Evening star., 1951-10-02
The Political Mill
Efforts to Smoke Out
Eisenhower Spurred
Governors Urge Ike Lift
Cloud on Nomination
By Gould Lincoln


GATLINBURG, Tenn, Oct. 2.-The
effort to smoke out Gen. Dwight D.
Eisenhower on the question of a presi-
Dental candidacy reached new high
when the governors met here Monday
for their 43d annual governors confer
ence. Most outspoken of the lot was
Gov. Peterson of Nebraska. Republican.
who declared that Gen. Eisenhower
should announce himself candidate by
January l, come home and work for the
nomination. There are others, however,
who took the same position-that Gen.
"Ike" should say whether he would ac-
cept nomination or not and so lift the
cloud of doubt.
AS Gov. Warren of California, Repub-
lican, pointed out there is today no de
clared" candidate for the presidential
nomination-either Republican or DEM
ocratic. That goes for Senator Taft Of
Ohio, as well as for Gen. Eisenhower.
But Senator Taft is out beating the
bushes for supporter as he puts it, try
ing to find out If the Republicans want
him for candidate.
Pressure May RedoubIe.
If the Ohio Senator announces his
candidacy-as some believe he will-at
an early date, say later this month or in
November, the pressure for Gen. Eisen-
hover to make some kind of state
ment will redouble. Some of it will come
from the men who ardently desire to
have him for the G. o. p candidate. Gov.
Peterson who has already expressed his
vigorous opinion on the subject. ear
nestly desires Gen. Eisenhower for a
candidate
In nutshell, many of the Eisenhower
supporters want him because they be-
lieve he can be elected. Others want
him, too, because they do not wanU
Senator Taft, either because they fear
Senator Taft could not win or because
they do not like the position he takes
on foreign relations and foreign policy.
Gov. Peterson takes the position that
to win presidential nomination man
must get out and fight for it-and that
is just what he wants Gen. Eisenhower
to do Since the turn of the century, he
insists, only once has there been a real
draft of a candidate who never raised
a finger to get the nomination-the
late Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes.
Mr.. Hughes was nominated by the Re-
publicans in 1916 while he was serving
as an Associate Justice of the Su-
preme Court
Still Good Precedent.
To date, however, there has been no
real evidence that Gen. Eisenhower will
formally announce himself a candidate
although many of his supporters say
confidently they believe he would
accept nomination. If Gen. Eisen-
hover sticks to his guns and remains
silent, the G. o. P. can if it wishes, show
that real draft can be accomplished.
The Hughes case is still a good prece-
dent. Many Republicans insist that Gen.
Eisenhower, in his speeches while serv-
ing as president of Columbia University,
and In his private conversations with
those who have visited him since he
became supreme commander of the
NATO forces in Europe, has demon
strated he is Republican and shown
that he stands for Republican principles
Of government.
If Gen. Eisenhower is a receptive can
didate. then it becomes a question of
good tactics in this political warfare
and the general is a good tactician.
Serving his country as he is, in an i'm
portant post, he is removed from the
field Of mudslinging politics.
In support Of his contention that Gen.
Eisenhower should make an early an
nouncemant and come home to cam
paign. Gov. Peterson declares that Gen.
Eisenhower should have completed his
job OF morale building in Europe by the
first Of the year and be able to turn
over to another the military job abroad.
He contends there are plenty of good
military men in this coI,ntrv uho cou,d
take over as commander of the NATO.
and leave Gen. Eisenhower free to re-
turn to the United States and seek the
presidential nomination.
In the end, it will probably add UP
to whether Gen. Eisenhower believes
that his most important duty is to heed
the call OF many Americans to seek the
presidency.