HERALD AND NEWS. Klamath Falls. Ore.
Snndav, August 16. 1959
PAGE 3 A
Democrats Battle In Backrooms With Presidency In 1960 Their Goal
Editor'! Note: Do voters prefer
performance to attempts to fulfill
promises? . Differing . opinion on
' this basic question has split Demo
cratic leadership from its helm
' to the balls of Congress. Here is
what the party is doing to ef-
lect unity.
By JACK BELL
WASHINGTON i - With the
presidency as its shimmering goal,
a bitter struggle for control is
threatening to burst the patched
lip seams of the Democratic par
te'. ; By mutual consent, the princi
pals in this internecine warfare
have transferred to the backrooms
their continuing battle over the
te'Pe of philosphy the party shall
present to the voters in its efforts
to recapture the White House in
1960.
Under the terms of a truce ar
rived at between them, there will
be no more public criticism at
least for awhile by National
Chairman Paul M. Butler against
the middle-of-the-road course tak
en by the party's congressional
leaders.
As they always intended to do in
any event, Speaker of the House
Bam Rayburn (D-Tex) and Sen
ate Majority Leader Lyndon B.
Johnson of Texas will continue to
proceed on the theory that it is
better to write compromise legis
lation than none at all.
; Butler,, on the oftler hand, be
lieves the Democrats with their
overwhelming control of both
Jiouses, should pass legislation car
rying out their 1956 and 1958 cam
paign pledges, even if it is killed
by President Eisenhower's .vetoes.
This fundamental difference of
opinion has strained party unity
to the breaking point. Along with
other differences, it could split the
1960 convention wide open.
' Butler believes the promise of
future enactment of liberal legis
lation will attract the voters next
year. He is working toward the
selection of a liberal as the par
ty's presidential nominee.
Rayburn and Johnson believe the
voters react to party accomplish
ments, not promises. Neither will
stray far from the middle of. the
road. -
To back their judgment on this
score, the two leaders point to the
fact that the Democrats have won
three successive congressional
elections. Butler replies, in effect,
maybe so, but regaining the presi
dency is a different matter.
Their differences are aptly il
lustrated by the party's sorest
problem, civil rights. For all prac
tical purposes, Butler has told the
South to go fry itsi sidemeat. He
wants the Democrats, as a party,
- to stand up and be counted in
favor of racial integration in the
tchools and other public places.
When President Eisenhower
said the segregation in the eco
nomic and political fields is moral
ly wrong, Buller capped this with:
"Segregation is morally wrong, pe
riod." Johnson and Rayburn want Con
gress to pass a moderate civil
rights bill they think will take
aome of the heat off the issue next
year. The less specific the Demo
crats get about civil rights in the
1960 platform, the better Johnson
and Rayburn will like it.
Generally speaking, the old pros
of the party are on the Johnson
Rayburn side. Despite some criti
. cism of their course; they have al
most solid backing from the Dem
ocrats in Congress.
Butler has the support of the
party's liberals, including Eleanor
Roosevelt, and a majority of the
national committee. He has con
trol of the machinery which will
put the convention in operation,
Including the choice of the perma
nent chairman, subject to conven
tion approval.
At this point, Butler is looked
upon as something of a busybody
by a sizable contingent of the par
ty's members of Congress, They
are inclined to measure any man's
-olitical capacity by the yardstick
"of his ability to get elected to pub--lfc
office, and Butler has had no
"experience in this field.
Committee members are chos
j.en by four different methods by
:ltate primaries, state conventions,
--state delegations to the national
convention, and state committees.
.They are certified to the national
convention for ratification.
Butler has been cultivating the
Committee members for years.
:The extent of his support within
'that group was measured last De-
cember in the battle to decide
;,whether Camille F. Gravel Jr.
i-ihould remain Louisiana's com-
iTmitteeman, despite the attempt o(
that state's party committee to re
rnove him.
In the fight over the Gravel
..case, where Butler prevailed, there
was a test vote on a motion to
. remove from a resolution an en-:
dorsement of Butler's "forthright
' litteranccs on civil rights."
- The chairman won that one by a
'79-27 roll call vote. While this
was outwardly Indicative only of
how the committee members felt
Jen civil rights, It was-Interpreted
Butler. He would figure to do near
ly as well on any move to oust
him even if his critics could get
together on a single candidate, as
they seem unlikely to do.
Butler has behind him his hand-
picked Democratic Advisory Coun
cil. Its membership includes for
mer President Harry S. Truman,
Adlai E. Stevenson, six gover
nors, Sens. Hubert H. Humphrey
of Minnesota and Estes Kefauver
of Tennessee, former ,.ew Yorltl
Gov. W. Avcrell Harriman, former
Sen. Herbert H. Lehman, and Mrs.
Roosevelt in the role of consultant.
Even within ' the council, there
is not always agreement with But
ler's views. Truman, who goes
along with' the policy statements,
has no great political love for the
national chairman.
Butler made it an occasion for
some hurrahs when Gov. Edmund
S. (Pat) Brown of California re
cently agreed to become a mem
ber of the council. But Brown cut
the ground out from under the
chairman by voicing the same
sentiments to which Rayburn and
Johnson subscribe.
Rayburn and Johnson pointedly
ignore the council's recommenda
tions while they go skillfully about
their business of fashioning the
compromises which Johnson says
will write a "responsible" record
for the party to run on in I960.
Democrats are also likely to re
member that, barring unforeseen
events, Johnson and Rayburn will
be around in 1961 to carry on as
usual.
Butler, on the other hand, Is by
way of becoming a lame duck un
less he is lucky enough to climb
aboard the bandwagon of the suc
cessful contender for the nomina
tion at an early enough stage to
indicate that he helped along in
the winning process.
Presidential nominees pick their
own national chairman and un
less Butler guesses right he will
be out. And any national chair
man who is obviously marked for
DROP KILLS PASSENGER
TAIPEI, Formosa lUPI) A
Chinese student was killed and 13
other persons were injured Thurs
day night when their plane hit a
down draft and suddenly dropped
5.000 feet. The victim, Nygyuan
Chin Lien, was said to have fatal
ly injured his head when the sud
den drop tossed him out of his
seat.
retirement will have difficulty In
influencing the course of his par
ty's convention.
PLAN POLAR TRIP
MOSCOW (UPI) The All
Union Arctic and Antarctic Re
search Institute in Leningrad has
begun preparations for the Soviet
Union's fifth expedition to the
Antarctic. Tass reported Thurs
day night. The Soviet news agen
cy said the expedition ship "Ob"
would leave within two or three
months to relieve members of the
preceding group on the frozen
continent.
iiiihiii r laxuMufawytai
. i if
n AN V '
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araa. Ha antarad tha lumbar
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partment of Watt Oregon
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ing to talet manager. In
1954 he joined A, C. Out
ton's wholesale division and
hit title in hit new connec
tion it Northwatt lumbar
buyer, according to Clay
Brown, president of Clay
Brown & Company.
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