Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-03-20
Stevenson Nay Not Run
For Presidency Again
Writer Believes 81 cundidute
Would Avoid Second Try
BY Fronk R. Kent

By Fronk R. Kent
Not very long ago. nearly all the jour-
nalistic and political soothsayers of the
Democratic Party were unanimously
agreed that Adlai E. Stevenson would
be renominated by the Democratic
convention in Chicago next year. Now,
they are not so sure. For this change
in attitude there are a number Of
reasons.
It is, Of course, true that Mr.. Steven
son still remains the leading candidate.
Despite his protestations Of orthodox
neutrality toward candidates, the belief
is firm that he has the support Of
National Chairman Paul Butler. just as
he had the support of ex-Chairman
Stephen Mitchell But the fact is that
neither of these formerly politically
obscure gentlemen is as important as
their positions suggest. Also, their
support Of Mr. Stevenson is hardly
surprising in that each was his personal
selection for chairman. Actually, they
have no delegates to contribute and
their utterances have little significance.
They are expected to berate President
Eisenhower and his administration
and do. However. they seem to do
neither the President nor his admins
tration any particular harm and are
regarded generally in political circles
as somewhat unpleasant but Intellectual
and rather obtuse fellows.
The two real reasons for the doubt
about Mr. Stevenson's denomination
are: Cd The practical certainty that
Gen. Ike will be renominated in San
Francisco, ca the indecision of Mr..
Stevenson himself. According to some
of his closest friends, he is really-this
time-disinclined to run against the
President. This is easy to understand.
In the first place. despite his union
labor support and his New Deal formula
for vote getting. Mr.. Stevenson was very
badly beaten by Mr.. Eisenhower in
1852. Since that time, every test shows
the Presidents popularity as undimin-
ished. This, of course, means that
unless Mr.. Stevenson has somehow
gained in strength. which no one claims.
he would again be defeated. For this,
Mr.. Stevenson is reported as having no
taste at ALL
This would account for the recent
reports that he prefers to run for
Senator in 1856 against the present
Republican incumbent, Mr.. Dirksen.
He, of course, might get the senatorial
nomination and beat the Mr.. Dirk
sen. who is personally none too strong.
Mr.. Stevenson, in any case, would
have the support of the odoriferous
Chicago Democratic machine-partic-
ularly since the recent Democratic
mayoralty primaries, when he publicly
deserted his friend, Mayor Martin H.
Kennedy, and supported the machine
candidacy of one Richard j. Daley,
who is openly antireform and bla-
family promachine. Unless Mr.. Daley
Is beaten in the general election by
a Republican, Mayor Kennelly's de-
feat will put an end to the era Of
good government in Chicago about
which Mr.. Stevenson was supposed
to be enthusiastic. That, as Mayor.
Mr.. Daley would take the city well
back to its worst days is the view of
those best posted on Illinois politics.
Mr.. Butler seems a rather weak
imitation of MIR. Mitchell, his prede-
cessor. His silly effort to make a
major issue of the alleged unhappi-
ness OF Gen. Ike as an incumbent
of the White House, plus Mrs. Eisen-
hower's cold, is not quite as degraded
as Mr.. Mitchells effort to make people
believe that the Presidents support
of the Dixon-Yates contract was be-
cause his friend Bobby Jones was q
small stockholder-but is nonetheless
quite as absurd.
The Stevenson flop from Kennedy
to Daley has greatly grieved many Of
his friends, who had eXtolled him as
man of high political ideals. Even
some Of his admirers in the Americans
for Democratic Action were panied.
Certainly, it makes it impossible for
him effectually to pose as a friend
OF good government and pure politics.
However, there seems no great reason
for surprise. This flop appears on a
par with the one he achieved in the
1852 campaign. Then, after having
commended the Taft-Hartley Act,
with certain amendments, he yielded
to pressure from the labor bosses
and took their view that it really is
"slave-labor law"
The fact is that Mr.. Stevenson is
wonderful fellow for preaching DO
litical nobility in others, but per-
sonally he is not nearly as noble as
ne is pictured by his devotees. Should
he run in 1856. his part in this recent
Chicago campaign is not likely to be
forgotten. Nor is his alliance with
this ugly organization calculated to
do him much good in the Democratic
South, when it is realized that the
real leader of that machine is the
Negro Congressman from Illinois, Rep
resentative William Levi Dawson.
Couple this with the Democratic effort
to reduce taxes at time when every
sane and nonpartisan view is opposed
including those of the two outstand-
ing Democratic Senators, Byrd of
Virginia and George of Georgia
and one cannot avoid the conviction
that the Democrats at this session are
going the limit as demagogues.