Evening star., 1936-11-29
40 PRESIDENTIAL TIMBER
SCARCE in c.. o. p. RANKS
If Party Retains Name and Identity Pres.
ent Leaders May Be Back Numbers.
LandOn Dark Horse Four Years AGO.
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

BY MARK SULLIVAN.
NCE there Is much talk about
the future-whatever 1t may
be-of the Republican party,
let us look at it in terms Of
available leadership, available presi-
Dental possibilities for 1910. 1t is
rather futile speculation, for no one
can guess what may happen during
the next three years. There may
be q political lineup, coinciding with
a social one, so different from any
thing in the past that both the Re-
publican party and the Democratic
party (the Democratic party. that is,
as distinct from the New DeaD might
lose their names or their identities,
or both.
But dismissing all that, and assum-
ing the Republican party retains its
name and, roughly. its present
identity, let us survey the material
for the presidential nomination in
1910. may as well give the answer
first. Any survey of the material, as
Of today, is likely to say that Senator
Vandenberg of Michigan seems in q
class alone. Possibly he may hate
me for saying so, though it must be
common knowledge to all who look
over the field. 1t is no cheerful fate
TOR any man to be looked on as . pres.
idential possibility for 3la years ahead.
The mere fact that he Is so far in
front carries perils. A man thus sit
uated may reduce his chance by being
self-conscious and therefore cautious,
or he may reduce his chance by re-
fusing to be self-conscious, by being
outspoken on all questions-in which
event he may turn some groups against
him.
Anyhow, the judgment here ex-
pressed Is as Of today only. 1t is
possible other material may emerge
during the coming three years. This
sometimes happens. Three years pre-
ceding 1886 few would have guessed
that Mr.. Landon would be the nomi-
nee this year; at that time he was the
comparatively unknown Governor of
what Democratic Generalissimo Far
ley called typical prairie State"
Vanderberg and Luck.
Also. some of the other men now
recognized as possibilities, but not now
as far in front as Senator Vandenberg,
may during the coming three years
eclipse him. So let Senator Vanden-
berg forgive me, and look forward to
whichever form of luck he prefers,
whether to keep his presence emf
nence or to recede.
But let us consider the whole gallery
OF Republicans who, as of today,
might fairly be listed as material for
the presidential nomination four years
hence. Just to be complete, start at
the top. The Republican party has one
living fosmer President, Mr.. Hoover
But If he was regarded as unavailable
in 1896, presumably he would have
much the same unavailability in 1910,
plus the further fact that Mr.. Hoover
at the time of the next presidential
nominating convention will be 65
years old, and within month or 50
Of 66. That age is not a handicap,
especially in a man as vigorous s.
Mr.. Hoover. But as of today it would
seem that if the Republicans did not
want Mr.. Hoover this year they will
not want him four years from now
Yet, regardless of availability for the
presidential nomination, almost GER
tainly Mr.. Hoover during the coming
three years will supply much of the
intellectual leadership against the
New Deal, just as he has supplied the
best of the leadership of thought dur
ing the last three years
So: The Republican party has one
living former President, and apparent
ly his availability is questioned. 1t has
one living former Vice President, but
the fact that the reader at this point
is probably puzzling his mind to recall
who it is, is evidence that Charles G..
Dawes will not be in 1910, and is not
even now an active political figure.
His age is II, and there are other rea-
sons for passing him by as a possi-
bility. In this computation I am
merely trying to be complete.
The Republicans have one man who
ran for President and one man who
ran for Vice President, the recently
defeated Mr.. Landon and Mr.. Knox.
Men who run for the presidency and
are defeated sometimes get renomi-
nated-but in the Republican party
they never have. Bryan, after his
defeat in 1896, got himself renomi-
mated twice, in 1900 and 1908. But
neither his nor any other experience
suggests denomination of a defeated
contender. And if Col. Knox did not
win the vice presidency, he is hardly
likely to be nominated for the presi-
dency.
Material in the Senate.
Turn to the Senate to see what ma
terial it has for the Republican NOM
ination in 1910. In that body, be-
ginning with the session which meets
next month, there will be II Repub-
licans-that is, there will be II men
who, in the official Congressional Di-
rectory, will have the letter "R" fol-
lowing their names. But as to about
five of them, this is the extent of their
Republicanism.
Senator Hiram johnson of Califor-
classes in Russia during the revolu-