Bonfire

In 1944, coming up to his fourth term, Franklin Roosevelt gave the Democrats a choice between Harry Truman and Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas as the man to run with him. Last week some influential Democrats excitedly built a bonfire under aloof Bill Douglas to make him Harry Truman's running mate.

The kindling was laid a month ago by a group of western national committeemen, who wanted Democratic headquarters to take the lead in luring Justice Douglas out of his marble building. It was touched off last week by Washington Columnists Joseph and Stewart Alsop. Their story, which went scrupulously un-denied, said that the Big Bosses--New York's Ed Flynn, Chicago's Ed Kelly and Jake Arvey, New Jersey's Frank Hague, et al.--had agreed on Douglas and had sent word to him that he could have the No. 2 spot if he wanted it. Justice Douglas' answer was not revealed.

There was no doubt that Democratic professionals would be very happy if Justice Douglas assented. He had the right specifications: he is a Protestant and geographically correct (home state: Washington); most important, he would carry New Dealish weight in the big cities of the East and Midwest.

The pros discounted in advance the howls of conservative Southerners. But the howling began immediately. In the Senate, up rose Mississippi's triple-chinned James O. Eastland and cried: "The Southern wing of the party will not follow Mr. Hague's direction and will not vote for any candidate ... we think is inimical to the welfare of our people. . . ."

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