Rre at Will

Meeting by accident across the street from a Tampa cigar factory last week, the two leading contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination interrupted their Florida primary campaigns just long enough to exchange a few good-humored jeers. Spotting an unopened box of cigars in Estes Kefauver's hand, Adlai Stevenson asked in mock reproof, "You're not accepting corrupting gifts publicly?" then added, "I got corrupted ahead of you, Estes. They gave me a box at the first factory I visited."

While the two chatted, Adlai's Florida campaign manager slyly pinned a Stevenson button on Kefauver's lapel, whereupon Estes pinned a Kefauver button on Adlai. "Congratulations on joining the cause," said Kefauver, simultaneously reaching over Adlai's head to shake a voter's hand. "May the best man win--Adlai," replied Stevenson, reaching around Kefauver's middle to do some handshaking of his own.

Adlai was still glowing over the outcome of the Illinois primary--probably excessively, for about all the Illinois results had demonstrated was that he could not yet be counted out of the battle for the Democratic nomination. (While Write-in Candidate Kefauver got less than 5% of the Democratic vote cast, Stevenson's total of 730,000 votes was some 20,000 less than Dwight Eisenhower got on the Republican ticket.) But despite the fact that Adlai and Estes continued to be concerned with their own Indian wrestling match. Democratic politicos last week were finding a new unity in attacking the Republicans. Led off by Harry Truman (see above), they fired thus:

P: New York's Governor Averell Harriman accused the Administration of "naivete" in dealing with international Communism. Said Harriman: "We saw this last summer at the Geneva Conference. There President Eisenhower . . . publicly credited the new Soviet rulers with a desire for peace no less earnest than that of the West. Nothing could have served the purposes of Khrushchev more than that."

P: Carmine De Sapio, Tammany boss and Harriman's right hand man, added: "A country-club quartet--a small clique of self-appointed and self-anointed men who have never exposed themselves to the mandate of a national election--now rules the White House and runs our nation. These men--Sherman Adams, Charles Wilson, George Humphrey and John Foster Dulles--are the Richelieus and Rasputins of 20th century America."

P: Adlai Stevenson, attacking what he called the Republican slogan of "peace, prosperity and progress," tried a Truman-ism for size: "What peace? Our peace seems to consist of a balance of terror in the world." Stevenson was appalled by the world around him. "NATO has never been so weak ... We have no policy in the Middle East." He quoted Eisenhower as saying at the time of his second-term announcement that some of the presidential work "can now be done by my close associates as well as by myself." Said Adlai: "I could not help but think of that little rhyme: 'This would not be sinister if we had a Prime Minister.' "

P: Estes Kefauver, beating his way through the Florida palmettos, called for Agriculture Secretary Benson's resignation. Said Estes: "I want to make it clear that my suggestions for his resignation do not stem from any attempt to get partisan political advantage. As Democrats seeking to win this fall's election, we are better off with Mr. Benson in the Cabinet. But as Americans seeking to restore our farm economy, we would be better off without him." Then Estes fired his wildest carronade at President Eisenhower for General Alfred Gruenther's retirement as NATO commander (see below): "General Gruenther has been disappointed with the fact that in recent years there has been no effort to strengthen the NATO organization ... I think the blame for doing nothing to build up NATO rests with the Administration and the President."

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