Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1946-06-07

It's great time to lean back in
chair in the Senate office building
or Whereabouts, open another bottle
of White Rock, light another see
gar, and burble on about what's 60
ing to happen come November, and,
still more intriguing, to prognosti-
cate on presidential possibilities.
It's fun for the newcomers be-
cause it's so easy for them to pre-
dict, in the light of what's happen
ing right now, just what will happen
then. It's still more fun for the old
timers because they know that the
voters who may not love you in the
autumn often seem very palsy in
the spring-and vice versa.
Since there isn't much use in spec
ulating on who the Democratic pres
idential nominee will be, it's more
interesting to talk about Republican
possibilities.
Perhaps that is why, along about
the middle of May, the heavy back
ers of Bob Taft began to be heard
from. Up until then, most of the
talk in the couloirs was how Bricker
was the No. ! boy, and how Stassen
mustn't even be mentioned above a
whisper. Even Stassen's own men
decided it was better for the young
man from Minnesota to keep his
head down so he wouldn't attract
any lightning until he had found out
whether his forums we're more po-
tent than the against-em's
Now it's getting to be more
serious fun to talk about Taft.
Taft wants to be President. He
has wanted to be President be-
fore. He is pretty much mas
ter of the Republican organiza-
ton, but even if he weren't,
Bricker, his present friend and
rival, is more "beatable,' de-
spite the good impression he
made on his speaking tour be-
fore the last convention
what with the leftist look in so
many veterans eyes.
Bricker has a staunch and solid
conservative following. But it is a
little too solidly conservative. Taft
could hardly be called a radical. In
fact, his political garden has never
produced even a pale and lonely
pink. On the other hand, his sup
porters prudently can point to many
a constructively liberal asure
which has had his blessing.
Only the other day, was talking
with an ardent administration Of
fetal who has been battling for a
measure badly battered by conserv-
atives of both political stripes. I
asked him if he could expect to re-
trieve in the senate a certain pro-
vision in his legislation, lost in the
house.
"Oh, yes" he answered, Bob
Taft will go along on that"
And Taft has good liberal rec
ord on such mass-appeal measures
as housing.
The Republicans don't have
to deal with the Old-line bosses
to the extent that the Demo-
Gratis do and in two of the larger
cities where the Republican
machine is vital-Philadeiphia
and Cincinnati everything
"Ouiu NC jane 81 Lar dS lat
is concerned. He. himself. is
kingpin in his home state organ
izatiOn and Mr.. Pew, who
makes the Republican wheels
60 round in Pennsylvania, want
ed Taft in 40 and IA. 1t is to
be presumed he'll feel the same
in '48.
This doesn't eliminate other bril-
liant possibilities, including Messrs.
Stassen and Vandenberg, both of
whose political futures may be
nodded by international develop
ments.
Mr.. Vandenberg has done a lot
of the molding himself. This could
work both ways. On the one hand,
the energy and devotion with which
Mr.. Vandenberg has applied him
self to foreign affairs, and the pow
erful influence he has exerted, have
greatly increased his silhouette on