Evening star., 1948-04-03
The Political Mil
Crisis Aids Macarthur
In Wisconsin Cumpoign
Voters Want Man in White House
Who Knows How TO Run War
Bv Gould Lincoln

VuO NuOWS I1OW 10 xAul u wax
By Gould Lincoln
MADISON, Wise, April s-"He can handle
the Russians"
The taxi driver who picked me up at the
railroad station epitomized in five words the
impelling reason which is sending thousands
Of voters to the polls next Tuesday to vote for
Gen. Douglas Macarthur and his slate Of dele
gates to the Republican National Convention.
You can argue with these people until the
cows come home-if you wish to--that pro-
fessional soldier should not be chosen President
Of the United States. But you cant bulge
them. They listened to, or read President
Truman's recent address to Congress In which
he threw the book at Communist Russia and
called for revival of the selective service draft
and establishment of universal military train
ing system Russias hard boiled attitude In
Berlin helped to develop still further the un-
easiness of the people and made them all the
more sure that they wanted man in the White
House who knows how to run q war, and who
has already demonstrated his ability to deal
with Russians and not come of second best.
The whole war scare could not have been
made to order and fitted better into the CAM
paign in Wisconsin for Gen. Macarthur Many
Of the voters believe that II there must be war,
Gen. Macarthur is the best man to run it, and
that If there is to be peace, he is also the best
man to bring it about. They have been told
by the administration over and over again that
If this country is to keep out of third world
war and at the same time keep Russia from
overrunning the world, the United States must
be mi1itarily strong. II that be the case, they
prefer to be strong from the top down.
Spectacular Rise.
There are other reasons why Gen. Macarthur
has made spectacular rise as q presidential
candidate in this State in the last few weeks.
He is regarded as a distinguished son Of Wis
consin-although he was born in Arkansas. The
Macarthur family has its roots here His
grandfather was judge, and his father Gen.
Arthur Macarthur was a native Of Wisconsin.
He, too, might have been born here had his
father not been on duty in Arkansas. Anyway,
Wisconsin has taken Douglas Macarthur to It's
heart and the State is proud of his great war
record and his administration In conquered
Japan.
There Is still another reason for MacAr.
thur strength. He has the backing Of both
conservative and progressive Republican
leaders. For example, on his slate of candi-
dates for delegate at large are former Gov.
Phil La Follette-whose middle name is PRO
gressive'-and William j. Campbell, an old
La Toilette is carrying lot Of the old Pro-
gressives into the Macarthur camp. Some Of
these Progressves also remember with great
bitterness the Tom Coleman Republican Or
ganization which dedicated itself to eliminating
the La Follettes from public life-and sue
ceeded in electing Senator Mccarthy over for
mer Senator Bob La Toilette, jr, in 1946 This
Is the organization which Is supporting Harold
E. Stassen Of Minnesota in this struggle for
Wisconsin's delegation to the Republican Ma
tional Convention
Progressives See Chance.
The Progressiyes feel too, that II Phil La
Toilette, who is a candidate for delegate-at-
large on the Macarthur slate, wins in this,
fight along with Gen. Macarthur, the Pro-
greSsiveS will have another chance to come
to the fore in the Republican Party OF Wis.,
consin Mr.. La Toilette has campaigned all
over the State for weeks for Gen. Macarthur
Observers maintain that Mr.. La Toilette is
really personally strong again and popular. 1t
has been 10 years since he was defeated for
reelection as Governor, and reached q low
ebb in his political fortunes.
One Progressive leader, of the old La Folletts
school, is not going either with Phil La Fol-
lette or with Gen. MacArthur-William r.
Evjue, editor Of the influential Progressive
daily, the Capital Times Of Madison. He broke
with Mr.. La Toilette years ago, when Mr. La
Toilette left Franklin D. Roosevelt. In his
newspaper, Editor Evjue asked: what of Mac
Arthur, the Hearst-McCormick-G Gerald L. K.
Smith candidate? Does any one know where
he stands on anything? Can Progressives
stand shoulder to shoulder with the Gannetts,
the Woods, the Uihleins the billings and the
rest of the big money and America First crowd
that form the shock troops Of the Macarthur
campaign"
Mr.. Evjue is urging the Progressives to vote
for the Democratic delegate candidates-for
he does not like either Mr.. Stassen or Gov.
Dewey. And while he has no particular use
for Mr.. Truman, he believes that the Demo-
cratic delegates may be Independent and bring
out q good presidential nominee