Evening star., 1940-03-28
The Political Mill
Wisconsin Becomes Testing Ground for Various
Types Of Technique to Win Nomination

"
here who believe in the conservative
things which Mr.. Taft Is given
credit for approving. His entry
here might however, have the effect
of dividing the vote which in the
election will be opposed to Dewey.
Both the Taft supporters and the
VandenberP supporters, however,
have insisted there Is no alliance
between them.
The technique Of the Democratic
aspirants for presidential honors Is
no less well exemplified here. The
two leading candidates, President
Roosevelt and Vice President Gar
ner fhe President Is not an avowed
candidate and the Vice President Isl =,
are doing here just what they have
done-or failed to do-in other
States. The President has per-
mitted the naming of a slate Of
delegates pledged to him. He has
permitted the entry Of his name
in the preference vote OF the pri-
mary. I say permitted because
while he has given no written per-
mission and has said nothing about
it, he has no exercised the right he
had to have his name withdrawn.
Out here great many people regard
him as a candidate right now. How,
they say, can 1t be otherwise, when
the people arc going to the polls
next Tuesday to vote for him.
The President is making no polit-
ical speeches, doing no stumping.
He keeps in the public eye, however,
without the slightest difficulty. In
this technique, at least, he is copied
by Vice President Garner, who never
speaks. Mr.. Garner, however, has
given his full assent in writing to
the entry Of his name in the Wis
consin and other primaries where
he faces the opposition OF the Pres
ident. There is nothing concealed
about his candidacy. He is out in
the open, although he leaves all the
campaigning and speaking to his
friends.
Third Term Democratic Issue.
The President and the Vice Pres
ident are the only Democrats en-
tered In this Wisconsin primary
fracas. You hear some McNutt talk,
4 bit about Senator Wheeler, and
of course about Secretary OF State
Cordell Hull. But take it by and
large, the issue in this State is the
third tern. for Mr.. Roosevelt. There
is McNdtt organization in Wis
consin, quite active as it is in many
other States. But the technique of
the McNuttites is to seek pledges
for the candidates as second choice
to President Roosevelt. They con-
tinue to insist that the President
will not run. 1t is pretty cagey
campaign. They find it compare
lively easy to talk up their candidate
under such conditions. Several
members of the McNutt State Com
mittee are running as delegates on
one or the other of the two So
called Roosevelt states of delegates
to the national convention. If they
are elected, they will be in a stra-
tegic position to talk turkey to the
other Wisconsin delegates if the
President takes himself out of the
race in the end.
The campaign here is far more
active than might be expected. The
charge Is made by the Roosevelt
third termers that the Garnerites
are spending a lot of money-they
have already admitted to $4,000.
But that does not seem an over
whelming amount in a State the
size of Wisconsin. The Roosevelt
third termers. on the other hand,
are the patronage boys. They have
all the jobs.
Postmaster General "Jim" Farley
also enters the campaign here,
though he Is not listed as a candi-
date for the presidential nomina-
ton. His nsme goes on the pri-
mary ballot. however, as a sort of
second choice to Roosevelt. backed
by one group of Democrats. 1t is
the so-called Roosevelt Farley
slate Of delegate candidates. Mr..
Farley is popular with lot of
Democrats here. The Democratic
national committeeman, Charles E.