Evening star., 1944-04-02
Gov. BriCker
.ormalcy Candidate
Hopes for Deadlock
Continued From Page C-13

he has not had to think far ahead
on domestic issues, let alone inter-
national problems. AS a State off,
|cial he has dealt with immediate
pressing problems, mostly on budg-
|etry and personnel matters. In
these days of unprecedentedly large
national incomes, particularly in a
State with sales tax, budgetry
Questions almost solve themselves
and leave whopping surplus, which
makes telling political contrast
with deficits of Democratic regimes,
when the State was subjected to
hard times plus poor administration.
Friends in Nearby States.
Bricker's outstanding record in
Ohio has brought him rank land file
political support from nearby In
diana, Michigan and Illinois. So
far he has shown little strength east
|of the Alleghenies, and, in keeping
with the plan to avoid making ene-
mics, he has kept out of the presi-
DENTAL primaries. Some prospective
southern delegates are said to have
been lined up for him by Lucas and
Marshall, but Willkie claims he has
five times the strength of other
candidates in those Democratic re-
|gions.
Bricker has just completed March
3O a handshaking and speaking
trip which took him to Birming-
ham, Ala; Little Rock, Oklahoma
City, Wichita and Denver. His Ohio
political training has given him
pleasant technique for the brief,
semiconfidential conferences a can
didate has with local politicians.
He becomes one of folks" and at
the same time maintains the dignity
people like to associate with a Gov
ernor and presidential candidate.
No sketch OF Bricker and his
political career would be complete
without mention of Mrs. Bricker.
who often accompanies him on his
speaking engagements. She, too, is
a native Ohioan and a graduate of
Ohio State University, where she was
a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma
Sorority, reigned as May queen and
was active in the YWCA. The
daughter of Maj and Mrs. r. M.
Day of Urbana, Ohio, she wanted
to be a doctor. Her father thought
this an unladyike ambition, so she
majored in chemistry, with high
grades. She keeps up her interest
in this subject and Is responsible for
those portions of the Bricker
speeches dealing with the postwar
prospects OF chemigury, plastics and
electronics.
The two were not college mates.
Bricker first saw the striking bru-
nette, Miss Harriet Day, when he
returned to Columbus in his chap
lain's uniform. They were married
in 1920. More than 10 years ago
they adopted boy, who now is l3
Years old.
Mrs. Bricker, still strikingly at
tractive, is no mean politician her
self. She subordinates her opinions
to those OF her husband and is
warmly gracious with all she meets.
She is used to being told that she
resembles Mrs. Grace Coolidge. She
would be political asset for any
candidate, especially with those
voters who do not care for Mrs.
Roosevelt.
1t might be said that Bricker's
political views resemble those of
Calvin Coolidge, who was elected
Vice President in the "normalcy"
landslide Of 1920. There are some
professional politicians, Democrats
as well as Republicans, who believe
that by November Of this year q
majority of voters will want Presi-
dent who will not be aggressive and
not have big plans for the future,
one who will try to bring back the
good old days Of low taxes and high
dividends, unrationed meat and
gasoline and aloofness from the
complexities and intrigues of world
affairs.
OF all the Republican presidential
possibilities-Dewey, Willkie, Mac
Arthur, Stassen and even Taft
Bricker devotes the most attention
to looking backward. If the voters
want a President of that type.
Bricker is their man.
published by Special Arrangement With
ha Tr,1i~ D~~t