Evening star., 1948-01-24
Eisenhower Refusal
To Enter Race Called
Hint for Macarthur
Republican Condidutes
And Truman Rejoice
At Generals Action
By Doris Fiees0n

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower has
taken himself out Of the presidential
picture with plain invitation to
Gen. Macarthur to follow suit.
Other Republican candidates are
rejoicing and wondering how to turn
the Eisenhower remuneration to their
own advantage. They have hated to
admit how much they feared the
new look which the great boom for
the Kansas general impaired to the
campaign.
1t was Christmas at the White
House, too, when the news flash
hit the tickers. The most recent
Gallup poll of presidential popularity
showed President Truman leading
Senator Taft and Gov. Dewey but
trailing Gen. Eisenhower. The Presi-
dent has reacted coldly for months
at the mention Of Eisenhower's
name; today he beamed.
Have Best Right to Relax.
Among Republicans, Gov. Dewey
and Harold Stassen probably have
the best right to relax.
Midwest support largely keeps
Gov. Dewey Sin his lead-of position
and it was particularly susceptible
to the Eisenhower appeal. Also Gov.
Dewey got burned once by magnetic
outsider and he breads the fire.
Mr.. Stassen was seeing the east
ern internationalist and progressive
support on which he had counted
veer to the former commander OF
the allied forces. 1t was after Eisen-
hover sentiment mushroomed that
Mr.. Sassen seemed to turn to-
ward Senator Taft. He will now
put new vigor into his claim to lead
left of center G.. o. p. voters.
Republican organization politicoes
will be frankly relieved that they
don't have to cope with another
Willkie groundswell. They don't
want any outsider; they want, after
Is lean years, a party man who
knows the boys in the backroom by
their first, not just their last names.
Their hold on the convention
tightens as the long shot ceases
from troubling and the amateurs
are at rest. The convention looks
more and more like 1920 not 1910.
Incidental casualties of Ike's
decision are the New Dealers who
had decided they can't take Mr..
Truman and were latching on to
Eisenhower.
Gen. Eisenhower wasn't as terse
as General Sherman but he was
equally effective. His statement
cannot be considered as anything
but final. Even If he were to change
his mind, the Democrats and his
rivals could make great hay with
his declarations of principle and of
the convictions which guided his
course.
He mounted to high ground in his
statement which usually cynical
Washington is pronouncing great
state paper. Ironically it affords
demonstration of exactly those quail
tiles which ardent supporters felt
should make him President. Moth
ing, mourned one, so proves Gen.
Eisenhower's fitness for politics as
the manner of his leaving it.
Predicted Weeks Ago.
That the Eisenhower bubble was
about to burst was predicted here
two weeks ago by sources close to
the General who had always been
reliable. That was Friday. Ike
was home, under the weather, not
available for questioning.
He was back at the Pentagon
Monday and everybody stood by for
the crash. What they got was a
weak secondhand statement which
reiterated past inconclusive dis
avowals. It was universally accepted
as a green light for Senator Tobey
and others to press forward In the
New Hampshire primary.
1t is established that after fore
casts of Ike's withdrawal were pub
lished, a steady stream Of callers
besieged his Fort Myer sickroom,
both civilian and military. His
military associates urged him on; 50
did many civilians. Others REIN
forced his own inclination to get out.
In any case he left it to the Army
Department press spokesmen to
meet the ravening reporters. Gen.
Floyd Parks now takes the blame for
the phrasing of Mondays answer
that failed to answer.
Gen. Eisenhower himself die
tated his final statement.