Evening star., 1944-03-26
WISCONSIN Picture MuddIed
|As Primary Elections Near
BY GOULD LINCOLN.
Star stan Correspondent.

10y NOoA/D A<AANSOAASs
Star Stan Correspondent.
MILWAUKEE, Mar. 25.-The Wis
consin primary results April 4 may
provide the answers to at least two
Important political questions for
the Republicans.
| The first Is whether Wendell L,
Willkie can slow up and perhaps
halt the pronounced drift to draft
Gov. Thomas E. Dewey for the
presidential nomination.
The second Is whether there is
real sentiment among the voters
for the nomination of Gen. Douglas
Macarthur for President.
Mr.. Willkie, now campaigning in
wisconsin for delegates to the par
lty's national convention, during the
last week has repeatedly declared
1.-THE Wisconsin primaries will point
the way the Republican National
Convention will go next June, both
as to the presidential nominee and
the party platform. He has said
again and again that the campaign
here is a tough fight"
Isolationism StHl Strong.
1t is tough f1ght--with four of
the principal Republican presidential
possibilities represented in the con-
test by delegate candidates Mr..
Willkie, Gov. Dewey, Gen. MacAr-
thur and former Coy. Harold Stas-
sen of Minnesota. Gov. John Bricker
of Ohio has not entered the fight
But there LIS reason to believe that
some of the Dewey delegates, ii
elected and Gov. Dewey, for one
reason or another, cannot be
nominated, would swing to the
Ohio Governor.
Mr.. Willkie and his supporters
take the position that it is Mr.. Will
kie against the field in this contest
II they are correct, on purely
mathematical basis, the advantage
should be with Mr.. Willkie, for his
Opposition is then divided three
ways.
However, in this State where the
old isolationist sentiment still ex-
lists, If under the surface, the voters
who favor international collabora-
ton may divide somewhat between
Mr.. Willkie and Comdr. Stassen, who
have advocated much the same for
eign policies. And by the same
token, the so-called isolationists-
the old American Firsters-may
divide their allegiance between Gov
Dewey and Gen. Macarthur.
Situation Clouded.
The situation is about as clear
as mud. Wisconsin in the past has
done many surprising things politi-
cally and 1t may again. The elec-
torate on the morning of April S
may wake up to find that Mr.
Willkie has swept the State, or that
the advantage is all with Gov
Dewey. Neutral observers are guess
ing that there will be a division
Of the "a delegates to the national
convention among all four Of the
candidates.
The reasons they give for such q
guess are that much Dewey senti-
ment exists in the State, despite
his request to the delegates pledged
to him to withdraw; that Mr.. Will
kie has helped himself with hi;
campaign here; that Comdr. Stas-
sen is from neighbor State, ano
that Gen. Macarthur, in addition tx
being a national military hero, is q
favorite candidate for Wisconsin.
Mr.. Willkie, in addition to being
the only candidate who personally
has come into the State in search
of delegates, is the only candidate
to whom a full slate is pledged
"a in ALL There are % Macarthur
pledged candidates; 10 pledged tc
Comdr. Stassen and is pledged tc
Gov. Dewey. -Four more delegate
candidates, now running unin.
structed, are really Dewey men.
There were Dewey candidates in
every district and four for delegate
at-large before the New York Gov
ernor sent his message asking them
to withdraw on the ground he was
not a candidate. Nine followed
Gov. Dewey's wish. One Of them
Vernon Thompson, speaker of the
Assembly, Immediately became a
candidate on the Willkie slate. -Four
Of the Dewey delegates decided to
run as "uninstructed" candidates
and they are those who still may be
counted in the Dewey column.
One of the Dewey delegates
State Senator Bernhard Gettleman
insists that the Dewey sentiment
in the State is as strong as ever.
THE movement for Dewey was
started here with the full knowledge