Show r f In bi tJ This That Corner Coaster J Wide Open Democratic Convention Selects Stevenson-Sparkman Stevenson Ticket sM FP t ef 5 t I 3 Y Adlai Stevenson When the tumult and the shouting died and the captains and would-be would had departed the Democratic party had selected se selected selected se- se a reluctant but fighting presidential nominee Gov Adlai Stevenson Stevenson Stevenson Ste Ste- venson of Illinois a as their competition for the GOP's Dwight Eisen Eisen- hower Governor Stevenson's nomination came in that ideal way of which all politicians dream a grass grassroots roots draft relatively free of the complications of major trades and deals This put him in a position to J ta take e command d of f the Ert party arty which had shout shouted d and struggled through six six aay days 01 of gruell ng in infighting jn- jn fighting but which closed its deliberations deliberations deliberations de de- liberations with strong manifestations manifestations manifestations manifesta manifesta- of sincere unity His demonstrated demonstrated demon demon- political adroitness will serve him well in the job of welding the party into a fighting organization lion tion for this years year's campaign But while the battling was rough It was relatively clean and above board Governor Stevenson's running running running run run- ning mate Sen John Sparkman of Alabama summed up that characteristic characteristic charac charac- of the convention in his speech accepting the vice presidential teal spot And there was good evidence evidence evidence evid evid- ence for such an assaying of the situation for certainly the big loser Senator Estes Kefauver retired retired re re- re- re tired from battle with as much political graciousness as has been witnessed on a convention platform In many years So did Senator Richand Richard Rich Rich- ard and Russell of Georgia go down gown to in m a spirit or of true sportsmanship sportsman sportsman- ship hip Sparkman was the doctor who was expected to treat the almost- almost critical political wound that resulted resulted re re- re- re suited from the Moody loyalty pledge resolution in an extremely bitter tight light Thursday to get the non signing non delegations from South Carolina Louisiana a and n d Virginia seated The most remarkable single facet of the Democratic convention was the angry manner In which the warring warring warring war war- ring factions struggled with each other and yet managed to come away leaving the impression that had erected a facade of unity that somehow would hang together Stevenson's Welcome In his address of welcome to the delegates on Monday and again in his speech of acceptance in the early and clamorous hours of Saturday Saturday Satur Satur- day morning Adlai Stevenson revealed revealed revealed re re- re- re himself as a sincerely humble humble hum hum- ble spiritually erect man Intelligently intelligently intelligently intelli intelli- gently aware of his limitations as asa asa asa a human being confronted with the awesome responsibilities of the presidency Yet an objective analysis of the conventions convention's proceedings could not in all truth say that Stevenson's nomination was a genuine draft There was too much work put in on onit onit onit it by the practical politicians behind behind behind be be- I hind the scenes There were too many pressures exerted on the opposition op op- op- op position position mainly mainly consisting of Sen Estes Kefauver to Kefauver-to to let the Stevenson Steven Steven- son draft be a thing of complete purity Truman's Choice It was known to the men working on the Inside for Stevenson that President Truman had tabbed him himas as the man to whom he wanted the nomination to go And Frank McKinney McKinney McKinney Mc- Mc Kinney Democratic national chairman chair chair- chairman chairman man was a tireless and effective the scenes operator on Stevenson's Stevenson's Ste Ste- Stevenson's venson's behalf Jacob Arve Arvey Democratic national nation nation- al committeeman of Chicago had the bulk of the large Illinois delegation delegation delegation dele dele- gation In line and handed 53 out of the 60 votes to Stevenson on the first allot James Farley of New NewYork NewYork NewYork York threw his shrewd support to Stevenson after VIce-President VIce Aben AJ- AJ ben Barkley withdrew from the running Those and other elements of the Stevenson boom were capped by Averell Harriman's previously determined determined determined de de- de- de decision to turn his votes mostly located in the New York delegation to Stev Stevenson ison at the right moment Dever Keynote The first two sessions Monday ambled along to the accompaniment of ot thousands of words of mediocre oratory including an entirely unInspiring unInspiring uninspiring un un- Inspiring keynote address by Gov Paul Dever of Massachusetts who succeeded mainly in shouting himself himself him self eI hoarse But it was Monday night night or or or early Tuesday morning that morning that the northern liberal wing lighted the torch that threatened to drive the South from the floor of the International International International Inter Inter- national Amphitheatre This was the resolution offered by Sen Blair Mood Moody of Michigan requiring that no delegation be seated unless it first had given assurance assurance assurance as as- to the credentials committee committee commit commit- tee that tha t it would exert every hon hon- honorable honorable means to provide that the names of the conventions convention's nominees appear on the state ballot under the name or designation of the Democratic party part Key to the South North-South feud as expressed in the Moody resolution was the fact that in 19 1948 1918 8 the four revolting states simply shut the door on the Democratic ticket What they were fighting for this time was the freedom or le leee lege e to do the same thing again if they were displeased by the conventions conventions convention's conventions convention's con con- selections The danger of another walkout dogged the of convention convention convention con con- leaders through Tuesday and Wednesday and was resolved in the uproarious and climactic Thursday session which lasted an exhausting 14 hours Battle Dattle Begins The battle broke Into the open Thursday afternoon in the middle of the nomination proceedings When Louisiana was reached in the roll call of states the Minnesota delegation leaved leaped howling to Its Us feet and challenged the right of the state to participate in the conven conven- tion Permanent Chairman Sam Rayburn Rayburn Rayburn Ray- Ray burn however gave the floor to Virginia which wanted to know whether the Virginia delegation had the right to participate After considerable parliamentary and oratorical confusion Gov John Battle of Virginia made a n short sensible address in which he explained explained explained ex ex- why Virginia would not sign the loyalty pledge It was a matter I of principle he said and added that Virginia state laws require that the party nominees be placed on the ballot in the state The motion that followed asked that since Governor Rattle Battle In exI expressing ex ex- expressing pressing his opinions had subscribed subscribed subscribed sub sub- scribed to the sense and spirit of ot the loyalty pledge Virginia be allowed allowed allowed al al- lowed to take its seat officially The roll call vote on that motion was a study in confusion with the balance shifting back and forth Many states changed their votes as the roll call went on altering from froma a stand against seating the delegation delegation delegation tion to a position in favor of it Final count was in favor of officially officially of of- seating Virginia to against Interjected at this point was an- an J i ty 4 r lI lIa a j 3 1 John Sparkman other savage savage struggle that arose arose over a motion to adjourn by Sen Paul Douglas of Illinois Douglas and Senator Kefauver wanted to getaway getaway get away from it all in order to regroup their forces in an effort to get their stop Stevenson drive rolling In that sense the following roll call was a decisive and accurate test of strength between the Kefauver and Stevenson groups The motion that finally went to another wearying bone roll call cali vote was to table Douglas' Douglas motion to ad ad- journ Final vote was to to table the motion a a- a defeat for Kefauver Then the wrangle over seating the South Carolina and Louisiana delegations delegations delegations dele dele- began with Gov J Jam James a m e s Byrnes of South Carolina butting heads with Gov G. G Mennen Williams Williams Williams Wil Wil- liams of Michigan l one of the young liberals who were espousing the Moody resolution Standing Vote In the end Chairman Rayburn a tough and Incisive lan ian gavelled through a motion to seat the two disputed delegations on the strength of at a somewhat indecisive indecisive indecisive inde inde- standing vote Rayburn had had his instructions and obviously was determined to push through the seating of the delegations In order to bring harmony back to the strife- strife torn party and clear the way for the presidential balloting Friday A field of ot 11 nominees entered the lists Stevenson lists Stevenson Kefauver Russell Harriman Kerr and Barkley who had been nominated Thursday despite despite despite de de- de- de spite his previous withdrawal from the race were vera the major contend contend- ers Favorite sons were Gov Paul Dever of Massachusetts Sen Hubert Hubert Hubert Hub Hub- ert Humphrey of Minnesota Sen William Wllliam Fullbright of Arkansas Oscar Oscar Oscar Os Os- car Ewing and Senator Murray of Montana First Ballot The seemingly interminable first ballot marked by the droning polls of 11 delegations concluded with Kefauver holding votes Russell Stevenson Harriman and Barkley 48 By the end of the second ballot Kefauver with had gained 22 votes but Stevenson's total had jumped to Harriman retained Including 84 8 from the New NewYork NewYork NewYork York delegation which was biding its time Barkley went up to 78 and Senator Kerr of Oklahoma was hopelessly out of it with 5 53 2 votes The lightning struck on the third ballot time ballot time of day pm p.m. Immediate Immediate Immediate Im Im- Im- Im mediate cause of the swing to Stevenson Stevenson Stevenson Ste Ste- venson which left Kefauver backers backers backers back back- ers stunned and helpless was Harriman's Harriman's Harriman's Har- Har riman's announcement that he was withdrawing and was urging his supporters In the New York delegation delegation delegation dele dele- gation to cast their votes for the Il Illinois Illinois ll- ll governor When the call of the states was completed Stevenson had of ot the required 2 votes for a majority However many states began calling callI callIng call- call I Ing for recognition to change their theli th lr votes for Stevenson Utah was the first recognized and with its 12 votes in the Stevenson column the deed was done Platform Adopted One of the surprises of the convention convention con con- was the fact that the party's party platform containing its controversial sial civil rights clause was adopted by the convention without even a vestige of a floor fight The party leaders in Chicago had done their work well in smoothing over a threatened factional split spilt before the platform was presented to the con con- In general the Democrats were pleased with the platform to which they promised to adhere The civil rights plank was surprisingly strong calling for a Fair Employment Employment Employment Employ Employ- ment Practices Commission although although although al al- though not spelled out by that title The pithy portion of the plank reads At the same time we favor Federal legislation effectively to secure secure secure se se- cure these rights to everyone the right to equal opportunity for employment employment employment em em- the right to security of persons the right to full and equal participation In the Nations Nation political political cal life We also favor legislation legislation legisla legisla- tion to perfect ct existing Federal civil rights statutes Following the other othor generally established established es es- policy polley lines of the present Democratic administration t h o Q platform called for tor a continuation of the principle of ot collective security security security ity In conjunction with other free Iree nations of the world as well as support support support sup sup- port of the United Nations and a strong system of ot national defense The platform also pledges the Democrats to combat inflation by means of the you pay income tax plan and by economic controls so long as the emergency requires them I Barkley Darkley Ovation As is the custom at national political political political ical conventions there were wera plenty of ovations for party leaders lenden who found their way to the tho pIn platform on one pretext or another The biggest of these offered by the tho Democrats this year went justifiably enough to Vice President Alben Barkley when he strode to the front of the platform for his hil Wednesday night fighting spee speech h. h In a magnificent example of ot extemporaneous extemporaneous extemporaneous ex ex- oratory he didn't use a note note note-Barkley Barkley spoke brilliantly brilliant brilliant- ly for almost an hour defining the spiritual values and attributes of his party as he ho has seen and felt them during 40 years of service He pulled a sagging convention back together and gave cave ave every overy person person person per per- son in the hall some sense of the true if underlying me meaning anIni of AmerIcan American American Amer Amer- ican politics It was entirely to his credit that he let absolutely no note not of vindictiveness vin- vin against th the men who had forced him out of tho the raco race I creep into his bis speech |