Evening star., 1948-04-15
Stussen's Repeat Performance


for the second time in a week, there Is
nothing really mysterious about Harold
Stassen's decisive victory IN NEBRASKA
Republican primary. His formula Is aS
old as politics. In Nebraska, as IN WIS
consin, MIR. Stassen went out and met the
voters and sold himself to them.
Governor Dewey made rather gooo
showing in second place, but he waited
too long. Apparently he did not reallze
what the Stassen drive was accomplishing
until ten days before the election, ana oy
that time it was all over but the shouting.
Too little and too late would be httlng
epitaph for the Dewey hopes IN Nebraska
He waited too long and campalgned TOO
little.
The only other one of the seven-memoer
Republican candidate team to campaign
at all was Senator Taft. Some of the
prognosticators were predicting that the
Ohioan would win because he had the sup
port of Senator Buffers machine. But IL
did not work out that way. The best
guess on this is that Senator Buffers
machine is personal affair. He built IL
up by hard campaigning, just as Mr.
Stassen has built up his following. Inc
test showed, however, that the members OF
this organization, while they may be per-
sonally loyal to Senator Butler, could not
be herded into the Taft camp.
Mr.. Stassen made four tours OF Nebraska
In a hard-driving, grass-rootS campaign.
He went to the small towns and the cross
roads, and there he met and shook hands
for picfnrpc 0f the cd1d1-
date posing with his father in overallS and
his mother in an apron were puoHShed
widely in the rural press with good erect.
Mr.. Stassen also put into the field upward
of fiftv Paul Revere" teams For eX-
ample, team of well-knoWn beauty-shop
operators visited every beauty shop IN the
State, promoting Stassen and leaving
Stassen literature. When this is multiplied
by fifty, it is easy to believe that the
technique would be effective.
Another explanation put forward is that
old-guard Republicanism is losing ground
In Nebraska The new voters are more
progressive in their views, and StaSsen
appealed to them. Actually, however, there
is no evidence that difference on issues
among the three leading candidates
figured Importantly in the result. Nor Is
there any indication that foreign policy
played significant part. When the thing
is boiled down to it's essence, the fair con-
clusion is that Mr.. Stassen simply cam
paigned harder than the others and got
the best results.
1t would be hazardous to forecast the
effect of the Stassen WalkaWay in Wis
consin and Nebraska on the Republican
convention. The Macarthur boom, OF
course, is dead. Candidates Martin, War
rem and Vandenberg remain about as they
were Senator Taft has been dealt very
hard blow, and the Nebraska results GER
tainly do nothing to recoup for Governor
Dewey the ground he lost in Wisconsin.
Whether the victories in the two Mid
western States actually have put StaSsen
in front for the COP nomination remains
doubtful He still has to make his bid
in Ohio and oregon. and it would be rash
to declare him a winner until his strength
there can be appraised. But this much is
certain: The Republican strategists had
better put away once and for all the
notion that they can win in November
with anybody.