Southwest
EUBANKS, BICKNELL
SOUTHWEST '52 Ike Democrats uncertain By Bicknell Eubanks Dallas I N 1952, Dallas County gave Presi-| dent Eisenhower 20 per cent of the 233.000-vote majority by which he carried Texas. It was...
...When Shivers endorsed President Eisenhower for a second term, it hardly caused a ripple in Texas, except on the editorial pages of some of the big dailies...
...On the other hand, Senator Daniel has become just a little less than an all-out Democrat again...
...And its closeness to election time smacks too much of politics...
...The Republicans apparently agree with them, for they have urged the White House to have the President make a campaign stop here...
...Of course, the other "big city" counties, all of which also went for Ike in 1952, though by a much smaller ratio, are also getting attention from the Eisenhower-Nixon backers...
...But the Democratic party has made a strong comeback in those counties since 1952...
...The first time, he went to Houston, where his reception was somewhat less than warm...
...Shivers has continued to move away from Democratic regularity...
...Meanwhile, in Oklahoma just to the north, the Democrats are getting a bit worried about their rosy prophecies of majorities from 75.000 on up...
...The conservatives figure that if they can bring out the vote here next month, they will get a good start on overcoming the big inroads which Democratic candidate Adlai E. Stevenson is making on Eisenhower's strength elsewhere in the state...
...They are making their main job that of holding the GOP margin in the county to 20,-000 to 25,000 votes, and they now think this can be done...
...His influence is even less than that of the one-time Governor of "pass-the-hiscuits" fame...
...While the Senator isn't too popular in the county, this did indicate that the Democratic leadership is sufficiently interested in its problems to send a principal campaigner to Dallas...
...He never loses a chance to criticize the party in which he gained power, prestige, fame and a niche in Texas history as the Governor with the longest tenure in office...
...Recent polls indicate that Eisenhower's strength is still great...
...Both were skilfully exploited by Governor Allan Shivers and Senator Price Daniel in 1952 to carry Texas for the GOP ticket, even while they themselves were running for office as Democratic nominees...
...In contrast, the Democrats sent Estes Kefauver into Dallas on a trip which took him down through the drought-stricken farm area of Texas...
...The President's allotment of drought relief for farmers and ranchers is welcome in the Southwest, but there are complaints that it is too little and too late...
...Vice President Nixon has been in the state twice in this campaign, but each time he by-passed Dallas...
...The second time, he stopped off in neighboring Fort Worth...
...There are many reasons for this shift in sentiment...
...Daniel will succeed his former close political ally in January...
...In this state, that is the same thing as election...
...Since then...
...Dallas voters are just like other Texans...
...It was the second time since the Civil War that the Lone Star State voted Republican in a Presidential election...
...And the rural areas are showing a growing preference for Stevenson, thus heading a trend which is being matched increasingly in such counties as Harris (Houston), Bexar (San Antonio...
...Today, he is hardly a factor in state politics...
...The drought has hit those two states hard, just as in Texas and Oklahoma...
...Democrats concede Dallas County to the Republicans...
...Chief among them is the absence of two highly emotional issues—tidelands oil and states' rights...
...W. Lce O'Daniel...
...he carried Oklahoma in 1952 by almost 100.000 votes...
...Tarrant (Fort Worth) and El Paso...
...They see signs that they have quite a fight on their hands...
...This year, Republicans and Eisenhower Democrats are again concentrating their efforts on Dallas County, stronghold of Texas finance (oil...
...They don't like to be ignored, especially if it appears that Fort Worth is getting attention...
...Nothing is certain in New Mexico and Arizona...
...He is the Democratic nominee for Governor...
...agriculture, banking and insurance...
Vol. 39 • October 1956 • No. 44
