The Wilmington morning star., 1944-02-03
BY wEsTBROOK PEGLER

ALBANY, Quite a lot of trained observers
as reporters are sometimes called will be
dropping into Albany between now and June
to take looks at Tom Dewey in the role of
governor because it looks as though he will
be the Republican nominee against his pre-
Gecessor in the little office on the second
floor of the great monstrous heap of a build
ing called the State Capitol of New York.
In some ways the situation resembles that of
1882 when Mr. Roosevelt was beginning to get
hot and so many Of us thought that if we
could just have legalized light wine and beer
most of our troubles would be solved. Cover
nor Dewey hasn't said he wants the nominal
ton but neither has he said he will not accept
it and you can be sure he will because he
will have to. How could he refuse?
Suppose then that in the election he wins
and Mr. Roosevelt and Mrs. Roosevelt pack
up and move back to New York or Hyde
Park and the new deal crowd go swarming
out of town in great exodus. That is not an
easy suppostion because even Dewey's best
friends won't claim that against the Roosevelt
organization and the soldier vote which would
60 to the Cine, Mr.. Dewey has an even
chance However, it might happen and in
that case Woodworking, conscientious. am
bilious young fellow of As would be pitched
into a career of terrible responsibility, work,
worry and heartache He would have to take
over the presidency Of an enormous nation IN
this awful war and replace thousands OF new
deal people with his own, keep the war run
ming I'd victory. get acquainted with Churchlll,
or Eden and Stain. clean up the Il Dor mess,
stand off initiation, and finally, make a be-
ginning at least in the appalling problem OF
bringing Sthe fighters home from Europe, II
not from Asia. India and the south Pacific,
and easing them back into jobs not on public
pay rolls but in private industry in such
way as to stand off connections. 1t is not
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vanity or an ambition to be historic or Tor
any other motive but patriotism and deep
desire to serve his country and his people.
Dewey and Mrs. Dewey surely know that the
next four year sand perhaps eight years woulo
promise not single hour of JOY it he should
win.
Dewey is campaigning, if you care to say
so. by keeping right on top of his job as
governor and turning in remarkably fine
performance, getting along well with poll.
ticians and others, running a GOOD state ano
lust doing his work. He always ran gooo
office as district attorney in New York where
he and his staff were an enthusiastic team
very little bothered by jealousy or 1rlcuor
and the only bad press he received was trace
able to personal dislike of him because ne mas
way of putting the eye on you with those
cleaning black orbs which seem almost u
pop when he gets enthusiastic or mao' or pc
cause he was inclined to be cocky as, IN
deed, he was, being young 1eilo" ana very
smart and full of success.
He is less coclxy now and thoroughly ma
+ure and he offers remarks that government
;s y nrofession requiring experience and great
constant study, which hasn't meant to me he
was trying to improve himself IN the art o.
government for the purpose OF returning te
nrivate law practice. Young fellows who come
in from the country and make good spec
tacularly in New York are inclined to throw
weight about but if that was one OF Dewey
faults when he was throwing the New York
racketeers and some of the toughest of the
low-down politicians into Sing Sing, ne IS
grown I'm now. believe he would have beer
rnangled if he instead of Willkie had beer
nominated in 1910, not only because he was
still little green but because the people
would have SHE'D away from the idea OF a
40-year-old president. with the war turning