The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-02-29
Economic i. .
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is one of the extremely few general
election years since the Civil War in
which the public hasn't had pretty
sound idea of who the Presidential
candidates would be. Generally the
country has known long in advance
who was going to be battling for the
White House-the nominations of
Hoover, Wilson, Hughes, Franklin
Roosevelt, Al Smith, ETC., were prac-
tically dead certainties many months
before the conventions were called to
order. Single recent exception to this
rule was when dark horses Cox and
Harding opposed each other.
The rumor always goes around
about this time that some vague and
immensely powerful political bosses
have the key to the puzzle, and will
put their candidates over with ease
and dispatch when the time comes.
But if that is so, every political OBJ
server in the country has been fooled.
Both parties are divided within them
selves to an abnormal degree. And the
ranks of both are alive with self
starters, favorite sons and others who
are simply itching to take the oath of
office from Chief Justice Hughes next
year.
Starting out with the party in pow
er, everything hinges on what the
President will do. If he wants the
nomination, it is hard to see how he
can be kept from getting it, despite
the growing disaffection of many
prominent Democrats in public office.
Working on the assumption, which
many do, that the President does not
plan to run again, and is keeping
silent only because he wants to keep
his party under control, the outlook
for the Democrats producing solidly
backed candidate is not bright. The
McNutt candidacy seems to have
blown up. Garner could carry the
Solid South and would get consider
able conservative support, but he is
not warmly regarded by the strong
New Dealers. There was considerable
talk about the possibility of running
Robert Jackson some time back, but
he does not seem to have attracted any
public following. Frank
Murphy, who used to be talked about
also, is on the Supreme Court and out
of active politics. Secretary Hull
would probably have the best chance
of cementing together the warning
wings of the party, but, due to his
job, he has had nothing to do with
domestic questions for eight years,
and his stand on many big issues of
the day is not known At the moment,
however, Hull and Garner seem to
have the inside track.
On the Republican side, Tom Dewey
has started his Campaign in earnest.
1t has long been said of him that no
one knew much about his views save
in the matter of criminal law enforce
ment, and he is offsetting this by max
ing a series of major speeches COW
ering our principal problems. Strongly
in his favor is his voice and radio per-
sonality. Against him is the fact that
men high in Republican councils would
prefer some one older, and with a
longer and more varied record in pub
lie office. SO far, the political experts
say he has been no whirlwind in whip
ping up general enthusiasm for the
cause of the COP, but he has done bet
ter than anyone else.
Vandenberg is out for the nomina-
tion-and he has advantage of long
and capable record in the Senate, plus
an established machine. But he, like
Senator Taft, lacks color, which in this
day of the radio has become one of
the most important political assets. At
the moment, these three men are in
the lead, with the other prospects far
behind in the race. But, as in the
case of the Democrats, anything can
happen. There is an off chance that
a deadlock might result in the Repub-
lican convention and lead to the nom
ination of some extremely dark horse.
The recent polls indicate that the
Democrats still have the edge in pop
ular fancy. They also Indicate that
the President is still the most pop
ular candidate. But they do not give
him any overwhelming majority-if he
did win, the polls say, it would be by
a comparatively tight squeeze. Rarely
has it been so difficult to forecast
whether the next administration will
be Republican or Democratic.
x X X
War may not come to the little
European neutrals = but its shadow
grows larger. The action of Britain
in seizing English prisoners from a
German ship anchored far inside Nor
wegian territorial waters has thrown
a scare into all the small nations-they
know that is the sort of thing that
could make them backgrounds. Eng
lands action was clearly illegal under
law, but in modern war
laws and treaties seem to mean little.
The experts look forward to spring
with ominous expectation. Then will
come good flying weather-and then,
it is felt, will come Germany's great
bid for victory, with air attacks of
unprecedented fury on Allied ships,
coastal points and industrial centers.