Battleground 1948: Truman, Stevenson, Douglas, and the Most Surprising Election in Illinois History

3. Opening Blows

66 w 3. Opening Blows January 1948 In the opening days of January 1948, ten months before the general election in November, both major political parties had finished their slates. According to the unofficial rules of Illinois political engagement, that should have been the final word, but it wasn’t. Even though the slates were fixed—if not permanently, at least firmly—quarrels in private and in public meant party leaders had more work to do. Adlai Stevenson, a balding, mild-mannered man most at ease on the tennis court or at a diplomatic reception, was an easy target for critics. Some called him the “gentleman in politics,” but no one was sure whether that was a compliment. He was contrasted with Paul Douglas, who bore the scars of battle for all to see. Stevenson had neither name recognition nor photographic familiarity with citizens across the state. His record as a lawyer did not set him apart from others, and his duties in Washington and even with the United Nations struck people on the street as “so what.” The editorials and newspaper columns that had praised the selection of Stevenson could offer no credentials or achievements that would make him sound as if he were ready to run the state. They made him appear like a bit of a stuffed shirt, a minor-league bureaucrat. To say he started at ground zero in the campaign was an understatement. Republicans couldn’t wait to take him on. Grumblers in the Democratic Party, wishing they had a candidate with gravitas, shrugged their shoulders . A few complained publicly. J a n u a r y 1 9 4 8 67 Regardless, most Democratic commentators and editorial pages heaped praise on the Stevenson-Douglas ticket. The Chicago Sun quickly showed its support of the twosome, because the paper wanted to get rid of Dwight Green and Curly Brooks: “Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic leaders’ choice for governor, is an exceptionally qualified citizen who has never been a cog in the machine. The issues of the state campaign will be Gov. Green’s record of profligate expenditures, his refusal to help meet the pressing financial problems of Illinois cities and local school systems, his debasement of the state administration by the crudest spoils politics. Mr. Stevenson can offer Illinois the refreshing contrast of integrity , competence, political independence and progressive leadership. The state would be foolish indeed not to avail itself of his rare abilities.”1 Although most arguments over the Democratic slate had been put to rest, Mayor Martin Kennelly let it be known he didn’t think much of putting Stevenson on a track to the governor’s office. He preferred Judge Thomas J. Courtney of the superior court, a man who had been tossed aside by Jack Arvey and other members of the slating committee.2 Kennelly had helped with Courtney’s failed campaign for governor in 1944. Kennelly did not have anything personally against Stevenson, just that he wasn’t qualified to be governor. He wanted someone closer to the mayor’s office. What really bothered Kennelly was that the party professionals who made up the slating committee represented the political machine. Kennelly, elected in April 1947 with little political experience and no participation in the party organization, felt obliged to show his independence. Earlier in the fall, he had turned down offers to be the gubernatorial candidate—three times he publicly said no—saying he was elected to the job of mayor and intended to finish it. He acknowledged that some Chicago politicians might want him to run for governor just to get him out of the mayor’s position. Arvey had played the Kennelly game carefully during December, when most of the decisions were made about candidates. After Kennelly first said early in December that he was not a candidate for governor, Arvey noted the downstate interest in the mayor. Party officials outside Chicago liked Kennelly because of his independence of the machine. Arvey gave Kennelly two more chances to reconsider. Whether Kennelly had tried to persuade Arvey of Courtney’s value before the final strokes of slating is not known. Arvey had been working long and hard to find candidates for the two top jobs, and it seemed unlikely he would back away from Stevenson and Douglas at the last minute. Instead, Arvey let O p e n i n g B l o w s 68 Kennelly...