Evening star., 1940-06-13
The Political Mill
Conservative Trend May Fall Far Short
Of EIectinq Businessmen WiIkie

year ago that Republican business
men would be falling over them
selves in an effort to have the G. o.
P. nominate the head of a big
public utility for President of che
United States, he would have been
laughed out of court. Not because
the businessmen did not want Mr..
Willkie for President-some of them
did-but because they did not be-
lleVe there was any possibility of
his being nominated or elected. Now
the picture is greatly changed, and
the men who have put up the
sinews of war in past Republican
campaigns are surging in behind
Mr.. Willkie. If they dominate the
Republican National Convention
two weeks from now, Mr.. Willkie
will be nominated.
OF German Extraction.
Mr.. Willkie is of German extrac-
tion-not Prussian, but German.
His mothers family came to this
country from Germany in 1S48, when
large numbers of Germans moved to
the United States as the land of
freedom. His father also was of Ger
man blood. In facial characteristics
Mr.. Willkie resembles the late SEN
ator Borah-the same contour of
the face and the same kind of chin
and mouth possessed by Senator
Borah as younger man. He has
something Of the oratorical charm
of the late Senator. In the veins
of Senator Borah, as in those of
Mr.. Willkie, flowed German blood
from his ancestry. Unlike Senator
Borah. Mr.. Willkie is no isolation
ist. He believes that the United
States must play an active part in
the affairs of the world and he
wants to aid the Allies now in their
war against Germany and Italy.
Mr.. WILKES contention, when
twitted about his leaving the Demo-
cratic party. is that the Democratic
party turning New DeaD has left
him. What the country needs to-
day, he contends. if it is to survive
as a democracy, is more efficiency
which the New Dealers cannot give.
The Willkie candidacy has been
welcomed in the past by supporters
OF Senator Taft and other Repub-
lican contenders on the theory that
1t was weakening Mr.. Dewey Now
that Mr.. Willkie is moving out
himself as possible serious con-
tender, the sympathy which these
gentlemen have accorded the Willkie
drive is diminishing rapidly.
Delegates Doom Simpson.
Reports are that Willkie, who
started as a Hoosier but is now
New Yorker, will have 10 or 20 dele
gates from New York at the ma
tional convention. He is to be the
eventual beneficiary. it is reported
Of the opposition to Dewey in
Dewey's home State. The Dewey
people-which means Mr.. Dewey
himself-are not taking this oppo-
sition lying down. They moved at
Albany yesterday to trim Kenneth
L. Simpson, national committeeman
who turned against Dewey months
ago. BY a sizable vote the New
York delegates to the national con-
vention determined to oust Mr..
Simpson from his national commit
tee post and substitute Russell
Sprague, who has been Dewey's
campaign manager. Mr.. Simpson
holds on until the national conven-
tion, but then will be tossed out, for
the delegates present to the ma
tional convention for ratification
their candidates for the National
Committee.
The Dewey people preferred to
have the row now rather than wait
until after the convention met. They
preferred to know upon whom they
could count. rather than have those
upon whom they could not count
leave Dewey after the balloting be-
gins.
The strategy of the Willkie fight in
the national convention will be to
have Mr.. Willkie start with a few
votes-from IS to 10 on the first
ballot-and then build up his
strength on succeeding ballots, hop
ing for a dead-locked convention
and final shifting of votes to their
candidate.