Evening star., 1948-04-25
Still Gets
Votes Despite His
No Candidate
By Gould Lincoln


date for the Republican presidential
nomination-but he can't make it
stick. The more he tries to elm
mate himself from the race. the
more Vandenberg followers arise.
Clever politics, some say. That Is
unfair. The Michigan Senator has
been as fortnight in the position he
has taken as former Gov. Harold E.
Stassen of Minnesota, who an
nounced his candidacy for the NOM
ination more than year ago. Mr..
vandenberg is candid-if not a
candidate.
The demand for Vandenberg may
be overwhelming if the Republican
National Convention fails to agree
upon one of the declared candidates
on an early ballot. Yet he wrote in
Life magazine months ago: Il am
not a candidate. I do not expect or
wish to be a candidate. shall seek
no convention delegates nor approve
the efforts in this behalf. think
my place of service is in filling out
my tenure in the Senate"
Support Not Sectional
Mr.. Vandenberg added, however:
"Of course, I would yield to spon-
taneous draft Gf that hypothesis
must be included because l do not
believe any citizen has right to
deny his service to his country II
and when his service is demanded" :"
Mr.. Vandenberg has backed up
this written statement with action.
He has strongly urged Republicans
in his own State of~Michigan not to
send delegation to the Republican
National Convention instructed to
vote for him. He endeavored to get
his name removed from the Ne
braska presidential preferential pri-
mary ballot upon which it had been
placed without his consent. The
Michigan Republicans did not
pledge" their delegates to vote for
Vandenberg-but they adopted
resolution praising him to the skies.
1t is a known fact the delegates
would rush to Mr.. Vandenberg at
the drop of a hat.
In the Nebraska primary, nearly
1000 voters favored him in seven
man race, Notwithstanding the
Michigan Senator's repeated re-
quests. Dewey, Stassen and Taft
had stumped the State and Gen.
MacArthur's friends had put on a
campaign for him. Mr.. Vandenberg
ran fourth-ahead of Gen. Mac
Arthur, who had about 1000 votes,
Gov. Warren of California with less
than 1000 and Speaker Joe" Martin
with 900. Should there be a dead
lock in the national convention, and
the test in Nebraska means, any,
thing, it is easy to figure who will
be the compromise nominee for
President.
Support for the Michigan Senator
is not sectional. 1t extends across
the country and UP and down. 1t
is found lin New England and Cali
fornia, as well as in Nebraska and
Michigan.
A Pungent Phrase.Maker
In year when the Republican
presidential nomination appears
more valuable than it has III a
score of years, there must be reasons
why Arthur Vandenberg does not
seek it, but SHES away from it.
There must be reasons, too, why so
many people would like to see Mr..
Vandenberg in the White House.
When Mr.. Vandenberg was
young man back in Grand Rapids
where his family had lived for two
generations after going there from
upstate New York-some of his fell
low townsmen foresaw a great fu-
ture ahead of him. The late Sena-
tor William Alden Smith thought so
we'll of him that, when Mr.. VAN
denberg was only % and a reporter
on the City Hall run, he made him
editor and publisher of the Grand
Rapids Herald. Senator Smith
owned the newspaper. Mr.. VAN
denberg remained editor and pub
Usher. and built the newspaper into