Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-03-16
Bricker Gains
AsLikeIyG OP
Choice in "A
Ohio Governor Winning
Backing from WiIIkie
BY PAUL MALLON

WASHINGTON March 10
w Gov. Bricker of Ohio today
seems TO have the best chance
of being the 1914 presidential
nominee of the Republican
Party
He is not yet familiar ma
tional figure. Few people know
him beyond his record is a good
three term governor who has
made some sense out of bewil-
dered state, government.
But he is already getting
promises of substantial bloc
of delegates.
He has inherited the Taft or
ganiz ION throughout the
South. and that sectisn is con-
fidently counted for him, except
possibly Georgia, where a rat
tleSnake situation exists.
Add to these the votes Of
Ohio and possibly New York,
and you have the beginning of
a formidable candidacy.
MIR. WILLKIE has been get
A'l ting all the publicity, but the
question is where will he get the
votes. He is working on Indi-
ana and some of the northwest
ern states like Washington and
Oregon are counted at this adj
vance date as being probable"
for him. Obviously New England
and the Middle West have not
proved especially fertile fields
for his viewpoint. He will also
certainly not get California,
Iowa or Illinois. So where is his
delegate strength 10 come
from?
, Most of the Republican lead
ers seem TO be taking New
York's governor Dewey at his
declining word. He would, of
course. have New York, if he
ran and could build up a strong
candidacy elsewhere.
But to get into the race at all,
over the barrier of his official
declination, he would have to
be drafted. and no draft move
ment has been started or seems
to be contemplated.
This makes the pre-conven-
ton race stand today as a con-
test between Bricker and Will
kie with the edge on Bricker's
side.
No doubt many favorite son
candidates. will develop, StasSen
in Minnesota, MacNider in Iowa,
Saftonstall in Massachusetts,
etc, but most of these seem
likely in the end to become
allied with the major candi-
dacies. tStassen for Willkie for
inStance.)
THE Democratic situation is
l. still running loose. The test
blackout of politics for a fourth
term, as staged the past few
weeks, looked good to some
Roosevelt followers, poor to
others. No one came out except
those you would expect-Guffey,
SABBATH. Mead, etc. Nothing very
encouraging was heard from the
great bulk of the party leaders
in Congress whose voices would
have sounded bigger.
True, the mere mention OF
such a hideous thought Ito Re-
publicans), discouraged some of
the opposition political figures.
The Gallup poll incidentally it
did not contain detailed state
figures which would have been
more convincing), suggested Mr..
Roosevelt would have a fourth
term popular majority OF only
50 or So per cent IF the war
was still on" year from next
November.
No one knows when the war
will be over. The ideal time for
ii to end from New Deal poll
teal standpoint Gf il could be
ended by political desire and it
can'D, would be along about
next summer. The campaign
would then catch FDR in the
midst of peace negotiations. He
would then have the prestige of
having won and could beg not
TO be interrupted in the peace.
Usually after wars, however, a
natural popular spirit of nation