The Wilmington morning star., 1947-07-23
COP Race

hopefuls are beginning to ct DeWey-eyed
The New York governor has moved into
such & commanding lead in the race Tor the
1913 COP. nomination that the camps OF
other presidential aspirants are shrouded IN d
particularly heavy summer gloom. Other can
didates know without question that ne is the
man they will have to beat.
Governor DeWey's political progress in the
eight months since the congressional election
has been phenomenal. AS a oDce-beaten can
diaate he was running second IN the betting
ODDS to Senator TAFT last November. Most
political observers thought that the Ohio sena.
tor. as leader of the first Republican congress
in a decade and a half, would have the in
side track in the race for the '48 nomi-
nation. Governor Dewey was conceded as the
second favorite, and Ex-Governor Harold Stas-
sen OF Minnesota was looked on as a poor
third choice bet.
Today there is good reason for the cheer
fuiness in Albany and the gloom in the po-
litical paddocks elsewhere. Today the lineup
is quite different.
Nearly every political poll taken in recent
months has shown Governor Dewey to be the
current Republican Party favorite. This IS
true not only among the acknowledged party
Leaders but also, according to the p%ollsters
among the rank and file.
The governors conference at Salt Lake City
last week gave the New Yorker his most
recent boost. Informal bailoting among the
Republican governors there put Mr.. Dewey
the 3 to l favorite over lis nearest rival.
Former Governor Stassen was a poor second
choice and, surprisingly, Senator Taft came
in a very poor third.
The extent of Governor Dewey's popular
majority among Republican voters is vari-
able, depending on which OF the public polls
yol follow. But all give him a safe margin
over the other aSpirantS.
In Washington, where the candidates. prog
ress makes daily tea-table chat, Senator Taft
is not written off quite so patty. The senator,
despite occasional difficulties, has proven that
he has a tight hold on the COP. congress
sional delegation, and no one discounts the
influence of the congressman at a national
convention.
Put even Mr.. Taft's friends ir Congress con-
cede he has not played his political cards too
well in the past six months. His control Of
Congress has been won at the cost OF too
msny enemies.
Senator Taft won a signal victory with the
new labor law which he jammed through
over President Truman's veto. 1t was obvi-
ously a popular law on the Whole-it could
not otherwise have gotten the necessary two
thirds majority in Congressman Mr.. Taft 6
handling OF it as chairman OF the labor COM
mittee was capably done. Nevertheless, the
minority which opposed the law is militant
and well organized. 1t is generally considered
bad politics to antagonize militant minorities.
Governor Dewey and Mr. Stassen, Of
course, likewise supported the labor law. But
they were able to do so passively. Some Of
Senator Taft's supporters wish now that the
new law did not bear his name. 1t is the
sort Of law that will make its author a re-
spected leader in the party, hut at the same
time it makes the party ~politicos a little
skittish Of having its sponsor as a presi-
dentia' candidate.
her of Senator Taft's political difficult
tics is that he has been so preoccupied with
congressional affairs he has had little oppor-
tunity to keep his political running gear in
shape.
Mr.. Stassen, the only avowed candidate for
the G O.P. nomination., has criss-crossed the
country as an energetic campaigner. In the
small towns west of the Potomac, Mr.. Stas-
sen is far better known as a personality than
the COP. senate leader. Governor Dewey
has also just returned from a ''non-political'
western tour climaxed by the Salt Lake City
governors conference. The New Yorker, I'M
pressed by the day-to-day problems Of rum
ming Congress, has been able to devote more
time to the grub work of party organizing.
Indeed Governor Dewey's weakest point to-
Gay is that he is "too FAR out in 'front.'
There have been instances in the past when
the early pace-setter has gore on to win the
nomination from the party ont of power; there
is a great temptation for the other candi-
dates to form an opposition coalition. Senator
Tart FOR example, does not today have enough
convention votes to win the nomination for
himself But he does WELD enough power in
the party to block Governor Dewey if he
would throw his support behind some other
reasonably acceptable candidate, say Mr..
Stassen.
There is still a long stretch to 20 in the
presidential handicap, but today Governor
Dewey seems to be well out in front. Senator
TAFT and Mr.. Stassen will have to step up
their pace considerably if they are going 10
overtake him.