Evening star., 1951-12-04
Druft-Eisenhower Clubs
All Over Nation Urged
People Should Select Leoder
Vroomon of Illinois Says
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

One Of the latest demands for "coa-
lition" presidential nomination Of Gen.
Dwight D. Eisenhower comes from Carl
Vrooman Of Illinois, Assistant Secretary
of Agriculture in the woodrow Wilson
administration. Mr.. Vrooman insists
that while we are striving to win the
peace" or to win a third world war;
politics as usual "is out" and that the
main thing for the American people is
to select as their leader "the one man
since George Washington" who is gen.
orally recognized as being first in the
affection of the American people-Gen.
Eisenhower
In Mr.. Vrooman's opinion neither the
Republican nor the Democratic boss
dominated party organization is likely
to select candidate whom it does not
expect to dominate. He argues, there
fore, that steps should be taken to Or
ganize in every ward, village and town.
ship in the country bipartisan. draft
Eisenhower clubs. This drive, he con-
tends, would be strong enough to give
Gen. Eisenhower the presidential nomi-
nation of either or both the major politi-
cal parties-and far better If he re-
ceives both nominations, for national
unity.
Many Headaches in Plan.
Mr.. Vrooman's plan for a bipartisan
nomination for Eisenhower, If followed
successfully, would put the general in the
White House, but leave a lot Of head
aches 1t would be necessary to select
vice presidential candidate Should he
be a Republican or a Democrat? Could
1n ffryN VI an
in addition to Gen. Eisenhower, to go on
the national ticket? It seems entirely
unlikely. Gen. Eisenhower is Republi-
can. so regarded by both Republican
and Democratic leaders. The Republi-
cans would not be inclined to give sec
ond place on the ticket to Democrat
not in these days when they believe
the G. O. P. is pretty sure to take over
control of the Federal Government next
year. They believe that if they can
nominate Gen. Eisenhower the general
would be sure winner, entirely with
out a Democratic nomination.
Mr.. Vrooman's idea looks forward to
a bipartisan, or coalition government
after Eisenhower shall have entered the
White House. He points out that George
Washington created the first American
coalition government. including in his
cabinet men with opposite theological
theories-Thomas jefferson and Alex
ander Hamilton, for example, the first
Secretary of State and the first Secre-
tary of the Treasury. He adds that CO.
alition governments saved England dur
ing the Second World War and saved
France and Italy from Communism since
the close of the war.
Coalition Results Unhappy.
The nearest approach to coalition gov
ernment this country has seen recently
happened when the late President Frank
lin D. Roosevelt placed Henry Stimson
and Frank Knox, two Republicans in
his cabinet as Secretaries of War and
Navy, during the Second World War.
Back in the days of the Civil War,
Abraham Lincoln had as his run
ming mate in his second election a
Southern Democrat. Andrew johnson Of
Tennessee. johnson succeeded to the
presidency after Lincoln's death. Since
the Republicans then dominated Con-
gress. the result was not happy. Even if
Gen. Eisenhower could be chosen as a
bipartisan President. there is no practi-
cal way in which a strictly bipartisan
Congress could be elected-not without
the elimination of the two-party sys-
tenn entirely. g..
Bipartisan candidates for Congress.
and even for Governor, have been nomi-
mated in California and elected. The
system there permits candidate to file
in both the Republican and Democratic
primaries, and if he wins both he re-
ceives the nomination of both parties.
Gov. Earl Warren, in one of his three
elections for Governor, won both party
nominations. The system. however has
come in for plenty of condemnation, and
there have been many calls for its eradi-
cation.
The people in America are divided
strongly over domestic issues. Only on
foreign issues do they approach unity
and even so in limited degree Polit-
ical lines are so drawn. A President, no
matter how well qualified. could not be
expected to please both parties on these
issues. In a national crisis only. Presi-
dent, whether he be Democrat or Repub-
lican, could expect to have the backing
of all the people provided, of course he
is an honest and able leader.