Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-08-16
Porty Adopts
Platform
After Fight
BY J. A. O'LEARY

REAU, CHICAGO, Aug. 49,
Spurred on by a dramatic appeal
from former President Truman,
the Democratic convention early
today shouted down an effort to
put more teeth in the civil rights
plank recommended by its Plat
form Committee.
1t then adopted the lengthy
document on which it hopes
to win the November cleo
ton. by criticizing nearly every
move the Eisenhower admins
tration has made since 1858.
Defeat of the minority report
on civil rights was a victory
for the cooler heads in the party
from the North and the South,
who feared its adoption would
have split the party. It might
even have deprived Adlai Ste
venSon of some of his southern
votes for the presidential nomi-
nation.
Commenting on the civil rights
plank today Mr.. Stevenson said
he would have preferred a spe-
cific Endorsement of the Supreme
Courts school desegregation de-
cision."
However" he stated, "the
plank is a firm basis for moving
ahead toward constructive solu-
ton of this critical problem.
Because the Democratic Party
is the only truly national party,
the only North-South party, this
declaration is all the more hope
full. 1t reflects an encouraging
area of agreement between real
istic and thoughtful people from
all sections of the country as to
what can be DONE"
Hours Of Maneuvering
Action came at 1:25 am. after
hours of back-Stage maneuver-
ing by party leaders. who wanted
to avert a floor fight. 1t was
ironical that the Southerners,
who had come to Chicago pro-
claiming they could not accept
a reference to the Supreme
Court school indignation deci-
sion in the platform. were offer
ing no real resistance to a plank
which mentioned it twice.
Democratic National Chairman
Paul Butler called the relatively
smooth proceedings "a tremen-
dous demonstration Of party
unity"
It was a group of Northern
liberals from New York, Michi-
gan, Minnesota and California
who took the issue to the floor
and demanded a more specific
approval of the court decision.
while the Southerners sat grim;y
III tIlelr places.
They booed and shouted a bit
as Robert E. Short of Minnesota
read the minority report. but
they took no part in the debate.
Dispose Of Dissenters
The experienced hands of
Speaker Rayburn, chairman of
the convention. and House Ma
iority Leader Mccormack, chair
man of the Platform Committee,
quickly disposed of the dissenters.
They were aided by Mr.. Truman,
who stood up by his chair in a
box and rallied the
delegates behind their leaders
by delivering one of his free
swinging blasts at the Republic
cans.
After MIR. Rayburn had intro
duced him as the most dis
tinguished man in the hail." Mr..
Truman began by saying he
wanted to do something to pre-
serve party unity.
Face the Republicans full
force he said. land give them
the licking they're entitled to.
i've had a hand in every plat
form of the Democratic Party
since 1886. practically dictated
the l948 platform. / had a hand
in it in 1852, and I know of the
work done on this platform. It's
the best one a Democratic con-
vention ever had put before it.. .
Mr.. Truman revealed that he
had suggested Mr.. Mccormack
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