Evening star., 1940-06-30

- SLect UOfheI, HuSH SttLgeT, JuTUL
each State will gather to notify him of
his nomination. But this will be largely
a matter of respecting a party tradition,
because Mr.. Willkie already has PROM
iSed the delegates who nominated him
that he is ready for an aggressive, wide
spread campaign.
If President Roosevelt is renominsted
at Chicago next month as he un-
doubtedly will be unless he declines, the
1910 campaign may well turn out to be
that always looked for battle of the
century"
In that event the Democrats would be
counting on the persuasive Roosevelt
appeal that twice has carried them to
sweeping victories.
But the Republican Convention, even
though it may have taken its own leaders
by surprise, has handed the G. o. P.
banner to man who has demonstrated
in striking fashion that he also has
political personality.
Only 48 years old, alert and energetic.
he probably will stump the country from
one end to the other to debate the is
sues of the campaign. 1t is this prospect
OF having standard bearer who speaks
out plainly and bluntly that seemed to
inspire the convention delegates with
new confidence as they left Philadelphia
yesterday.
Amateur CampaignerS.
The Willkie supporters insist his cam
palgn for the nomination was conducted
almost entirely by amateurs in the field
OF politics, men and women who volun-
teered because they had been impressed
by his ability to revitalize the party after
seven years of filling the minority role.
But if these campaign workers we're
amateurs they made up for it in zeal and
perseverance. The supporters of Mr..
Willkie back home, throughout the
United States, undoubtedly helped bring
about his nomination by appeals and
messages to the delegates.
One of the first things that brought
Mr.. Willkie into the national lmelght
was his tilt with T. V. A. over the price
to be paid by the Government for the
private power facilities it was acquiring
in the Tennessee Valley area. Mr.. Will
kie contended the first offer was not a
fair price, and after the issues had been
submitted to arbitration, he succeeded in
having it changed
More recently, during the weeks Just
preceding the Republican Convention,
articles by Mr.. Willkie, or about him, in
national magazines made him better
known and laid the groundwork for the
surprising results obtained later when
his volunteer supporters went forth to
Stage their six-Week whirlwind campaign
that ended in victory at Philadelphia.
Thousands Sign Petitions.
Thousands of visitors to New York
City from all parts of the country are
said to have signed the Willkie petitions
circulated in the metropolis
One Wlllkie enthusiast at PHILADELPHIA.
explained that while every one who was
asked did not sign, the mere request drew
the attention to Mr.. Willkie of many per-
sons who had not previously read or
AAS"AN iiiuSIl dUout 1llI.
Fred Smith, who went to PHILADELPHIA
TO take charge of publicity for the Will
kle headquarters, said the budget al
lotted for that purpose was $4,000 and
that half of that amount would he
turned back.
One effective move of the Wi,lkie
forces was the establishment of head
quarters in a store on Broad street, at
a point where virtually all of the dele
gates and visitors passed at one time or
another. From the show window of this
store large picture of Mr.. Willkie looked
out on the passing crowds, and there was
nearly always a group gathered on the
sidewalk to read more about this man
VINO was rapidly becoming the most
talked of figure in the convention.
Inside the store courteous attendants
were on duty distributing pamphlets and
folders containing the biography and
achievements of the Hoosier boy, who
earned his way through college, went to
France with the Army in 1917, and then
worked his way up through the legal
profession to prominent position in the
public utility field
Mr.. Willkie and the friends and ad-
mlrers who ran his headquarters were so
engrossed in the job of winning the nom
ination that they didn't waste any time
thinking about the real campaign that
lies ahead for the November election.
That will now become the job of the
National Committee, which has named a
subcommittee of II members to confer
with Mr. Willkie in New York.
Even in advance of these conferences.
however, Mr.. Willkie has made it plain
that his will be a rough-and- tumble
campaign.