Evening star., 1940-06-18


together have about 600 delegates
which is more than majority. The
former officeholders and friends of
Herbert Hoover have bloc of about
100 delegates. and the strength of
the Wlllkie boom is really unknown
because there are so many second
choice votes for him in various
State delegations.
The politicians control the Re-
publican convention. This fact is
clear. And the politicians will write
the platform unless there's a serious
revolt inside the party by the lib
erals and Embossed groups
The only chance Wendell Willkie
has of getting the nomination is
for public sentiment to reach into
the political delegations This is
happening to some extent already,
but it will have to reach landslide
proportions by next week to be
effective.
Delegates Are Party Minded.
On paper, Willkie may look like
the best getting candidate from
every viewpoint, but the average
Republican delegate is party minded
and concerned with old customs
and old habits of the party. Be-
cause Willkie was not a Repub-
lican before 1886, there are many
delegates who do not care thing
about his capacity-they would rule
him out altogether This kind of
-,
publican road a hard one, especially
in year when President Roosevelt
is almost sure to be the Demo-
cratic candidate.
The simple idea that the man
ought to be nominated who fits
the present world situation in gen.
eral, and Americas industrial sit
uation in particular, makes sense
to the average observer, but the
politician considers what seems to
him the greater advantage of fol-
lowing political rules and lining up
with the candidate who has devel-
oped the customary form of political
organization through which jobs and
favors can be dispensed at later
date.
The Hoover boom has some
strange aspects. AS former Presi-
dent, he addressed the last con-
vention and the same courtesy is
being extended this time. His
chances of nomination would be
much better if he did not accept
the courtesy, for there are many
delegations which feel it is unfair
to hear Hoover without Landon, an
other former standard bearer, and
that Willkie. Taft and Dewey should
be permitted to address the con-
vention if Hoover does.
Never Gave Up Hope.
The friends of the former Presi-
dent have never given up hope of
seeing him nominated again. They
have stuck faithfully by him through
these eight years, Notwithstanding
that on almost every side other Re-
publlcanS have said that a man
who was so overwhelmingly defeated
IN 1882 could not be elected again.
Needless to say, the New Dealers
think Hoover the easiest man to
beat and they are confident they
could conquer Dewey Taft and
Willkie is each given a better chance
for election than any other of the
Republican candidates-but then
that's the New Deal view.
What may complicate the whole
Republican situation is the platform.
There are Republican leaders who
want to come out 100 per cent for
isolation" which, of course, will be
interpreted as willingness to play
ball with the new European con-
queror-Adolf Hitler. There are
other Republicans who feel the mat
ter of foreign policy should not be
made political and that a simple
reaff1rmation of the Monroe Doc
trine and the need for defense is all
that should be said.
Cross Section of Disunity.
1t would appear that there will
be a fight on this phase of the plat
form. Enough pro-Ally and anti
Ally influences are at work already
to stir up controversy, and Amer
lea will see in the Republican Ma
tional Convention a cross section of
the disunity and dissension which
exists throughout America on war
issues. 1t is the kind of cleavage
which kept Britain and France, re-
spectively, from putting their houses
in order and from building an arma-
ment sufficient to meet their oppo-
nents in war.
If the Republican National Con-
vention adopts an isolationist plat
form, it is a safe bet that neither
Taft nor Willkie would be bound by
it and would openly modify it. AS
for the other candidates. the betting
inside the New Deal is that an iso-
lationist platform may well mean a
HooVerLindbergh ticket.
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