Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-08
By CECIL HOLLAND


Senator w. (for William) Stuart
Symington has q stock reply to the
talk booming him as the dark horse
candidate for the Democratic presi-
Dental nomination this year. 1.-THE
darker the better" is the Missouri
ans comment.
Anyone taking this as Syming-
ton disclaimer of any presidential
ambitions would be mistaken. The
tall, athletic and handsome 54-
year-old Senator, Missourian now
by a business chance, shares with
others in politics the normal am
bition for the country's highest
Office
In protesting that he Is not q
candidate for the Democratic nom
nation, Senator Symington is mere
~ playing out until convention time
the traditional role of the dark
horse candidate-one that comes
up, seemingly out Of nowhere, to
cop the grand prize. In several in
stances In times gone by the role
has paid of
In Senator Symington's case. it's
a bit difficult to be coy. For three
or four years he has been men
toned as a possible candidate
Since TenneSsee's Senator Estes Ke-
fauver upset Adlai Stevenson In the
Minnesota presidential primary,
that talk has been increasing. 1t
could reach significant proportions
if party leaders who prefer Mr.. Ste
venson over Senator Kefauver, be-
GENE convinced they must center
on another candidate.
Leaders Toke q Look
Many professional Democrats are
taking a long look at Senator Sym
incton, Just in case the cause OF
Mr.. Stevenson is irretrievably lost
What they profess to see in the
NIissourian and his record are some
promising ingredients for the max
ing of a presidential candidate. To
many Of them, including some of
the Senates more conservative
Democrats, Senator Symington
looks more and more Ike Q COM
promise candidate who might be
able to heal the growing party
breach over the segregation issue.
STU" Synington ID serving his
flrst Senate term against o back
ground Of seven years in several
high Government positions. In less
than four years In once he has
demonstrated the same facility in
making friends in party circles as
he did in making q fortune by
taking ailing businesses and nurs-
ing them back to economic health.
He has. Of course, stepped on
few political toes. but he had the
courage. even when few Democrats
would speak out, to challenge as
formidable q foe as President Eli
senhower on the administration
defense cutbacks "a cut in our
military strength at this time
weakens our position both for de-
tense and ct the conference table"
Senator Symington said q year ago
when the defense reductions were
announced.
Missile Program
More recently, he took issue with
the President over this country's
plans to produce atomic intercon-
tinental missiles. He said fatty
Soviet Russia is ahead in missile
development and that the United
States was producing lust a small
trickle" of It's potential.
This criticism, along with that of
Senator Jackson, Democrat of
Washington. led Mr.. Eisenhower to
retort that some people seemed to
know more about the missile pro-
gram than he did. And the adj
mlnistration seemed to take note of
the criticism as Defense Secretary
Wilson moved to appoint GEAR"
over the missile program.
Despite his support of defense
program stronger than the admin
istrations, stemming from his serv-
ice as Secretary of the Air Force.
Senator Symington has been no
carping critic Of the Eisenhower