civil
rights plankS, and that the 1914 plank
would be satisfactory"
Former Attorney General Francis
Biddle, head of the ADA, wrote Gov.
Dever that the 1914 plank was only a
'pious declaration" with no teeth in it,
and that its adoption would spell de-
feat for the party of liberalism
Democratic Party. It's q nice fight,
any way you look at it.
Republicans Keep Ears Open.
Republicans, supporters Of both Mr..
Taft and Gen. Eisenhower, have listened
to suggestions they can carry the South
ern States because Of the revolt In the
South against the Truman program.
Mr.. Taft has gone no further In the
FEPC question than to say he favors a
voluntary" commission. Gen. Eisen-
hover has still to say anything about
the issue. Ike. however. has been ex.
tremely popular in the South.
The Republicans softened up their
civil rights plank in their l948 plat
FORM but it got them no electoral votes
in the South and may have lost them
some in the North. The white Southern
vote for the @. o. p. has been q will-o'.
AI-<> ww,s-- H.