Evening star., 1940-03-02

OA4C VCA AAl. u
for the party out
Of power and
for the party
whose titular
head was COM q. Gould Lincoln.
pleting a second term in the White
House-these pre-convention cam
paigns have turned into stop"
movements. designed to halt the
progress Of the party's candidate
who early appeared to be out in
front of the field.
The stop" movement in 1895 was
directed against the then Gov. ALI
M. Landon of Kansas, seeking the
Republican nomination. In 1892 it
was the then Gov. Franklin D.
Roosevelt of New York who was the
object Of desperate stop" move
ment headed by Alfred E. Smith of
New York. In 1928 the shoppers"
sought to halt the onward march of
Herbert Hoover in the Republican
party. The Democrats that year
caved in and generally agreed to
take AL Smith, although even at the
Houston convention desperate ef-
forts were made to get together q
coalition against Smith.
"Stop" Movements Begin.
Early as it is in the present pre-
convention campaign. the stop"
movement signs are being hoisted.
On the Democratic side, although
the party leaders are at a loss to
know whether President Roosevelt
will seek a third term or not, there
is group intent upon preventing a
third-term nomination. And in some
quarters 1t is suspected that the
President, by his silcence, is himself
engaged in movement to stop"
some Of the possible Democratic
nominees he does not approve-for
example, Vice President Garner,
Postmaster General Farley and Fed
eral Security Administrator Nc
Mutt.
Because Thomas E. Dewey, New
York district attorney, known to the
American people as the racket
buster" has taken the lead in popu-
lar polls. he has so far been regarded
by friends of other candidates as the
man who must be stopped" 1t is
too early yet really to gauge the
strength of Dewey, Senator Taft of
Ohio, or Senator Vandenberg OF
Michigan-the three outstanding
competitors for the presidential
nomination.
Indeed, there are those who insist
that majority of the delegates to
the Republican National Convention
will go to Philadelphia June "a with
an open mind. ready to pick the can
didate for President who will best
flt the conditions that the country
confronts at that time. BY condi-
tions they mean the state of affairs
both In Europe and in this country.
Dewey Marked for Stopping.
But such happy state of affairs
for the selection Of a Republican
nominee for President-may never
develop. Within the next two
months, a dozen States will have
held their presidential preferential
primaries for the selection of dele
gates to the national convention.
State conventions will have named
states of delegates-and some of
them will be pledged" to this or
that candidate. And one candidate
may have emerged as the leader
the man who must be stopped" If
the others are to have a chance.
While Mr.. Dewey has been, up
to the present time, the Repub-
lican candidate marked for stop
ping" very different picture may
be presented If on April 2 Senator
Vandenberg makes a clean sweep
of the Wisconsin primary, in which
he Is pitted against Dewey; or
should there be many State conven-
ton instructions for Senator Taft.
The last has not gone into any of
the primaries-except that in Ohio,
which is all his.
However, the stop Dewey move
ment has been rather obvious. Who
wants to stop" the New Yorker?
In the first place, there are the
people who sincerely believe that
Dewey is too young and inexpe-
rienced. Generally speaking, how
ever, this group is not organized.
Second, there are the friends of
the other candidates-not only Taft
and Vandenberg, but those who
would like to see Gov. Bricker of
Ohio, Representative Martin of Mas
sachusetts, the House party leader;
Gov. James of Pennsylvania, Sena-
tor McNary of Oregon and Senator
Bridges of New Hampshire emerge a
winner, and those Republicans who
believe that former President Her
bert Hoover is the man of the hour.
In addition to these groups, how
ever, there are opposed to the Dewey
nomination certain "big business"
men-men who have been influential
in the Republican party in the past
and who still retain an influence,
Notwithstanding efforts to gloss this
over. They do not want Dewey be-
cause they not only think he is not
experienced, but also they are afraid
that he will not be amenable to rea-
son once he is in the White House.
Candidates Travel Widely.
And beyond and below these
groups who are anxious to halt Mr..
Dewey's progress are the politicians
close to the underworld, the racke-
teers and others who do not like to
have some Of their activities limited