Evening star., 1947-10-09
The Political Mill
Eisenhower Boom Fails
To Blossom Overnight
Agitation for Nomination Comes Only
From Kansas, Missouri and d. G.
By Gould Lincoln

BY G0Hld Lincoln
The Eisenhower boom for President has still
to develop mushroom characteristics 1t hasn't
blcssomed overnight. Up to date there has
been much interest in the suggestion that Gen.
Eisenhower become candidate for presden-
tial nominations-presumably Republican
nomination. There has, however, been little
or no action. In the States of the Far West,
recently visited by this writer, there had been
no organization for Gen. Eisenhower-but Re-
puplicans wanted to know how the Eisenhower
boom was going in other parts of the country.
Only in his home State Kansas, and in
nearby Missouri and in the District of Colum-
bla has there been any real agitation OF the
Observation-Disclosures idea. Gen. Eisen-
hover has repeatedly stated he is taking no
part in politics. He has thrown cold water on
proposals to organize for him. Nevertheless,
Gen Eisenhower remains in the minds of many
people and considerable number of politicians
threat" in the coming race for the Republi-
can presidential nomination.
The sum and substance of the position OF
Gen. Eisenhower appears to be that he is not
an active candidate for the nomination, but
that he would take it, If it came to him.
That is what his public statements have been
interpreted to nean-and that Is what visitors
who have gone to see him have come away
believing.
Strongest Position.
This is the strongest position, probably that
! Gen. Eisenhower could have either while he
remains in the Army (where his hands are
tied so far as things political are concerned) or
| after he becomes president of Columbia Uni
| versity. 1t is one thing for general of the
| Army to be sought after by the people as a
| presidential nominee and very different thing
| for a general Of the Army to go out and try
| to win himself nomination.
| The Eisenhower candidacy for President,
sketchy as it is, has been hkened to that of
| the late Wendell L. Willkie in 194O when Mr..
| Willkie came from behind to win the Republic
can nomination in Philadelphia. There are
several differences, however. In the first place.
Mr.. WILKES candidacy had been built up by
one of the shrewdest and most heavily financed
campaigns that ever took place in this country's
political history. Nothing was left to chance
by the Willkie hackers. In the second place,
Mr.. Willkie was running against Dewey whose
only public Office had been district attorney
OF New York County and who had been de-
feated in 1888 for Governor of New York, He
was running against Taft who had been in
the Senate for less than two years, with a
reputation still to be made.
1t has not yet developed that any strong
group is to back the Eisenhower candidacy, or
that any group is willing to finance such
candidacy on a scale comparable even in
small way with that launched for Mr.. Willkie
Further, if Gen. Eisenhower enters the race
he will find himself opposed by Dewey who is
now Governor of New York-twice elected,
with an excellent record as chief executive of
the most popuous State in the Union. He will
find himself opposed to a Taft who is the
acknowledged Republican leader, on domestic
issues in the Congress-a Taft who has gath
cred large proportions in the years since 1940
Best Chance Attitude.
So it seems that Gen. Eisenhower's best
chance of a Republican presidential nomna-
tion-if he really wants one-lies in his main
tanning hands-of attitude, ready If the time
comes to begin sprint. should the Dewey Taft
Stassen forces tie up the convention. This
may, of course, never happen. But today the
chances for wide-open convention next year
appear better than they did six months ago.
October "a and Is Gen. Eisenhower is to visit
Abilene and Manhattan, Kansas, where the
old Eisenhower homestead is located and
where the generals brother, Milton, is presi-
dent of Kansas State College. 1t is to be a
sort Of homecoming with the objective a start
d an Eisenhower memorial in honor of the
generals great service to his country. Nothing
! political shows in the coming visit of Gen.
Eisenhower However, former Gov. ALT Landon
of Kansas has been a persistent booster for
an Eisenhower presidential nomination, and
Roy Roberts of the Kansas City Star, who had
plenty to do with the nomination of Mr.. Lam
don for President by the Republicans in 1895
and of Harry S. Truman for Vice President
by the Democrats in 1914 is on the move for
Gen. Eisenhower.
Gen. Eisenhowers greatest asset to date, az
a possible nominee, is the oft-repeated state
ment: "He couldn't lose, If he were nominated"
And Rer,alhlicars To min