Evening star., 1953-09-20
Democrats GATHERING
Held InconsequentioI
Writer Says Stevenson FuiIed
To Inviaorote His PortY
By Fronk Z. Kent

BY FTonk K. Kent
The elaborate and highly ballyhooed
two-day Democratic demonstration held
at Chicago early this week clearly was
designed by its managers to achieve
two objectives: Cd To get Adlai Steven
son into position where he will be the
inevitable presidential nominee in 1856;
90 to find a crack in the Eisenhower
administration sufficiently exploitaole
to make probable a Democratic victory
next year, which. according to form.
would be followed by another two years
hence.
1t unheSitatingly can be said that
neither of these goals was reached A
kind of harmony prevailed. Largely this
was due to the slick guidance of the
youthful and impeccable chairman,
Stephen Mitchell, by which all things
remotely controversial land there were
some very controversial, indeed were
carefully showed under the rug to be
brought up at some future date-if at
all. So far as the good Adlai is con-
cerned, he gave f1rSt-claSS perform
ance. as was expected. His first speech
was a rather mild compared to Mr..
.Truman'S) partisan attack on the ad-
ministration, witty and full of apt
phrases.
His second "nonpartiSan report" was
eloquent. thoughtful and sound, though
he seems to have seen no more than
many other world travellers and his
recommendations were good but not
original. Many others have expressed
nnf xr,A Oh 80,
the disarmament problem and extend
as much aid to our European allies as
our own economy can stand. He did
not quite reach the pinnacle of one or
two of those ghoSt-written campaign
speeches-but. like Mr.. Truman, he got
very enthusiastic reception.
Actually, none of the speakers
changed the situation" Mr.. Truman
was his usual abusive and cocky self.
Senator Paul Douglas of Illinois beat
his breast and talked somewhat fever
lshly about the Liberal Cause" It was
only Mr.. Stevenson who stood out at
the gathering. as it was intended he
should. He neither shook the country
nor galvanized" the party but it is fair
to say that he remains, as he was be-
fore the meeting, the leading Demo-
crat and the most likely 1856 nominee
though by no means the inevitable
one. Even now it is quite certain that
he will not be drafted" and that there
Will be other aspirantS in the field. Nor
can the recent meeting accurately be
characterized as successful when such
strong anti-Stevenson Southern leaders
as Senator Byrd of Virginia, Gov.
ByrneS OF South Carolina, Gov.
Sh1verS of Texas, Senators George and
Russell of Georgia and others did not
attend.
AS for finding a way effectively to
denounce the Eisenhower adminiStra-
ton 1t pretty generally is agreed that
the Chicago gathering failed rather
fully. Chief reason for this, of course.
Is the fact, established by every test
and frankly admitted by many Demo-
Gratis, that the personal popularity of
President Eisenhower remains undimin-
lShed. He may make mistakes in the
future and some of the great decisions
winch he must make soon easily NAV
ALLEVIATE certain elements among the
voters, but up to now he has made
none about which any one really can
get eXclted-and popular belief in both
his sincerity and capacity remains what
1t was before he took office. In other
words, at the moment there is no
political profit for the Democrats in
personal Eisenhower attacks-and none
were made.
IL would have been q great help at
Chicago had the Democrats had q real
target at which to shoot and for a
while Secretary of State Dulles was
selected. Had the West German elec-
tlonS gone other than they did. there
is no doubt that Mr.. Dulles would
have been lambasted vigorously for his
lndlscreet' prediction utterances in
favor OF Mr.. Adenauer and the conse-
quent American humiliation" But the
overwhelming Adenauer victory and the
crushing Communist defeat changed all
that.
Instead Of being "indiscreet," it now
seems that Mr.. Dulles was fully justi-
fed. and the size of the Adenauer
majority certainly tended to vindicate
him. Also, shortly before the meeting
some of the heretofore hostile Dulles
and pro-Stevenson columnists and
commentators began to praise the Sec
retary for his firmness in Iran and
other places. 1t was quite disappoint-
ment not to have goat. The effort
to show the administration as domi-
mated by big business" is as old as
the 1896 William Jennings Bryan cam
paign and pure demagogy. Summing
up, the one success of the Chicago
gathering was in raising some much
needed money through their $1OO-a-
plate dinner, Otherwise, it did not
amount to much.