The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-01-17

Let me today greet fellow fog dispeller in the person of Senator Vandenberg, who has just announc- ed, first, that T shall not seek Re- publican nomination or any other Presidential nomination in 1940," and second, q hope I shall never run away from any public duty or obligation which confrontS me-"
 However, there is the following sentence that I admit is not quite clear, for he says, aprops of his other statements, that T have no illusions in these directions as re- Spects the 1940 situation"
 Perhaps it would clear the residue mists of the Michigan Senator's ideas on the subject to interpret his remarks in this wise: If it looks as if there was a Chinaman's chance of the Republican candidate for president getting anywhere in 1940, I'll be Johnny -the-Spot, but do not propose becoming burnt offer ing if things do not look any bet ter than they looked for Governor Landon in 1936."
 Of course in this glorious, free country of ours anybody can inter pret anything in any way he pleases. As, for example, when the President of the United States says he wants to cooperate with every honest bus mess and is hostile only to the mere handful who would abuse their op- portunities, Republican editor can accuseh i'm of setting up straw men to knock down. But that is digres- sion. We were discussing possible Republican candidates for the Pres idential nomination two years hence.
 Conforms With Confusion on
 Party's Principles
 When you come to think of 1t, Senator Vandenberg, assuming that he was avid for the nomination, could hardly declare his ambition at this time because if he did, he would stir up all the possible rivals for the empty honor and thus make deter imitation more difficult. On the other hand, if he wanted to avoid it, he could hardly place himself in the position of declining so long in ad- vance a nomination that might never be offered him.
 In short, the Senator is keeping strictly in line with the gropings Of his party, which appears unable to make up its mind on what 1t is go- ing to do. Professor Glenn Frank, ex-president of the University of Wisconsin and now chairman of the Republican party'S program com mittee, gives us the Illuminating fact that "it is not the business of this committee to write platforms for the 1888 or 1940 campaign" And Mr. Frank E. Gannett, chairman of the National Committee to Uphold Constitutional Government, which is the residuary legatee of the Lib erty League, in declining member ship in Professor Franks commit tee, specifically explains that he cannot join in any platform-making organization because of the non- partisan character of his own. T wish," wrote MT. Gannett to Dr. Frank, you and your associates suc- cess, and hope you will draft a plat form that will help solve the great problems we face"
 A party platform is a declaration of the party's principles. Its purpose is to tell voters the aims and policies because of which their suffrages are asked. In fact, in the call upon Pro- lessor Frank to take the chairman ship it was expressly stated that the purpose of the Committee of one Hundred was to formulate just such declaration. To quote Professor Frank himself, the committee will seek to play its full part in a sincere, open-minded, responsible search for principles and lines of national ac- tion that will keep America a grow ing concern"
 So if he is not engaged in form ulating a platform, it is rather dift1- cult to find out just what he is do- ing.
 The difficulties in writing Re- publican platform are pretty severe in any event. How much more dift1- cult must it be to write platform that isn't a platform for a non-ex- isting candidate? Both Governor Landon and Colonel Knox who car- ried the banner of deSpair in '36