The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-04-12
Candidates! Candidates!
seDaysSSy' 9 Yu I3+i z. RsoR02;ky

The demise OF Wendell Willkie
as a candidate has inevitably end
ed an unarranged truce among
Republican sspirants for the presi.
dency. AS long as Willkie was
around, most OF the boys hid in
the bushes waiting for a Willkie-
Dewey deadlock at the convention.
The exception to that of course, Is
John BrickeF who frankly an
nounced his candidacy and has
been out preaching sound Republi-
can doctrine in an intensive CAM
paign over the country. Stassen is
in the Navy; Macarthur In Austria.
la; the rest were selfappolnted
dark horses.
With Willkie gone, the dark
horses are removing the camou-
flage. Some of them, quite natural
ly. would Ike to succeed to what
ever strength Willkie possessed.
Others are hoping that Dewey and
Bricker will be deadlocked at the
| convention. Still others believe
that Willkie will. in spite of his
elimination, be able 10 stop Dewey
and that another candidate will be
/ needed.
Governor Edge OF New Jersey
has played a droll role. The Re
/ publieans' in his state are for
Dewey, but Edge got through his
/ legislature a stop-Dewey primary
la in the hope that he would head
an uninstructed delegation which
had the battle OF Wisconsin not
gone as it did. he would have turn.
). ed over to Willkie. Republican
.. leadership in New Jersey is in a
state OF contest and had the gov.
e.Eor succeeded he would have con.
trolled both state and federal pat
! ronage which would have made him
as powerful as Hague.
his idea has gone the way OF
the candidate upon which il was
hinged. Governor Edges friends
are smoothly-and with the well.
known loudspeaking difference so
fashionable these days-speaking
his name as d possible candidate.
But not probable one.
Eric Johnston, president OF the
Chamber OF Commerce of the Unit
ed States, business man from the
state OF Washington, is being
doomed with considerable energy.
Eric has boen to London and has
been invited to Moscow-so. by
current style and fashion he is
an authority on international rela-
:. lions. II he ever really gets to
Moscow and back. he will have
clans on the internationalistic fol
lowing OF Wendell Wnlkie.
| Johnston makes a very good
speech, written or impromptu, He
has produced some articles for
" eader's Digest. principally deal
ing with his own reinterpetation OF
capitalism or private enterprise
whichever you like to call 1t. and
tn Articles are good, although
neither startling nor important
contributions to human knowledge,
Nevertheless. they have won for
Johnston a significant measure Of
leadership among the second level
of business men. by which | mean
those who, during the next de
cade. will become the presidents
and chairmen OF thel arEer corpora.
tions. During Johnston's presiden-
cy OF the Chamber OF Commerce.
he has been able 70 maintain a
running relationship with the
White House and with the leaders
Of the AT. OF L. and the CLIO.
This is an unusual record for a
Chamber OF Commerce president.
However. Johnston has mover
been engaged in legislation nor has
he ever been a governor OF a state
or a cabinet officer and therefore.
he will not be considered fayorably
by the Republicans who are likely
TO demand OF It's candidate a pub.
lie record that will stand up in a
campaign II Roosevelt runs, tho
Republicans will want to answer
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