Evening star., 1949-12-25
Gov. Drisco|I in Line
To Replace Dewey as
East's Top Republican
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press
New Jerseys Gov. Alfred E.
Driscoll appears as a claimant
for No. ranking among Eastern
Republicans in place of Thomas
E. Dewey.
Politicians here generally are
convinced that the New York Gov
ernor meant just what he said
when he wrote a friend in Port
land. Oreg., that nothing could
arise that would 'lead me to be
the nominee for our party in
1882"
While Democrats said they
locked on this, as sign of
defeatiSm, most Republicans
thought the politically-smart New
York Governor merely had read
the signs that his party wouldn't t
give him tkird chance.
These same Republicans noted,
however. that Gov. Dewey didn't
bar a race for reelection as Gov
ernor. Nor did he close out the
possibility of a presidential come
back attempt in the years after
1852.
Gov. Dewey's retirement would
seem to leave Gov. Driscoll in a
top spot among regular Republi-
cans, with apparently only Gen.
Eisenhower-who claims to be un-
interested in politics as such
overshadowing him in the cast.
Alike in Many Respects.
Gov. Driscoll and GOV. Dewey
are alike in a lot of respects. At
Al. both have the youth the Re-
publicans think they need. Both
represent what they like to call
the progressive wing of their
party. Both head highly indus
trialized and populous States.
The comparison goes even fur
ther. In the minds of their
friends, neither has been able to
develop for public consumption
the warm personality of an Eisen-
hover or a Wendell Willkie.
Gov Driscoll carried "a of New
Jerseys 35 convention votes into
Gov. Dewey's camp in the all-im-
portant second ballot at the 1948
Republican convention. Many
called that move one of the turn
points that gave. Gov. Dewey his
second presidential nomination.
There is no clear indication,
however, that Gov. Dewey would
be willing to scratch Gov. Driscoll's
back at the 1852 convention, if Mr..
Dewey still has anything to say
about New York's 81 convention
votes on that far away day. Pub
licly cooperative, the two Gov
.rnors in the past have been some
what like two actors vying for a
starring role.
Record Good on Paper.
Gov. Driscoll's record looks good
on paper to lot of Republicans.
He topped his record of having
helped keep New Jersey in the
Dewey column in 1948 by winning
reelection himself this year by
q margin of $4,000 votes.
In the latter race, Gov. Driscoll
was credited with getting a lot of
votes from minority blocs, largely
because he insisted on writing a
civil rights plank into the States
constitution when it was revised
two years ago.
Gov. Driscoll has his own ideas
about "me-too" tag that the Re-
publicans have been stunning
recently. He says it all depends
on what you are "me-tooing."
The New Jersey Governor has
come out against Federal aid to
education and Federal public
housing. He says the problems
ought to be handled by the States
and has tried to do something
about them.
His proposal for a $100 .000. 900
State fund for public housing was
beaten in the last election but he
probably will bring it up again.
Earlier he got approval of a
cigarette tax to boost school
teachers salaries.
He says he would "me-too" the
Ten Commandments, the pre-
amble to the Constitution and
strong national defense in which
there is no waste of money.