National Reports
STOREY, WALTER R.
National Reports Ike's Appeal Fails GOP in Philadelphia By Walter R. Storey Philadelphia Former District Attorney Richardson Dilworth's election as Mayor of the Quaker City was not a surprise....
...In 1947 and 1950...
...The Republicans received only 52.4 per cent of their registration of 550,000...
...The result...
...the latter had never held office and had made only a few speeches for Ike in 1952 before running for the top municipal office...
...Mayor Clark is in a stronger position now to demand that his party slate him against Duff when the Senator runs for re-election next year...
...Incidentally, the latter retain their strength of 14 to 3 in the City Council, and they again won the District Attorney's office and a number of lesser posts...
...Longstreth had tried to reorganize the local Republicans by insisting that his campaign manager be elected City Chairman...
...The new Mayor has a mandate to complete city-county consolidation and resist demands for compromises of his program from elements in either political party...
...Senator James H. Duff and other Administration stalwarts endorsed Longstreth, but this attempt to identify a municipal campaign with a popular President failed for two reasons: (1) Philadelphia is now a Democratic city...
...Independents for Dilworth, headed by Clark and supported by ADA...
...The old-line ward leaders turned him down, saddled him with unimpressive running-mates, and then some did not work enthusiastically for his campaign...
...What was amazing was the extent of his victory over Republican Thacher Longstreth--a majority of 131,000 votes...
...The Democrats here captured municipal power only after FDR died and President Truman had lost much of his popularity they won "on their own" by trying to meet local needs and demands...
...He pointed out Longstreth's inexperience...
...2) The paramount issue for the voters was the performance of the Clark Administration, contrasted with the sorry record the COP had made in 67 previous years...
...The President, U.S...
...by his spectacular but unsuccessful campaigns for Mayor and Governor...
...it bucked a national trend by rolling up a 160,000 majority for Stevenson in 1952...
...Over the years...
...Of even more significance was the fact that the electorate voted for something: the record of the reform administration of outgoing Mayor Joseph S. Clark Jr...
...V man who inspires tremendous dislike or vigorous support, depending on one's part) loyalties and principles...
...Dilworth had started his party on to victory in 1951 and 1951...
...Dilworth had the support of the regular Democrats, organized labor and Americans for Democratic Action...
...In this election, Dilworth stressed the importance of maintaining the continuity of the reform-regime personnel...
...The city's three newspapers supported Dilworth on the score of greater ability and experience in government...
...This was 9,000 more than the Democrats received here in 1951, when they swept the GOP out of office...
...The problem was to win over the independent and independent Republican voters...
...The Democrats received 102 per cent of their 409,000 registration...
...Local and state Republicans must reorganize and revitalize their party, and not try to regain power by riding on Ike's coattails...
...Young advertising executive Longstreth campaigned as a reformer, too, promising to apply Eisenhower's economy program to local government...
...deserves much credit for persuading "the silent vote...
...Richardson Dilworth had convinced the community that he and Joe Clark were a team...
Vol. 38 • November 1955 • No. 47
