Evening star., 1947-12-22
New Western Trip
|WiII Take Taft Into
| |5tassen' 5 Home State
ey the Assoeio.sd Press

Senator Taft of Ohio is going West
again in his race for the Republican
presidential nomination, this time
on a tour which will take him into
Harold E. Stassen's home State Of
Minnesota.
Senator Taft Is visit to Minneapolis
for q Lincoln Day address February
IL is in the nature Of returning a
call Mr.. Stassen made to Ohio in
October. Because each was con-
suited In advance and approved the
others invasion of his home grounds,
talk of a tacit understanding be-
tween the two has grown.
Both are announced candidates
for the nomination. Both are inter-
ested in seeing that Gov. Dewey of
New York doesn't repeat at the June
convention in Philadelphia his sue
cessful 1914 bid for the nomination.
Deny They Have Agreement.
Each would like to inherit the
others strength If one falls by the
wayside in the early convention
voting.
While both men insist they have
no agreement, few politicians think
Mr.. Stassen will risk incurring the
displeasure of the Taft adherents by
going into the May 4 primary in
Ohio. Similarly, Senator Taft evi-
IDENTIFY plans only to show himself
to the people of Minnesota in the
hope that they will remember him
If Mr.. Stassen Is eliminated from
the competition.
But the Ohio Senator has more
succulent political fish to fry in
two other speaking dates. and pos
sibly two more. on the February trip.
It is one of the few on which he
will embark while Congress Is in
session.
Nebraska to Have Primary.
Arrangements have been made for
him to speak at Lincoln Day din
ner In Omaha February 13 and
at similar affair in Denver, Feb
ruary H..
Senator Taft's visit to Omaha will
come just four days before a sched-
uled preprimary convention of Ne
braska Republicans. Operating un-
der machinery provided by State
law, the convention can indorse
candidates for State and national
office whose names will appear on
the April 13 primary ballot.
While Senator Taft has said he
doesn't expect to enter any pri-
maries outside Of Ohio, he conceiv-
ably could be. pushed into the Ne
braska convention by his friends.
Nebraska has IS votes in the Phil
adelphia convention. It's primary
comes just a week after what is
expected to be a critical test Of Re-
publican aspirants in Wisconsin.
And what happens there might have
a clinching effect on the Nebraska
outcome.
Contender in Colorado.
Senator Taft is being counted as
a serious contender for Colorados
Is convention votes since his trip to
the Pacific Coast In September and
October aroused more Western in
terest in his candidacy. With a
definite speaking date in Denver,
Senator Taft also may be lined up
for talk in Colorado Springs.
He expects to round out the trip
with a talk in Bloomington, H.,
either on the way West or on his
return.
In the meantime, the Ohio Sen
ator is going to take advantage of
Congress Christmas vacation for
two-day foray into Missouri. He
has speaking dates before the Mis-
souri, Republican Club at Kansas
City December 20 and before the
John Marshall Club at st. Louis
December 30.
This will take him into the hotbed
Of support for Gen. Eisenhower in
Kansas City and close to Kansas
where the general is expected to
have his home base Of delegates If
he bids for the Republican nomina-
ton.