The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-05-23

Happenings that Affect the Dinner
Pals, Dividend Checks and Tax Bills
of Every Individual. National and
International Problems Inseparable
from Local Welfare.

1t won't be long now until the Re-
publicans and the Democrats meet in
more or less solemn conclaves to Sc
lect their 1910 standard bearers. And
in the meantime, long lineup of poll
tical hopefuls, their hearts beating
are working overtime in at
tempt to convince the voters, the dele
|gates, and the party machine leaders
that they are the logical choice for the
number one position in the U nj t d
States.
There will be 1000 delegates to the
Republican convention, of whom SO are
now pledged to Dewey, % to Hanford
MacNider, 1S to Senator Capper and
two to Senator Taft. Not Gall the
delegates have been selected as yet, so
further pledges will be effected be-
tween now and convention time.
There will be 1904 delegates to the
Democratic convention of whom, so
far, the President has 392, Postmaster
General Farley 38A, Representative
Bankhead %, and Vice-President Gar
ner 4. In each case, the majority of
delegates will be unpledged. And the
pledges do not mean great deal
in most instances, pledged delegates
are only duty bound to vote for their
candidate on the first few ballots, and
thereafter consider themselves free to
throw their support elsewhere.
The inner New Dealers argue that
the President is the logical choice, and
the only available D ocrat who
would be reasonably sure of winning
the day. A number Of political COM
mentators subscribe to that view. At
the same time, very recent Gallup
poll throws something Of monkey
wrench into that chain of reasoning.
DR.. Gallup asked a cross-section of
voters whom they would vote for as
between the President and Dewey, and
Mr.. Roosevelt was favored by So per
cent. He then asked the same voters
to choose between Secretary Hull and
Dewey, and Hull came out on top with
81 per cent. That obviously indicates
two things-that Republican and DEM
ocratic strength is amazingly evenly
balanced this year, and that Mr.. Hull
would be practically as strong a candi
date as the President.
On the Republican side of the bat
tered political fence, there is a grow
ing feeling, among the publicists as
well as among experienced politicians,
that the three leading candidates.
Dewey, Vandenburg and T a t-are
likely to kill each other off, thus paw
ing the way ~ candidate Of the
dark or dusky horse variety. An in
fluential group insGOP circles is quiet
|ly booming Senator McNary of Ore
gon, the minority leader. McNary is
a middle-of- of-the-road-man, is univer-
sally respected by his colleagues, and
has specialized in farm aid legislation.
He would be certainty, some Repub-
licans think, to sweep the politically
vital corn belt, would carry most of the
West, and would have a good chance
in the industrial East. He has few po-
litical liabilities--the most important
being that his state is extremely small
in population and electoral vote-and
his record in the Senate has been that
of moderate. He is factor worth
considering.
The Wendell Wilkie drive goes on,
and gains force A few years ago Mr..
Wilkie was almost completely un-
known to the public at large--now he
is unquestionably first-class national
figure. His many speeches, radio APP
pearances and magazine articles have
brought him into the limelight with
astonishing speed. A growing group
think him the perfect choice His liza
bility is lack of a political machine,
but that is by no means necessarily
fatal. Cynical political reporters have
talked with longing of the possibilities
iof Roosevelt Wiliie fight. Different
as these men are in point Of view, both
are ideal personalities, both know how
to play the angles. 1t would be a great
campaign.
SO far as the party platforms are
concerned, they will probably mean lit
tie, and will say next to nothing at
great length. Both parties will pledge
themselves to stay out of war, to aid
the needy and the farmers, to cut gov
ernment costs if, as and when, and so
on. 1t will be the candidates who
count, not the windy planks. And
| it should be a red hot campaign.
The United States still t c h G S
bloody Europe. But, in the view of
statesmen and foreign experts, we
should be keeping closer eye on the
Far East. For there is the most i'm
mediate threat to American peace and
security.
Hitler's invasion of Holland brought
with it a situation that the State De-
Ipartment has long expected and dread
ed. Within reach Of Japan are the
rich Dutch East l n d les, principal
source of the worlds supply of tin and
rubber. The Indies could not be de-
Tended by the small Dutch navy and
garrison stationed there, and Britain
and France are too busy elsewhere to
protect them. They would make a
rich prize for ambitious J apan, and
would immensely increase her eco
nomic and military prestige. So, say