Evening star., 1947-07-19
The Political Mil
Dewey Seen Unworried
At Field Aquinst Him
6. o. P. Old Guard Plans Maneuvers
To Stop New Yorker
By Gould Lincoln

ny oU"h LHCO"
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah-In this stiil-un-
declared warfare for the Republican presi-
Dental nomination of 1948-except for the an
nounced candidacy of former Gov. Harold
E. Stassen of ADMINISTRATION. Thomas E.
Dewey of New York is far out in the lead as
of today, if the estimates, privately made.
OF the Republican Governors who attended the
Conference of Governors here are correct. Yet
some Of them insist Mr.. Dewey can be beaten.
None of them appears to have the exact for
mula or the perfect candidate with whom to
defeat the New Yorker at the Republican Ma
tional Convention next June But they are
working at it.
The one thing these opponents of a Dewey
nomination agree on is: He must be stopped,
and that can be done if enough favorite-Son
candidates 60 to the convention with dele
cations who will stick by them through the
early ballots, no matter what pressure may be
brought to bear on them. 1t will take lot
of clever manuevering. Senator Taft of Ohio.
1t is we'll understood, will go into the national
convention with the Ohio delegation safely in
his pocket. He is more than favorte cam
didate, however, and will have the delegates of
number of States, it is claimed. Then there
are Green of Illinois, Vandenberg of Michigan,
Warren of California, who may get the delega-
tions of Pacific Coast and Mountain States if
he should ever go after them; Saltonstau of
Massachusetts,, Baldwin of Connecticut, Martin
of Pennsylvania and Halleck of Indiana.
1t is a formidable lst-this field against Gov
Dewey-on paper. But how far any or all of
them will be willing to go, or how long they can
hold their delegations intact remains to be
seen. One great difficulty of the stop Dewey
maneuver is to center on another candidate to
carry the ball across the line-eSpecially with
number of personal ambitions to be considered.
There are two possible dark candi-
dates, either of whom might upset the apple
cart, not only of Gov. Dewey but also of the
other named aspirants-Gen. Eisenhower and
Gen. Macarthur. Gen. Eisenhower has insisted
he is not a canddate-that he could not in any
event run against his commander in chief,
President Truman. He is, however, soon to be-
come president of Columbia University and the
pressure to get him to run will be intensified.
Gen. Macarthur is still in Japan If he should
return to the United States next year, a wave
of Macarthur sentiment might sweep the
country. Two factors may keep them out of the
race. The first is that both of these men have
won places of tremendous fame, and may wish
to stand on what they have done. The second
Is that the voters may not take kindly to the
idea of having professional military man for
Chief Executive.
Opposition to the Dewey candidacy centers
particularly today in three great States
Pennsylvania Ohio, Illinois-States each with
large delegations in the national convention.
Strong forces in Pennsylvania are working
against the New Yorker. Pennsylvania is eX-
pected ITO put forward Senator Martin-former
Governor-as its favorite-son candidate. Indeed,
there are powerful Republican leaders in the
State who hope that Mr. Martin may be the
choice of the convention, if Gov. Dewey is
stopped The Old Guard in all three of these
States is lined up against the New Yorker. 1t
considers Gov. Dewey too much of New
Dealer, largely because of some of the speeches
he made in the 1914 campaign when he was
running for President.
Admit Dewey Has Luck.
Republican Governors who attended the Gov
ernors' Conference freely admit that Gov.
Dewey has the luck that he gets the advantage
of always being in the spotlight, one way or
another. When he was 38 years old he was
a leading contender for the presidential nomi-
nation, although the only public office he had
ever won was District Attorney of New York
County His prominence grew out of his cour-
age and success as buster OF rackets in New
York. Since then he has established reputa-
S"SAN'
Though defeated in his first tries, he has won
both a presidential nomination and the Gov
ernorShip of New York
After losing to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1914,
it looked as though Mr.. Deweys chances of
obtaining second presidential nomination in
1948 were pretty slim. He was, however, still
Governor of New York, and last year he
carried that State again, by about 100000 and
he leaped right back into the 1948 race by that
act alone.
Almost everything Gov. Dewey touches turns
to political capital. He has made an excellent
record as Governor of New York. He started
recently on vacation" through the Middle
West, and he has had million dollars worth
of publicity out of it, and it still continues.
Gov. Dewey has not announced himself
candidate. He may never do so. He does not
have to, as matter of fact, for every one be-
Iieves he is. He seems intent at present on
letting nature take its course. He knows he has
the field against him, but he is not letting that
get him down-and he keeps right on making
as many adherents as he can.