Sign of a Dilemma

In Tulsa last week passers-by saw a big sign atop a building on a busy corner. It read: TRUMAN SAID HE WASN'T BIG ENOUGH TO BE PRESIDENT AND HE AIN'T. It was a Republican sign, but for Democrats it was a reminder of how low Harry Truman's prestige as President has fallen. It was also a harbinger of what they were in for with Harry Truman as their candidate.

Time for a Rally. Despite growing indications that they could not win with Candidate Truman,* some Democratic bigwigs decided that it was time to show some rallying strength behind him. In Maine, the state Democratic convention agreed, after some rumblings of dissent, to instruct its delegates to vote for the President. In Des Moines, the Democratic Midwest Conference (party chiefs from eight states) came out in support of him.

The conference had before it a letter from J. B. Clark, Democratic chairman in Wyoming: "As far as I can make out, the President has offended certain pressure groups who have bulldozed many politicos. . . . I am willing to bet that the average American voter has his belly full of this business. ... I am still for Truman and I don't think it's a lost cause."

Please Rescue. At Pittsburgh, the labor and liberal leaders who run the Americans for Democratic Action (Leon Henderson, Walter Reuther, Jim Carey, David Dubinsky, et al.) could not bring themselves to a flat endorsement of Candidate Truman, but they let him down with some sugary words ("We appreciate his brave rearguard action in defense of our social and labor legislation"). They settled on a statement which said, in effect: "Please, General Eisenhower, rescue us."

It so happened that General Ike looked in on Candidate Truman at the White House last week. Had they talked politics? No, said Ike, defense plans. Would he run for President? "I wrote a letter and I meant every word of it," replied Ike. It was another "No"--but every time he said it, more & more Democrats hopefully interpreted it as "Maybe." Said Florida's Senator Claude Pepper: "He may be pulling the door a little closer to him, but I didn't hear the lock click."

* A Gallup poll reported this week that either Tom Dewey, Arthur Vandenberg, Harold Stassen or Douglas MacArthur would defeat the President if the election were held now. Only Bob Taft ran behind Harry Truman; Henry Wallace was a poor third (no more than 9%).

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.