Evening star., 1944-04-02

Gov. John William Brcker of Ohio
according to some professional politi-
clans, is getting bad advice in his
campaign for the Republican presiden-
tial nomination. This sympathetic ex-
cuse for Brickers precenvention slump
does an injustice both to Bricker and
his advisers. The campaign, with the
Misunderstanding strategy and eouivocal
speeches, is typical of this normally
candidate. If it succeeds, the glory is
Bricker's; if it fails to click, his is the
responsibility.
Every Ohio Governor, like every New
York Governor, becomes by that fact
alone a Democratic or Republican presi-
dental possibility Since the Civil War
II native Ohioans have been Republican
presidential nominees. Since that time
seven Ohioans have occupied the White
House. The State ranks next to Vir-
ginia as "the mother of Presidents"
Bricker is in the Ohio Republican
tradition of Harding, Taft, Mckinley,
Benjamin Harrison, Garfield, Hayes and
Grant, none of whom is remembered
as having accomplished anything of
historic eminence while President He
has been called IAN honest Harding"
but this is unfair to him and the late
President. Harding was personally
honest, but misplaced his faith in such
men as Harry Daugherty, Albert B. Fall,
Jess Smith and Charles R. Forbes.
Bricker's personal integrity needs no
emphasis and his selections for State
officials during his three terms as Gov
ernor have generally been regarded as
excellent. They certainly were so in
comparison with the appointees of his
Democratic predecessor Martin L.
Davey
Bricker's candidacy is a home grown
Ohio affair and the men behind Bricker
at present are most Ohioans. He has
two campaign managers, Roy Moore of
Brush-Moore newspaper chain in Ohio
and John w. Galbreath of Columbus,
of Real Estate Boards. Preston Wolfe
of the well-known Wolfe newspaper
family Of Columbus and A. A. Hoopin-
garner direct the publicity. Bricker has
the support of Senator Robert A. Taft
| of Ohio, for whom he stepped aside in
Taft's preconvention campaign in 1910,
and David ingalls, of Cleveland, Ohio
Republican national committeeman
Others identified with the campaign
are former Representative John w.
Hollister of Cincinnati, John Marshall,
Washington lawyer, and Robert H. Lucas
of Kentucky, formerly executive director
of the Republican National Committee.
Long Shots on Dark Horses.
In addition to this State group, the
Bricker people are shrewdly keeping in
close touch with the 20 Republican
members of the House from Ohio,
among whom are several smart poll
ticians.
There have been reports that the Pew
oil family of Pennsylvania and the du
Pont interests of Delaware favor Bricker
but substantiating proof is lacking A
preconvention campaign of the Bricker
type doesn't cost a lot of money, and
while the financiers and industrialists
may be putting up few thousand dol
lars here an dthere on Bricker and other
! less known candidates, these contribu-
tions are usually just long shots on dark
| horses. Earlier, Bricker was considered
by some professional politicians and
their moneyed hackers as one of several
candidates to be supported in a STOP
| Willkie maneuver, but since Willkie
has dropped down in the polls while
Dewey's percentage has climbed, not
much is heard of this stratagem
Bricker and his advisers are following
the general strategy by which Harry
Daugherty put over the nomination of
Harding in 1920, when former Gov.
| LoWden of Illinois, Maj. Gen. Wood and
Senator Hiram johnson were the lead
Ing candidates. At Chicago next June
| Gov. Dewey, Willkie and Gen. Mac
Arthur probably will have more first
ballot votes than the Ohio Governor.
whose hopes, despite Ohio's SO delegates
to the convention must be based on
| deadlocked convention. Harding was
| nominated on the tenth roll call.
Under this strategy, the candidate
| avoids making enemies within the party.
seeks support from all sources, visits as
many parts of the country as possible
to meet influential politicians, Is acces-
sible to and affable with newspaper and
| magazine writer's, and does not take
definite stand on specific issues. 1t is