Evening star., 1953-09-16
BY Allen DruY
Star StoH correspondOns

Gratis. And as they drift out of
the Conrad Hilton Hotel, being
taken over by a convention Of
railroad men, two things in par
ticular seem to give them the
greatest satisfaction:
They didn't have a fight, and
they put the Democratic Party
back in business with a bang.
OF secondary Importance, but
also satisfying. was the fact that
they raised close to $150,000 from
their $10O-a-plate dinner Mon
day night and contributions
from party members.
These funds, after payment Of
conference expenses. can be ap-
piled to reducing the $275,000
deficit left from the 1852 PreSi-
Dental campaign.
In a farewell press conference,
National Chairman Stephen A..
Mitchell said today he thought
the main results of the confer
ence had been "a better basis for
future understanding among the
disparate part of the party" and
an increased enthusiasm for the
Congressional elections of 1854.
Mr.. Mitchell said he hopes to
name a special advisory COM
mittee to study rules for the
1856 National Convention as
soon as he can get advice on its
membership from prominent
party leaders. Establishment of
such a committee was author
ised here in a successful move
to head off a party battle over
the so-called loyalty pledge"
requiring all State delegations
to the convention to support the
party's nominees. Mayor David
Laurence of Pittsburgh probably
will head the group, and House
Democratic Leader Rayburn GER
tainly will be a member, Mr..
Mitchell indicated.
Coming less than a year after
the first fall from power in 20
years. the conference achieve
ments seem considerable.
Various factors have been re-
sponsible. Fundamental was a
desire to "show the press and the
country" which played a subtle
but imperative part in smoothing
out differences.
In addition, there were leaders
who were determined that the
conference should not get out
of hand, and who saw to it
that it did not. The part Of
Texas Mr.. Rayburn was out
standing; Mr. Mitchell, voted a
$25,000 annual salary and ap-
parently secure in his office for
some time to come. was another.
Although some major spokesmen
of the South oStentatiouSly
avoided the gathering, quite
few others were there; and in
Virginia's pleasantly dignified
Gov. Battle and MiSsissippi's
kindly Gov. White, the South'S
interests had their defenders who
achieved their objective with
suavity and unruff1ed calmness.
Life Put in Party.
A little too early, perhaps, the
delegates heard raucous speech
by Harry Truman: but most of
them overcame initial hesita-
tions about his timing with the
conclusion that, after all, it
put some life in the party"
Adlai Stevenson. too, welding
his rapier instead of a Truman
meat-aX. sliced the hide neatly
off the administration in careful
strips.
So heady did this sort of thing
become. in fact, that by the time
the conference officially ended
with a meeting of the National
Committee late yesterday. a good
many of those in attendance
were soaring off into the strato-
sphere in their predictions of a
great tomorrow. Even shrewd.
self lf-effacing Leslie Biffle, former
Senate secretary and one of the
most astute political minds in
the country, was predicting a
Democratic House margin of 40
seats in November. 1854. and an
increase in strength sufficient to
win the closely balanced Senate.
The conference in it's enthusi-
asm seemed to forget that eight
speeches at S100-a-plate are
scarcely formidable yet to man
who swept the country with 33
million votes and 80 States.
OF the potential presidential
candidates on hand, Mr.. Steven
son was handed the spotlight
and made the most of it. Mis-
Souri's determinedly untalkative
Senator Symington, no man to
kill himself off with a too-early
boom. put in an appearance,
smiled blandly. kept his mouth
shut, shook hands, and went his
way. TenneSsee's Senator Ke-
fauver, the inevitable hand out
stretched, the inevitable hand
shake coming automatically as
by conditioned reflex, wandered
about in all the proper places
and greeted all the proper
people. Minnesota's Hubert
Humphrey, accorded a surprising
greeting at the banquet Mon
day night. looked as though he
might give the matter some
thought if he is reelected to
the Senate next year.
Reluctance Ruled Out.
But the consensus gave the
honors this time to Mr.. Steven
son, and such eager Stevenson
rooters as Oklahoma's Senator
Monroney went around telling
reporters, Now if he'll be q
little less reluctant than he was
last time, he's all set. Just a
little less reluctant. :" Most
did not consider reluctance a
part of Mr.. StevenSon's mood
this time.
Ont of the Y,oaatioo Gonna ,o1opc