Evening star., 1948-01-26
Minority Still Believe,
Eisenhower Statement
Didn't Eliminate Him
Despite Fortnight
Rejection, They Expect
Mandate by Convention
By David Lawrence

By David Laurence
Gen. Eisenhower has done every
thing he could to prevent his NOM
ination by the Republican National
Convention-everything except tol
convince a minority of political OBJ
servers that he would not accept
if nominated.
This is a paradoxical statement
to make but in politics it is far
from being ambiguous. For Gen.
Eisenhower may believe sincerely
that he is not qualified, may believe
that, because he says he will not
accept, no further effort will be
made to select him. But what If
the convention does draft him
anyway?
There is in the Eisenhower let
ter a distinctly personal note
his own personal belief that he is
not qualified and hence a fat
decision not to accept. This, how
ever, is the view of a man who
has been compelled by events to
say explicitly the one thing that
is supposed to be thoroughly con-
vincing-a statement Of refusal to
accept If nominated.
Some Supporters Stay On.
1t is significant that after the
statement was made some of the
Eisenhower supporters took it liter
ally and some said it didn't make
any difference-they would go
ahead, anyhow, with an attempt to
draft the general.
If In the face Of what the gen.
eral has written, the Republican
National Convention should draft
him anyway, would It not, in effect
be a mandate from a convention
saying that in the judgment of the
delegates the general is qualified
and should make the race?
The general would be put to a
test. He could, of course, change
his mind. Mr. Roosevelt said he
wouldn't run for a third term, but
became convinced he should change
his mind. Gen. Eisenhower could
say that he had done everything he
could to discourage political activity
in his behalf, but, Notwithstanding
this, he was being called to service.
In his letter to the New Hampshire
voters the general says he had
heSitated to speak out bluntly be-
cause of a persistent doubt that he
could phrase fiat refusal without
appearing to violate that concept
of duty to country which calls upon
every good citizen to place no lin
itations upon his readiness to serve
in any designated capacity
Draft Would Refute Stand.
Thus a spontaneous draft would
refute the basis on which the gen.
eral took himself out of the contest.
Every citizen must serve if called to
high Office. Gen. Sherman said
that, if nominated, he would not
accept and, if elected, would not
serve. Gen. Eisenhower might feel
differently than Gen. Sherman did.
The real question is whether
national convention, in the face of
an emphatic disavowal, would NOM
mate Gen. Eisenhower anyhow. 1t
may not happen, but it could
happen Thus, in 1924, when Pres
ident Coolidge was up for nomina-
tion at the Cleveland convention,
the word was passed around that
Gov. Lowden of Illinois would not
accept the Vice Presidential nomi-
nation. 1t was an explicit state
ment. The convention went ahead
and nominated Gov Lowden and
then waited for an answer. He de-
clined the nomination promptly.
There will be vigorous objection to
. naming Gen. Eisenhower in the face
of his letter but, if a deadlock ensues
in the convention and the delegates
feel they cannot agree, it is always
possible for a movement to start
which stampedes the convention.
Under such circumstances, if Gen.
Eisenhower were spontaneously nom
mated, the convention would wait
for a definite answer and, if
unfavorable, would proceed with the
balloting for some one else.
Conventions Get Their Way.
This is but another way of saying
that personal wishes are often set
aside in drafting men for political
office and that conventions which
insist on a draft most frequently
win an acceptance.
The reasons which the general has
given are genuine, and nobody will
accuse him of adroitness or of fail
ing to make his meaning clear. The
truth, however, is that when man
says frankly he is not ambitious and
couples it with the only statement
he could make to stop political &C
tivlty in his behalf, many citizens
will feel that this is by no means
the end of the matter.
1t is a safe assumption that Gen.
EisenhoWer's name will get some
ballots In the convention and that
the turn to him, considered highly
improbable today may develop
strength if the convention is dead
locked
If Gen. Eisenhower is considered
as having been eliminated, the race
is between Senator Taft and Gov.
Dewey with Senator Vandenberg as
q possible compromise.
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