Evening star., 1944-06-25

The 23d quadrennial Republican Ma
tional Convention assemblies in Chicago
tomorrow. Meeting in the midst of
great war; the conventions choice for
President may give to the country, after
the first of the new year, a new Com
mander in Chief"
In one respect, the convention
promises to be history making. The
delegates are expected to nominate as
their presidential candidate a man who
has consistently declared for two years
that he was not and would not become
a candidate for the nomination. He is
Gov. Thomas E. Dewey, New York's A.
year-old chief executive. He never,
however, closed the door by saying he
would decline to run if nominated.
Only two avowed candidates for the
presidential nomination will have their
names presented to the convention
Gov. John w. Bricker of Ohio and Rep
resentative Everett M. Dirkson OF
Illinois
A third avowed candidate for the
nomination, Wendell L. Wilkie, retired
from the field after disastrous defeat in
the Wisconsin primaries last April
Former Gov. Harold E. Stassen of
Minnesota-now a lieutenant COM
mander in the Navy, serving in the
South Pacif1c--has said he is not a
candidate, but that he would accept
nomination if it came to him. His name
will be formally placed before the con-
vention.
Macarthur Definitely Out.
Gen. Douglas Macarthur, in command
of the forces fighting the Japs in the
Southwest Pacific, despite the fact that
some delegates pledged to him had al
ready been elected and his name had
been entered in several presidential
preferential primaries, some weeks ago
announced not only that he was not q
candidate but that he would not accept
If nominated, recalling the famous Sher-
man declaration made several genera
tions ago.
There is curious derth this year Of
so-called favorite-son candidates. This
is still more strange in view of the fact
that 26 of the 48 Governors of States
are Republicans. One of them, Gov.
Dewey, is the likely nominee, and an
other, Gov. Bricker, is contender.
The rest have been strangely silent.
Indeed, Gov. Warren of California. who
heads his State delegation, has in
structed it not to vote for him for
either the presidential nomination or
the vice presidential. Gov. Griswold of
Nebraska has released those of his State
delegation who were pledged to him and
urged them to vote for Gov Dewey.
Dewey hackers would like to see Gov.
Willis of Kentucky and Joe Baldwin
of Connecticut do likewise.
Obviously it would not have been diff
cult for many of these Republican Gov
ernors to go to the convention with
their State delegations pledged to vote
for them on the first ballot, or for
many ballots thereafter. 1t may be
that some of these delegations will, in
fact, turn in their votes for their Gov
ernors on the first ballot But If the
Dewey swing starts Immediately, as it
PAoo"oiy Will, hcdiiy du are eXpeCCep 10
leap on the bandwagon without delay.
Dewey Favored in Polls.
The demand for the silent Dewey.
shown in all polls of public opinion and
in those primaries in which delegates
ran pledged to him despite his remon-
strances, may have had something to
with this lack of favorite- son can
didacies. During recent days, however,
efforts have been made to drum up such
candidates., by supporters of other
potential nominees than Dewey, in the
belief that first ballot nomination
might thus be denied the New Yorker.
While the presidential nomination is