Evening star., 1946-05-08

SlOH. Frank X. Kent.
1t is too much to say that If Mr..
StaSsen'S candidate should be beat
Ell he would be eliminated from the
presidential race. But it is not too
much to say that his chances would
be diminished. 1t would appear first,
that he had made rather bad mis-
take of political judgment; second.
that the Republican party of his
home State was not enthusiastically
with him; third, that the narrow
nationalism, to the rejection of
which he has contributed so much,
far from being dead was dominant
In the State where he should be
strongest.
Would Draw Parallel.
Undoubtedly that is the way a
Stassen defeat in July would be con-
strued In Washington, in London
and in Moscow. 1t would seem a
setback for the leading internation-
alist by the most irreconcilable iso-
lationist-becauSe that is exactly
what Senator Shipstead is. Outside
Minnesota the powerful local issues
which will play a large part In the
result would be neither understood
nor appreciated. BY the enemies Of
Mr.. Stassen a parallel would be
drawn with the 1914 defeat of Wen
dell Willkie by Gov. Thomas E..
Dewey In the Wisconsin primaries
which Mr.. Willkie interpreted as a
defeat for the principle of inter-
national cooperation for which he
stood. AS result, he withdrew
from the field, an embittered man.
Though the scontest may easily be
decided by the above mentioned
local issues. the result in Minnesota
certainly will have not only a ma
tional but an international effect
denomination of Senator Ship
stead, who was one Of the two Sen
ators to vote against the United
Nations Charter, would be a blow
to the Stassen candidacy but also
1t would deeply distress every
friend of international co-opera-
ton, as exemplified by the United
Nations, all over the world.
Stassen supporters by no means
feel that defeat in these primaries
is likely. They are convinced that
Gov. Thye will be nominated and
that that will greatly enhance the
Stassen prestige and strengthen
the United Nations organization
with the launching of which Mr..
Stassen had considerable to do.
Shipstead's Fight Effective.
However. they do admit that
Senator Shipstead is making a
much more cunning and effective
fight than they had believed posi-
BILE. He strongly stresses the local
issues, pictures Gov. Thye as a
hand picked Stassen stooge, and
charges that the campaign against
him is being engineered from New
York and the East. Also, he has
developed more support in the
country press and among the coun-
try people than was expected.
In addition, remnants of the old
Ferm-Labor party with which Sen
ator Shipstead was originally affli-
ated are rallying to his cause. And
Miss Doris Fleeson states in her
column that the wicked Democrats,
with slight contest in their own
party, are preparing to enter the
Republican primary on the Ship
stead side on the theory that his
nomination not only would make it
easier to elect the Democratic State
ticket this year but would damage
Mr.. Stassen as national figure In
194S.
On the other side, the Stassen
ticket has the best of the machine
support in both counties and cities
Mr.. Stassen has a greater personal
following than any other Mime
sotan and the Thye campaign will
be adequately financed. The real
danger to Mr.. Stassen, so far as
these primaries are concerned, Is
overconf1dence. The fact that he
and his aides are today looking
clearly at the realities of the situa-