Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-01-22
The Political Mil
Republican Committee
Opposed to Eisenhower
Party Chiefs Say They Know Little Of
Generals Views on Issues
By Gould Lincoln

| II Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower had to RELY
on the members of the Republican National
| Committee for presidential nomination, as Of
4 today he would get exactly nowhere. Inquiry
at the meeting of the COP National Committee
meeting just held here revealed that fact
clearly. These are the top organization men
| and women Of the party. They will not
| themselves nominate the party's candidates
| next June-but they will have something to
say. probably, about delegates to the conven-
ton. They also reflect opinion of the organ.
izations in the various States
The consensus seemed to be that Gen. Eisen-
hover is man of great ability-in his chosen
line. the military service; that he is an attrac-
tive and winning personality. and-that he might
be great vote-getter. But the committee
members admitted they knew nothing about
his views of Government or upon the major
domestic and foreign issues Of the day. Some
Of them commented that he had been sitting
pretty close to the late Franklin D. Roosevelts
right hand on many occasions. Nor were they
sure that he could or would put on the kind Of
a campaign they would approve.
Doubt War Hero Needed.
One further factor entered the thinking Of
the national committee men and women.s They
did not feel at all that they had to have Gen.
Eisenhower, war hero, to win. Disruption in.
the Democratic Party-with Mississippi Demo-
Gratis threatening to leave the party of Presi-
dent Truman and the Northern Democrats who
wish to SHOW. FEPC and other Negro-favoring
laws down their throats-plus the Wallace
third-party candidacy, has given the Repub-
licans feeling that they can win the election
beyond a doubt "
While there has been no capitalization so
fN. -. LA -saI
a single Republican presidential candidate.
there were plenty of them who foresaw
Dewey nomination when the time comes,
Others were strongly for Senator Taft-but,
there were also those who said they feared
Senator Taft would be the weakest candidate.
they could put forward and, for that reason,
did not wish to see him put forward.
The time for mere speculation about the
strength of this or that Republican candidate,
active or receptive, is about to come to an
end. In primary and party convention the
choice Of delegates to the Republican National
Convention will be getting under way. Gov.
Dewey of New York has joined the list OF
avowed candidates, along with Senator Taft,
Mr.. Stassen and Gov. Warren. Gen. Eisen->
howers name has been entered in the prima
ry-through an Eisenhower slate of delegates
in New Hampshire and will go into other
primaries The New Hampshire primary
March is the first of IA such tests. Gov.
Dewey has announced he will be entered in
the Oregon primary.
His supporters frankly say that Gov. Dewey
will 60 down the line, and not refuse to enter
such tests of popular strength; that he has
entered primaries in the past and has In
variably done we'll. Mr.. Stassen from the first
has declared his intention of getting into the
primares-it Is his only real hope for he
has little strength with the party organization
as such. Gov. Warren. who claims he Is
merely available" and that ne has no burn
ing desire" to be nominated, has said he would
not enter primaries. His name, however
seems on the verge of being placed in the
Oregon contest though he has asked his
friends to keep him out of it. Senator Taft
will not, If he can help it, get into any Of
the primary contests outside his own Ohio,
where he has to run to hold the State dele
cation.
Tough Job for Democrats.
The Democrats have begun the difficult Job
OF offsetting the Wallace appeal to labor, and
particularly to radical labor. Chairman
McGrath Of the Democratic National Com
mittee has started line of national and In
ternational labor officials on It's way TO the
White House. to give President Truman assur-
ances of their support. 1t began With A. +.
Whitney, president of the Brotherhood Of
Railroad Trainmen-the same Whitney who
in 1916 pledged himself to spend millions
of dollars to prevent President Truman's re-
election, and who called Mr.. Truman ''po-
litical accident" Mr.. Whitney says now, how
ever all is jake between himself and Mr..
Truman; that he is thinking now of the pres
ent and the future and not of the unkind things
he said about Mr.. Truman when the latter
broke the railroad strike
1t will be interesting to see, however,
whether he can persuade John l.. Lewis Of
the United Mine Workers to join the pill
grimage to the White House. 1t was against
John L. and his miners that Mr.. Truman
used the injunction process to break the coal
strike. Mr.. Lewis and his coal miners do not
regard Mr. Truman with affection. -
Mr. Wallace clearly is after the rank and
file labor voters-and unless signs fail he will
get lot Of them