The Wilmington morning star., 1947-05-03

an opposition candidate is mat
campaign for the highest office 10
the gift Of the people in connt e IN
like Russia, Poland, the PsIGt1es
and wherever else the rjgjd ans
party system prevails. The we
odd feature of the situation J.. V.lly
the active campaigner mus "'a(
candidate for office in snrts
country than the one in wbioa
is conducting his canvass. H. ne
swing around the circle in so Isr
Russia. Poland, Rumanis, H,nnee'
~, but the office for which ss'
running must be that Of PrasiJ1S
of the United States. N'''snt
Or is this a grossly exaggar..,
interpretation of our special s su
patch from Minneapolis the ot b!S'
day? Mr.. Hagerty wrote thai ts
mer Governor Stassen's boom W.
the Republican nomination r ~.
year is scheduled to gain ,mn at@l
after his return from a two-mon@s
European trip which has tatan
him to France, Belgium, ItsTI
Greece, the Balkans Germany'
Poland, Russia, Finland. swedasS'
Norway and England"
Henry A. Wallace was obyio,,s,,.
not campaigning for a P~resjdentia,
nomination next year on the ,raa.
European swing from which ~.
has just returned. But about ,ne
remoter future one cannot be | n'
sure. There may be cynics IN w.
that MI. Wallace was maxim
strong bid for a 1852 nominaGos
in the U. S. A. when he addreslog
enthusiastic meetings in Britsin
France and Scandinavia on his 20
ce-' trip. But, in any even !,
is recognized on all sides. by Mr
Wa1lace's friends a n d opDonents
that by going abroad he got
much bigger hearing in the TnitsS
States for the causes he has cIos.
to heart than if he had cam
paigned at home.
This roundabout approach 10 tbs
heart Of the American people ~,
addressing it from a foreiun mi.
pit. whether intentional or unir.
territorial, whether a campaign f.,
office or Cor high causes. has a.
least two famous p~recedents, IN
1877, at the end of his second
term in the White House, General
Grant departed on a triumDbaj
tour around the world from which
he did not return till the spring
OF 1880. Soon after, at the Republi.
can national convention, a stal.
Wart battalion of more than 3OO
delegates stood out for a third
nomination for Grant through thjr.
ty-six hardfought ballots. 1t is not
here meant to suggest that
Grants long sojourn abroad was
a calculated move: but the po.
longed absence obviously did not
detract from his popularity al
home. If anything, it may have
helped people 10 forget. in part.
the decidedly unpleasant features
Of the Grant ADMINISTRATOR rec.
ord. 1t was the anti-third-term ira.
dition that blocked a denomination
in 1880.
Theodore Roosevelt in 1909 had
no sooner installed his successor.
William H. Taft in the White
House than he departed for Africa
to hunt lions. The hunting expe.
dition was followed by a tour Of
western Europe and Britain which
the Roosevelt biographers de.
scribe as arousilg much greater
popular enthusiasm than had been
stirred by General Grant a eener-
alton earlier. There were &C.
casions on that trip when Theo-
Gore Roosevelt almost sounded as
if he were running for high office
in one or more of the countries
he visited, 50 free was he of ad-
vice and censure, but this did no
injury either to his reputation Or
his popularity. Be that as it may,
when MI. Roosevelt arrived in
New York in June, 1910, after fif-
teeL months abroad, the move
ment of events here at home had
progressed to a point where the
Republican civil wal of two years
later was visibly in the making.
TIC what extent this was foreseeD
when Mr.. Roosevelt sailed for
East Africa in March, 1909, is for
the historians to determine, or a
least to fight over.
Mr.. Stassen comes home at d
moment when the inside track
among Republican aspirants is &C.
corded to Governor Dewey, be.
cause of reports from the Kansas
City meeting of Republican nation
al committeeman. A month age
the commentators were inclined
to give the edge to Senator Van,
denberg. Three months ago the
spotlight would have been on SCI,
ator Taft. But always it is ad'
mitted that one cannot speak with
confidence. and there r at leas,
half a dozen minor candidates
supposed to be waiting for the m
E, liable deadlock between int
leaders and then the lightning to
strike.
But why is it that the two lead
ing candidates, unless it is a case
Of bitter hate between them, nave
never agreed in advance to loss
up a coin, say, after the thlrd
ballot? S h an arrangement
should leave no personal anlmosf
ties behind it and give the parry
the advantage of an OUTSTANDING
nominee instead Of the usual pfoo'
uct of a smoke-filled hotel rooh''