The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-06-07

The tug-of-war Is to get him
committed to go along with the
Republican candidate-and there
doesn't seem much doubt that the
candidate will be Dewey. COP
leaders with their ears to the
ground figure that Willkie has a
big bloc Of do-or-die followers who
will follow him to the bitter end,
and that these followers could tip
the scale between victory or de-
feat. They figure that a million
votes at a minimum could be
swung be swung be swung away
from the Republicans to Roose-
welt, should Willkie choose to sup
port the President.
hat is why men close to WILL
kie, such as Harry Luce, pub
Usher Of Time, Life and For
tune, have been urging him to
get on the Dewey band-wagOn.
On the other hand, few die
hards such as Clarence Burlington
Kelland, Arizona novelist who was
deposed as publicity chief of the
Republican National Committee,
have been passing out word that
they don't want WILKES support
for Dewey. Kelland is close
friend of Herbert Hoover's, was
one of Hoover's guests at the
famous Bohemian Grove celebra-
ton near San Francisco. dow
ever, 1t is not known whether
he voices Hoover's idea when he
wants Willkie to be spurned.
simultaneously. certain other
COP leaders, apparently worried
about Kelland's sour-grapes atti-
tude, have been making advances
Willie. The last thing they want
Is to lose the Willkie bloc of
votes.
CAPITAL CHAFF
At one time, Madame Chang
Kai-shek was almost persuaded
by vivacious Bob Smith, general
manager of the Los Angeles News,
to write daily column rivaling
Mrs. Roosevelt's. But Madame
Chiang's advisers vetoed the idea.
Ambassador Laurence Stein
hardt is coming back from Tur-
key for conferences. Despite all
the Allied pressure, plus Allied
lend-lease, Nazi Ambassador Won
Papen has been able to keep the
Turks in line. Won Papen was
German military attache in Wash
ington before the U. s. A. en-
tered the last war and was later
shown to have plotted to blow
up the Welland Canal and to have
been involved in toher large scale
sabotage he rump conven-
ton of South Carolina Negroes,
who will seek seats at the Demo-
cratic National Convention in
Chicago, will not be seated on
the ground that they did not hold
county conventions. Actually, their
convention was a spur -the-mo-
ment matter, organized by one
man, and did not represent the
Negroes of South Carolina.
owl VICTORY
The recent Congressional APP
preparation for the Office of War
Information was a real victory
for patient, unperturbed owl
chief Elmer Davis. How hot the
battle was, can be gathered from
an incident involving New York
Daily News columnist John o.
Donnell, who was working in close
contact with bitter owl opponent
Rep. John Taber of New York.
ODonnell had written a long
diatribe against owl based on
material allegedly received from
Australia. This article came up
before the House Appropriations
Committee, where Congresmen
asked Elmer Davis about 1t. He
then prepared a carefully docu-
mented answer to O'Donnell's cri-
ticiSmS.
Later, owl got phone call
from columnist ODonnell. Reach
ing Assistant Director George
Barnes, O'Donnell sputtered:
why didn't you call me about
this when 1t happened? I rep
resent the paper with the big
gest circulation in the world
IN. Y. Daily News). Wry didn't
you get in touch with me? I
want OF knO wOWI's answer"
s'If we corrected all of yOur