Evening star., 1953-09-17
The Political Mill
Democrats Cleared
Their Biggest Hurdle
Northern and Southern
Factions Find q Peace
By Gould Lincoln

CHICAGO, m.-Truman and Steven
son got the headlines, but the big
accomplishment Of the first important
Democratic get-together since the 1852
party disaster was the establishment of
peace between the warning Northern
and Southern Democratic factions, at
least for the congressional elections
next year. What will happen beyond
that is anybody's guess.
Two Democratic leaders stand out as
the fashioners of this truce-which
might still become a permanent peace.
Sam Rayburn of Texas, former Speaker
and present minority leader of the
House, always a StabiliZing influence
and an adroit and forceful figure in
Democratic Party councils, was one.
The other was Democratic National
Chairman Stephen A. Mitchell, who
emergeS from this series of conferences
with greatly increased stature Mr.. Ray
burn, because he is Southerner and
because he remained faithful to the
1852 Democratic national ticket, was in
position to lay down the law. He did.
Mr. Mitchell, through his own personal
contacts with Southern Democrats over
the last 8 or 10 months and frequent
visits to them, had achieved their liking.
Together they engineered the shunting
Of the explosive loyalty pledge" issue
to special committee for study, along
with the other rules of the Democratic
National Committee. Both sides to the
controversy were pleased. -
Dispute Avoided.
A Democratic row of major propor-
tionS, which might have brought a still
deeper cleavage between the factions
and been bad for the 1854 campaign,
was avoided. Creeping harmony" with
which the Democrats were jocularly
chided, became the keynote of the
gathering, instead of rapid and raucous
war. Gov. White of Mississippi and Gov.
Battle OF Virginia, who came to the
conference determined to get, if pos
Sible, some action against future loyalty
pledges which must be subscribed to by
delegations to the Democratic national
conventions, returned home happy. Gov.
White insisted the South had won a
real victory. It had succeeded, he said,
in having the South's position re-
spectfully considered. He insisted too it
meant no more loyalty pledges. That
however remains to be determined. It
will depend upon the attitude and the
measure Of cooperation which is OBJ
tanned between the Northern and South
ern Democrats during the next year.
If 1t appears reasonably certain, in
1856, that none of the Southern States
will prevent the Democratic national
ticket from going on their ballots-as
happened in Alabama in 1948-then no
loyalty pledge proposal is likely to crop
up-or If 1t does, will have chance of
adoption at the next Democratic ma
tional convention. That, at least is the
present view of w. Averell Hartman
and other Northern Democrats who
attended the conference.
A great deal will depend, however.
on whether, at the time of the next
national convention, the Northern fac
ton again insists in writing into the
party platform a drastic civil rights
plank, containing a demand for a
Federal FEPC. That is something
Southern Democrats will not accept.
If it happens. the fat will be in the
fire.
Confidence Voiced.
The enthusiasm and confidence of
the Democrats voiced by their leaders
at the meetings here sounded like the
outpourings of a victorious party,
rather than party which less than a
year ago took terrific beating at the
hand of a Republican President. OBJ
viously, the G. o. P. can take nothing
for granted in the 1854 campaign; it
will have to unite Strongly-and go
to town for the Eisenhower record,
and pledge itself to better support Of
the President than has been evident in
the 83d Congress up to date.
AS was expected, Democratic speak
erS attacked the Eisenhower adminis-
tration as dominated by big business
and big businessmen. Former Presi-
dent Truman led off with this theme,
and he was quickly followed by Sena-
tor Douglas of Illinois. The latter
claims this is the biggest issue in the
1854 campaign. Big business, he said,
should not be permitted to run the
Government-as he said, in its own
interest. Somewhat naively, he said
the Democrats had made use of big
businessmen and their talents, and
added: "They should be kept. on tap,
but not on top" Some of them remem-
ber the tapping" they received at the
hands of the Roosevelt and Truman
administrations.