Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-01

tl0n 10 the licking administered by
Senator Kefauver in Minnesota or
the birth of new Stevenson re-
mains to be seen. At least it is add
ing spice to the already spicy pre-
convention popularity contest be-
tween the 1852 standard bearer and
the ambitious Tennesseean.
The Stevenson gloves were for
mally removed Wednesday evening
in televised speech in Los Angeles.
There were no quips or eSoteric
references. The sentences were
short and easy to understand There
was just one mild play on words
a reference to Republican boasts,
bluffs and Drinks"
But there were sharp. bitter
words, delivered with more feeling
than Mr.. Stevenson usually shows.
Turning his fire directly on his
opponent for the nomination Mi
Stevenson declared that Senator
Kefauver had denounced Steven
son supporters in Minnesota and
California as political bosses" and
machine" politicians.
This Is Not So
Senator Kefauver knows this is
not so. he said hotly.
The Senator, he continued. was
railing against party leaders be-
cause they would not rally round
the Kefauver standard. For some
reasons why, see Cecil Hollands
article on Page ABB
Senator Ketauvers tactics. Mr..
Stevenson said, would divide and
weaken the Democratic Party.
which I've done my level best
for four years TO unite
AS for charges that he spends too
much time discussing issues and
not enough shaking hands. MIR.
Stevenson said:
Well, frankly, it 1.-THE criticism.
not the handshakingl makes me
disguised and then it makes me
Just plain angry"
But, angry or not. Mr.. Stevenson
seems to have taken those COM
ments to heart. Even while deny
ing he was cutting his cloth to
the Kefauver pattern. he INDUCED
in an orgy of handshaking and
"mingling" with Los Angeles and
San Francisco crowds. He lunched
in dog wagon. bought an apple
from a street vendor and munched
1t, was busSed not once but twice
by small girl and shook a multi
tude of hands.
Senator KefauVer meanwhile
took a position on a cloud high
above personal asperity. He said
while touring New Mexico and
Arizona The had left California the
day before Mr.. Stevenson arrived
that he was not going to say any
thing disparaging about his OPP
ponent. Then, clinging tenaciously
to the underdog role, the Senator
assessed Mr.. Stevenson's current
position as being still out in front.
Both contenders for the nomi-
nation will. of course, make fire.
quent appearances in California
before the June primary. That
State will have SO votes at the
Democratic Convention, ranking
third-after New York t98l and
Pennsylvania Ga. Moreover, po-
litlcal experts are generally agreed
that If Mr. Stevenson. who now APP
pears to have the edge in Cali
fornia, goes under on June 5 he
will be dead duck. A decisive VIC
tory. on the other hand, could do
much to blot out the Minnesota
debacle-and might even pillow Ke-
fauver under.
Trouble in Texas
While the two leading contenders
for the Democratic nomination got
in their ticks. leaders of the Texas
branch of the party concerned
themselves with the question of
whether the conventions choice
would have their States support.
In 1852, Gov Allan Shivers de-
livered the Texas organization to
Gen. Eisenhower Last week, House
Speaker Sam Rayburn. set about
preventing similar occurrence
this year
Mr. Rayburn, the leading Demo-
crat In Congress and probable
chairman Of the Democratic Con-
vention in August. called Gov.
Shivers an angry. confused and
frustrated man" He was respond
ing TO a speech in which the Gov