Evening star., 1940-06-16
Republican Leaders
To Start Convention
Work Tomorrow
Jockeyine for Nomination
And Platform Drafting
To Be Major Activities
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

by II. UOULD LlNCOLN.
Republican activities on an un-
precedented scale-amounting al
most to a start Of the party's ma
tional convention-will be launched
in the convention city, Philadel-
phia, tomorrow, one week before
the convention opens.
Two matters-both ma jor-will oc-
cupy the attention Of the leaders.
First, jockeying for the presi-
Dental nomination.
Second, draft of the party plat
form.
The prospective committee on
resolutionS-the Platform Drafting
Committee-meets tomorrow morn
ing in the Bellevue Stratford Hotel.
The Republican National Commit
tee will meet Wednesday afternoon
in the same hotel to consider dele
gate contest cases.
Candidates in Field.
Republican leaders from every
State will be in Philadelphia be-
ginning tomorrow Managers OF all
the leading candidates will be on
hand, with headquarters opened.
Pressure groups will work overtime.
Combinations will be formed-or
attempted-for candidates.
According to statement issued
by the Republican National Com
mittee, at least IL candidates will
have their names formally placed
before the convention for the presi-
Dental nomination.
They are Gov Raymond E. Bald
win of Connecticut, Senator Bridges
of New Hampshire, Senator Capper
of Kansas, Thomas E. Dewey, New
Yorks district attorney; Frank E.
Gannett, New York newspaper pub
Usher; Gov. Arthur H. James of
Pennsylvania, Senator McNary Of
Oregon, Republican Leader of the
Senate; Hanford MacNider of Iowa,
former Assistant Secretary OF War
and former national commander of
the American Legion: Senator Taft
of Ohio and Wendell L. Whlkie Of
New York, president of the Com
monwealth g. Southern Corp.
That does not exhaust the "possi-
bilities." Prominent among the So
called dark horse candidates are
former President Herbert Hoover,
Representative Martin of Massachu-
sets, Republican leader of the House,
and Gov, John w Bricker of Ohio
Mr. Bricker's only chance would
come after Senator Taft had been
eliminated
Many Delegates UnpIedged.
The convention will meet with a
large number of unpledged delegates.
All kinds of claims of delegate
strength are put forward by the
various candidates, with the man.
ayers of Mr. Dewey and Senator Taft
making the largest claims. Gen.
orally, it is expected that the Dewey
vote on the first ballot will surpass
that of other candidates, although
the Taft managers deny that. The
entry of Mr.. Willkie is the enliven-
ing eleventh-hour development. He
expects to have a minimum" of 10
votes on the first ballot-if he wants
them.
However, there was growing dis
cussion last night of the possibility
that this show of Willkie strength
would tend to send many of the un-
pledged delegates scurrying to the
camps of Mr.. Dewey or Mr.. Taft on
the first ballot.
Republican leaders here expressed
themselves as skeptical of the re-
ported spontaneity of the Willkie
boom. They insisted that the Will
kie-for- President drive had been
started more than year ago. Many
of them do not believe it would be
wise to nominate for President the
head of big public utility company.
And many of them were asking
themselves how far such a nomina-
ton would 60 with the labor vote
particularly if Mr.. Willkie is to be
opposed by President Roosevelt next
November.
If, some of the asked. it is desired
to place before the country as the
Republican nominee a man who has
had experience as an engineer and
in business, in foreign affairs and in
public affairs, why not turn to for
mer President Hoover2 He has no
Wall Street connections and had a
good labor record, according to labor
leaders themselves
Long Hours Of Speaking
With this array of candidates, the
delegates are assured of long hours
of listening to nominating and sec
onding speeches. Exclusive of DEM
onstrations these speeches will run
over nine hours, even if the pro-
posed limitations of 80 minutes for
nominating speeches and five min
utes for seconding speeches are ad-
hered to by the convention
Unless some one candidate early
demonstrates sufficient strength.
the contest for the presidential
nomination may be long drawn out.
The longest Renllblican convention