Evening star., 1948-01-10
The Political Min
Warren Is Confining Self
To An Availability Role

~ All HVutIOOiIily MUG
Pivotal State Governor Could Enter
Convention With Many Delegates
By Gould Lincoln
The West Coasts entry In the Republican
presidential nomination race, Gov. Earl War
rem OF California, Is conflning himself. so far,
to an availability" role-as distinguished from
burning desire" to become President. In con-
formity with this role, he says frankly and
hatly he does not intend entering any presi.
Dental preference primaries or primaries for
: the election Of delegates to the Republican
National Convention outside Of California. He
says further he viii 60 on no transforming
trips between now and the convention in June;
that he is setting up no campaign organisation
nor picking any pre-convention campaign
manager.
Mr.. Warren's candidacy, however. must bs
taken seriously. The California governor II
one of the frankest Of men-if he will talk
or else he will say nothing. politely. He Is at
the same time-an astute politician. He comes
from a great and pivotal State IN any presi-
Dental electon-a State which decided the
election In 1916 for Woodrow Wilson and
against Charles Evans Hughes. While Mr..
Warren Is best known on the West Coast and
in the so-called Mountain States, he Il BY no
means without friends in other parts Of ths
country and In the Republican national or
ganization. He served In the past as Republic
can State chairman Of California and as Q
member Of the Republican National Commit
tee from California.
Followers Surprised.
1t was impossible year ago-or even few
fo nat $n admit h0
was interested at all In q presidential noni-
nation recall that when talked with him
in San Francisco he said he was not . candi-
date-but that II he ever did decide to enter
the race, he would announce 1t publicly. He
has done 20 now, much to the surprise Of
some Of his closest followers, who had come to
the conclusion he would Just drift along as .
possible darkhorse compromise.
Gov. Warren has been attending q commit
tee meeting here on the subject Of State and
Federal taxation, growing out Of the Cover
nors' Conference. And 1t was here he made
it clear he was not entering, OF his own
free will, any primaries except CALIFORNIA;
which he will carry in q big way. Oregon, .
netghboring State holds presidential prefer
ential primary May 81. At this primary Ore
CONS delegates are elected, too, and may be
pledged to q candidate But Gov. Warren in
sists that he will not enter that primary-and
that his friends" will not enter his name.
Under the Oregon law, however. his name
could be entered in the preference primary
without his consent. II no candidates name
appears on the ballot then the voters write In
the names Of the candidates they prefer. In
1914 50001 Republicans took the trouble to
write in the name OF Gov Dewey. Mr.. Stassen
had 6,061 such write-ln votes, Wendell l.. Will
ke, 1888, John w. Bricker Of Ohio, 3,018, Gen.
Macarthur 1s1, Mr.. Warren ST. But at that
time Gov. Warren had not announced himself
candidate for the presidential nomination.
although he was the only man for whom the
Republican voters in California voted in their
preference primary. In that same Oregon pri-
mary, 12548 write-in votes were cast for Mr..
Warren for the Wce-presidential nomination.
a nomination he turned down when the
Chicago convention was on.
Fl. Has Every Important Job"
Nor is Gov. Warren candidate in any sense
OF the word for q vice presidential nomination
this year. He puts 1t this way: II have no in
terest in the Vice-Presidency whatsoever
have what consider a very important job
Governor of California" He declined to say
he would refuse a vice-presidential nomination
but unless he changes his mind, he would do
50. This despite the fact that any of the Re
publican presidential possibilities would love
to have Mr. Warren on the ticket with him.
For Gov. Warren is not only an attractive.
straightforward personality but he is a great
vote-getter. He broke the Democratic hold on
California when he was first elected Governor.
in Franklin Delano Roosevet's palmiest days.
And in 1916 Gov Warren not only won the
Republican, but also the Democratic nomina-
tion when he was seeking reelection.
1t is entirely within the possibilities that
Gov. Warren will enter the coming national
convention with a good-sized block of delegates
from these Western States ready to vote for
him-and with much secondary support In
other sections Of the country. And If . real
deadlock should develop, the California Gov
ernor would be an excellent compromise.