Evening star., 1948-04-18
Stossen Relies on Talk
and Travel to Get
Primary Votes
By Gould Lincoln

West and threatens to ride away
with the Republican presidential
nomination, leaving other suitors
gasping and gurgling. 1t is no
surprise, however. for Harold Ed
ward Stassen, former Governor OF
Minnesota and Navy captain, gave
ample notice Of his intentions. He
was the first candidate to throw
his hat in the ring-and he has been
campaigning steadily for q couple
Of years.
The surprise comes from the fact
that Mr.. Stassen, without holding
public office, has been able to hold
the track and hit the front pages
so long; from the fact that his old
fashioned, intimate method Of CAM
paigning-in this day Of the radio
has paid of in big way.
All, or almost all, OF his friends
argued with him two years ago that,
if he really wished to become lead
ing contender for the presidential
nomination, he should run for the
Senate, with a sure-flre chance for
victory, and get himself a real
sounding board. Mr.. Stassen turned
the idea down. He has kept him.
3elf free to travel from one end OF
the country to the other, and to
campaign as he wished.
Victor in Two Contests
Today he stands victor in two
hotly contested Midwest primaries
Wisconsin and Nebraska. In Wis
consin, he outran Gen. Douglas
Macarthur, the States most dis
tinguished and favorite son, and at
the same time blanked Gov. Dewey
of New York, who, in the past has
been as strong as horseradish In the
Badger State. This was big boost
for Mr.. Stassen. His Nebraska vic
tory was just as impressive. There
he again defeated Gov. Dewey. He
also submerged Senator Robert A.
Taft OF Ohio, who ran very poor
third.
Mr.. Stassen is young man-not
an immature man. Into his Al years
he has crowded more experience
than most public men Of double his
age. He is a big man, standing 6
feet 3 inches and weighing over 200
pounds. He is always fit, not fat. A
decade ago he became Minnesota's
Governor-at 31-the youngest Gov
ernor the State ever had and the
youngest Governor in the United
States.
Notwithstanding the fact that he
was three times elected Governor
of his State, that he was the keynote
speaker and temporary chairman OF
the Republican National Convention
in 1910, that his resignation from
the gubernatorial Office to serve in
the Navy was widely advertised, and
that he was an outstanding figure
as American delegate to the United
Nations Conference in San Fran
cisco, he remained something new
to the vast majority Of voters IN this
country. He is still new. This un-
doubtedly is an asset.
Emphasizes Discussions
BY the time Mr.. Stassen winds up
his campaign-which probably will
not be until the last delegate Is
chosen for the Republican National
Conventions huge number OF
voters will have seen him and heard
him speak. Further, the country
will have heard or read his views on
all the major issues, both foreign
and domestic, which plague the
United States and the world. He has
laid emphasis on the imperative
need Of discussion of all important
public questions. 1t was because
Coy. Dewey had not, in Mr.. Stassen's
opinion, been frank enough and
thorough enough in his discussion
of the days problems-o. had not
discussed some OF them at all-that
the Minnesotan said bluntly last
year that he would not care to accept
vice presidential nomination with
the New Yorker at the head of the
ticket.
This was a bold position to take
especially for a young man trying
to make good.
Mr.. Stassen. however, has both