Show DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGE I IT Truman ruman Barkley Head Ticket By W WALTER A A. SHEAD Washington Correspondent PHILADELPHIA PA PA-In PA In a thrill thrill- packed convention probably the most st dramatic in modern political history President Harry S. S Truman was nominated for a full term for the presidency and the veteran Senator Alben W W. Barkley of Kentucky was named his running mate to head the Democratic ticket for the 1948 cam cam- And to feed the flames of a bed bed- rocked lam-rocked convention hall the President broke all precedents and threw down the gauntlet to the Republicans Republicans Republicans Re Re- publicans by literally daring them to carry out their platform pledges at a special session of the Congress which he said he would call July 26 While sweltering delegates who had battled each other throughout a day In which Irate southerners had staged ar at open revolt against the civil rights plank of the platform cheered themselves themselves themselves them them- selves hoarse the President openly challenged his Republican opponents In a ringing declaration of war Lets Let's see if their platform means anything If it does then we can get some action In 15 days The Presidents President's spirited and bristling bristling bristling brist brist- ling speech of acceptance topped and threw into the background events events' which at any other convention would have been top news the walk-out walk of the Mississippi delegation the threat of a rump southern convention at Birmingham the spanking of the southerners who were given a sound drubbing when they sought to challenge the report of the platform platform platform plat plat- form committee and the delegates by overwhelming vote adopted a more drastic civil rights plank Checking off the promises of the GOP platform on domestic Issues the President In a fighting mood which swept sept the delegates and galleries In rocking rafter-rocking applause declared be he had time after time tune asked the lican-controlled lican Congress for action on the very pledges made In their platform But they wont won't get getaway getaway getaway away with promises he told the packed convention hall He said that he would demand that the special session of the congress congress congress con con- gress take action to halt high prices to aid education a national health law civil rights Increase In minimum Z ZA A N N a ap p sra x SEN ALBEN ALDEN W W. BARKLEY wages extension of social security funds for public power and cheap electricity an adequate displaced persons' persons la law to substitute for the anti semitic and the catholic anti law they provided In the Congress Con Con- gress The dramatic climax of the convention convention con con- overshadowed the fight for forthe forthe forthe the presidential nomination which became a rout when the southerners switched from Governor Ben Laney of Arkansas their announced candidate candidate candidate candi candi- date to Senator Richard B B. B Russell of Georgia The only ballot vote was for Russell and for Mr Truman One highlight of the convention was the platform fight on the floor door over the civil tights lights program Southern delegates led by Gov Dan Moody of Texas offered a minority report to the platform committee report containing a states rights program to supplement the th civil rights plank adopted by the committee Not only did the convention convention convention con con- snow under this southern states offering by a vote of to but the convention then Immediately adopted a minority report offered bv by bythe the California Wisconsin and Minnesota Minnesota Minne Minne- sota seta delegations spearheaded by Mayor Hubert J. J Humphrey of Minneapolis I This plank paid high tribute to to President Truman for his civil rights I stand and called upon the congress to support rapport the President In 1 the right tints flag Words Weld Party hared v 1 t t VA VAs s ti V's 1 I PRESIDENT HARRY S. S TRUMAN to full and equal political participation tion 2 right to equal opportunity of employment 3 the right of security of person and 4 the right of equal treatment in the service and defense oi of our nation The resolution was adopted by a vote of a to The vote does not indicate relative strength strength of the opposing forces since many states voted against the resolution merely to uphold the resolutions committee which had adopted a compromise plank on civil rights The platform differs from the RepUblican Republican Republican Re Re- publican platform in some essentials It It demands repeal of the Republican Taft Hartley labor act and declares It has proven a failure it demands repeal of the discriminatory taxes on oleomargarine it pledges to oppose any revision of federal federo laws designed to w curtail the most effective functioning functioning function function- ing of farm cooperatives This is interpreted to mean the party goes goeson goeson goeson on record against change of the tax- tax I exempt status of farm cooperatives Ab At a matter of fact the platform supports sup sup- ports all forms of cooperatives and other democratic associations for the purpose of carrying out any proper business operations free from any arbitrary and discriminatory The foreign policy plank pledged continued support of the Truman doctrine doctrine doctrine doc doc- trine the Marshall plan the United Nations the Good Neighbor Policy with respect to South America and taking a slap at the Republicans pledged sufficient appropriations to carry out the will of the congress on its foreign commitments I I Truman's Opposition Lacked Leadership In the hectic days prior to the roll call of states the revolt against the nomination of President Truman followed much the same pattern that was evident in the Republican convention convention convention con con- held in the same hall only a afew afew afew few short weeks before the opponents op opponents opponents op- op of the President could settle on no single leader to make the race So it was in the GOP convention opponents of Governor Dewey could settle on no concentrated op op- op position So the President ran away with the nomination on the first ballot as Dewey did on the third While many of the faces of by bygone bygone bY- bY gone glory were at Philadelphia and the ghost of Franklin D D. D Roosevelt still hovered over the conglomeration of factions which always has made up Ul the Democratic party there was no single leader able to cement these factions Into unity as Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt and his brain did through four national conventions one of them here at Philadelphia in 1936 While some sources sought to interpret In Interpret interpret in- in this factionalism in the convention as a wake or a breakIng breaking breaking break ing up of the party the political history indicates there has always been such factionalism In Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic conventions This factionalism factionalism faction faction- sham or sectionalism has been brought about geographical and political philosophy factors the south the liberal meral element labor even religion and race As M a matter of fact tact In only three conventions since the civil war has this factionalism been brought to together together to- to gether with any degree of national unity the 1884 Chicago convention conven Lion tion which first nominated Cleve- Cleve land and the 1912 convention at Baltimore Baltimore Balti Balti- more which nominated Wilson and the he 1932 Chicago convention which first nominated Roosevelt In all three the cement of unity was a national I crisis A great many of f the delegates believed believed be- be the nation again faces a major crisis that any day some incident may touch off World War III til Hence they sought Gen Oen EIsenhower Elsen Elsen- hower bower as a national leader who could weld the party into unity Eisenhower refused Then they turned to the liberal and New Dealer Justice William O. O Douglas He lIe refused Then in attempting to center on someone else could find no one Senator Claude Pepper of Florida one one of the better known liberals put himself forward But the big states California New York Illinois refused to take him and swung back Into the Truman column after James Roosevelt son of the late President had been severely chastised chastised chas chas- Used by his own California delegation The south wouldn't accept Peppers Pepper's Peppers Pepper's Peppers Pepper's Pep Pep- pers per's liberalism So Gov Ben Den T. T Laney of Arkansas was tossed Into the ring by conservative and reactionary reactionary reactionary southerners who put states rights above civil rights Party caucuses caucuses caucuses cau cau- were bitter Barkley's Berkley's Keynote Sparked Enthusiasm The delegates were whipped into something like old-fashioned old democracy democracy democracy de when Barkley delivered his blistering fighting keynote speech The veteran Kentuckian was given givena a 28 minute demonstration These delegates were just waiting for something something something some some- thing to cheer over to lift the morale from the bitter depths of factionalism and Barkley Darkley gave it to them He speeded up the tempo of the convention so that by the third day there was some evidence of the will wUl to win and to fight for the nominee of the convention So the pattern of this quadrennial quadrennial quadrennial quad quad- convention of the Democratic Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic party was set with the goal of whipping into being enough unity to convince the American people the nation faces a new crisis with national national na na- na security even more Important than domestic Issues and that a cohesion of the Democrats the lib liberals liberals liberals lib lib- and the independents is again necessary for the common welfare Democrats have never won an election election election elec elec- tion except on that Issue that and the record of the Congress will be the issue on which they must pin their hopes in 1948 Due to the absence of competing downtown headquarters at the various various vari vari- ous hotels such as was the case In tn Inthe Inthe the Republican convention there was not quite the activity and en enthusiasm enthusiasm en- en engendered among delegates delegates delegates dele dele- gates at this convention Aside from this fact however the convention hall pageantry was just as hectic and inn all probability these Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic delegates wanting desperately something to cheer about cheered al' al the louder for their speakers and the demonstrations were just as 5 vigorous and as the Republican Republican lican convention held here such a short time previous Comparatively the convention setup setup setup set set- up was identical Some of the state delegations had been changed around to give the more favored Democratic states better positions with regard to the speakers speaker's podium |