The Wilmington morning star., 1940-05-13
WASH|NGTON
DAYBOOK
By JACK STINNETT

WASHINGTON, May 12-Any writer of any
consequence can get an interview any time with
any candidate for almost any political office
and you can bet anything you want that any
candidate with common sense is going to do his
best to give any writer only that impression and
material which will reflect greatest credit to him,
the candidate.
That's why it's fun, sometimes, to do a little
6gurative keyhole peeping and see what traits
a candidate will disclose when he's ofguard.
That's why, caught in a corner Of an inner
sanctum of Senator Bob Tafts presidential cam
paign headquarters, surrounded only by Taft
friends and workers, I kept my mouth shut
when the Senator himself made his appearance.
That's how I'm able to pass along a fve-min-
ute profile of a presidential candidate with his
hair (what there is Of it, down.
In those five unguarded minutes he did three
things:
1. Asked advice, weighed the source, and didn't
take it.
2. Kicked the props out from under the par
donable enthusiasm of one of his lieutenants.
3. Gave his press department boys a headache
by correcting their count on some unmatched
chickens, and then tried to ease their pain by
debating a conservatively optimistic release on
what he thinks of his prospects at the Repub-
lican convention, as Of the present date.
whether the PD boys are sending this release
around or consider it too mild a claim for pub
LEGATION I haven't heard YETI
He Pares EN- Down
I was chatting with a campaign worker who
had just returned from a middle western sur
vey.
Now you take Nebraska" he said, Dewey
won the preferential primary (Taft wasn't In 1t)
but dope is that 10 of IA delegates are just wait
ing to switch to Taft
Just then the big, baldish, bespectacled son of
a President who wants to walk in his rathers
footsteps entered the room. He overheard the re-
mark.
"Now wait a minute. That isn't fair" Taft
said. "You can't say that for sure. Let's stick to
the facts. That was just somebody's guess. I'm
doubling that I break into that delegation until
I see it happen"
The lieutenant grinned sheepishly and didn't
argue.
Taft writes his own speeches and really sweats
over them. He read a few paragraphs from one
he had been wrestling with.
The assemblage enthused. That's fine! Swell!
Great, Chiefv'
The Senator looked over the crowd of Eyes,
sers'' and smiled. WELL" he said slowly. Il still
don't think it says exactly what I mean. I'd
better work on it a while longer"
One of the workers asked the boss to run
over some estimates Of Taft strength that were
being prepared for a press release. In almost
every instance Taft revised the list downward.
The workers face heightened at every check of
the pencil.
Understand" said Taft, 1--WE are making nc
outright claims. Here, for instance, we have two
instructed delegates in North Carolina. The sen
timent isn't unfavorable in some other states
That's ALL"
(Whether the PD boys are sending this re
lease around or consider it too mild a claim fol
publication I haven't heard YETI
He Pops EN- Up
Before long, the press department gang was
glooming and said so. Taft laughed. A right, .
he SAID. Here's an authorized statement:
II Senator Taft will have mora votes m +be
first ballot than any other candidate.
20. Senator Taft will have delegate stranot
in practically every state.
"3. Senator Taft is the second choice Of moro