Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1948-06-25
no IN
TOlun 4
REPORTER
Convention Eve
IN WASHINGTON


the oath national Republican con.
vention this City of Brotherly Love
is slicked up in its Sunday best
as the delegates and their alter.
mates with thousands of visitors
pour into the city and jam the lob.
bies of the hotels which are filled
to the gunWales.
Broad street, the city's main
downtown thoroughfare, has been
dressed up with spanking new lamp
posts and the convention audito-
rum has been given a new roof.
Flags and bunting are everywhere,
prices are hiked skyward as res
taurants, hotels and the merchants
prepare to get back that $25O,OO0
guarantee with some to spare.
At convention headquarters In
the Bellevue Stratford hotel the
scene is one of utter confusion
and activity. Hard by the COP
headquarters is the Democratic
national committee headquarters
which is preparing to hold the
29th quadrennial Democratic ma
tional convention next month.
Walter S. Hallanan, COP nation
al committeeman from West Vir-
ginia and chairman of the COM
mittee on arrangements, expects
the largest crowd probably in con-
vention history, certainly larger
than either the 1914 or the 1910 con-
vention, the latter also held in Phil
adelphia. AS an indication of the
difference in size and Of the interest
throughout the country, in 1910 at
Philadelphia the convention was
covered by 600 news and radio cor
respondents. At this convention
more than 1,400 already have been
issued credentials.
Set-up of the convention follows
the usual pattern with only one
new feature-the fact that a ma
tional convention will be tele-
vised, round the clock, for the
first time in history.
All networks will pool their tele-
vision from one control booth and
the live show will be seen along the
Atlantic coast from Richmond, Va,
north to Boston. Other sections of
the country, however, must be con-
tent with the newsreels. This years
convention will seat 1904 delegates
as compared to 1,O57 delegates at
Chicago in 1914. This is the fifth
COP national convention to be held
in Philadelphia.
With Gov. Dwight H. Green Of
Illinois as the keynoter and Speaker
of the House Joe Martin as perma-
nent chairman, craftsmanship Of
committees and the entire conven-
ton machinery appeared solidly in
control of the so called old guard
faction of the Republican party and
although the gossip in the lobbies,
rooms, corridors and restaurants
buzzed with all sorts of deals and
combinations, unless something un-
foreseen happens this will not be
an open convention. For it seems
certain that if the party bosses have
their way the nomination will go to
Sen. Robert Taft of Ohio.
Choices Lined Up
If Governor Dewey of New York
and former Governor Stassen Of
Minnesota, who with Taft comprise
the leading contenders on the early
ballots, deadlock the convention,
then first choice of the bosses would
be Sen. John Bricker of Ohio.
If the delegates rebel at taking
Senator Bricker who was the vice.
presidential nominee in 1914 then
all signs point to Sen. Arthur
Vandenberg of Michigan.
In considering Senator Vanden-
berg, however, his age likely would
make him a one term president;
hence selection of a vice-presiden-
tial candidate is doubly important.
Stassen has considerable backing
and would be acceptable to Senator
Vandenberg but the Minnesotan has
so estranged himself with the Taft
Dewey forces and the national COM
mittee bosses that the chances are
he has euchered himself even out
of the vice presidency. Speaker
Martin is possibility and some
sources declare that with Vanden-
berg running on a one term plat
form, Governor D e ey possibly
might accept the vice-presidency.
Running Mates
Governor Warren of California,
Senator Saltonstall of Massachu-
sets, Congressman Charles Hal
leck of Indiana, house majority
leader, and Gov. James H. Duff of
Pennsylvania are other vice-presi-
Dental possibilities.
Despite the setback sustained by
Stassen in Oregon and the bitter
resentment he has brought down
upon himself from the party lead
ers, the widespread popular appeal
Stassen engenders may balk the
best laid plans of the party plan
ners.
Rump Session?
Without Stassen or someone &C.
ceptable to Stassen on the ticket the
party leadership is worried about