Evening star., 1951-11-01
The Political Mill
Both Parties in Oregon
May Enter Eisenhower
General Con Find Way Out
By Saying Neither Porty
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

declares himself either q Republican or
Democrat by April 6. 1852. he may find
himself pitted as a Democrat against
President Truman and as a Republican
against Gen. Douglas Macarthur in the
May II Oregon presidential preferential
primary. It's strange situation, grow
ing out Of the primary law in that State,
which says that man whose name is
entered in the primary cannot withdraw
but he can, by declaring he Is not
a member Of particular party, have his
name removed from the primary ballot
under that party designation. The one
possible out for the general seems for
him to inform the Oregon authorities
he is neither a Republican nor a
Democrat.
The State attorney general has ruled
he cannot go into the politics of man
in another State. Therefore, since the
Democrats have already obtained the
necessary petitions and had them signed
to enter Eisenhower's name in their
primary, and the Republicans are ready
to complete the petitions to put him in
the Republican primary, the attorney
general is prepared to let both the
Democratic and Republican candidates.
of Gen. Eisenhower ride along in the
spring primary.
1000 Signatures Needed.
Monroe SWeetland, Democratic ma
tional committeeman for Oregon, who
attended the meeting of the national
committee which elected the new ma
tional chairman. Frank E. Mckinney,
ventures the opinion that Gen. Eisen-
hover would win in the Republican
primary, and that President Truman
would win in the Democratic. OF course,
as he points out, there may be other
entries in both the Democratic and
Republican Oregon presidential prefer
entail primaries. Senator Taft Of Ohio,
an announced candidate for the Repub-
Gcan presidential nomination, has made
no move to get into this primary race,
and if he determines to remain out of it,
his hackers in Oregon probably would
accede to his wish in the matter. How
ever. it requires only 1000 signatures
on petition to place a name on the
ballot.
1t was Mr.. Sweetland who took the
lead in placing President Truman's
name in the Oregon primary in 1948.
At that time, supporters of Henry Wal
lace among the Democrats tried to have
his entered in the Democratic primary.
too. But Mr.. Wallace, by declaring him
self not Democratic was at the
time attempting to build new Progress
sive Party. of which he eventually be-
came the presidential candidate-got
himself out of that contest against
Mr.. Truman.
Mr.. Sweetland says that most Of the
people in Oregon believe that President
Truman will eventually become candi-
date for denomination and reelection.
So the Democrats are going right ahead
with their petitions to place his name
on the primary ballot. If he wins the
primary, as he is expected to do, the
Oregon delegation at the Democratic
National Convention will be pledged to
him, and will vote for him until they
are released. The voters in the Oregon
primary also express their preference for
vice presidential candidates petit
tions are being circulated for Senator
Kefauver of Tennessee, by those who
hope to place him on the Democratic
ballot with President Truman in the ma
tional election.
194S Primary Recalled.
The Oregon presidential preferential
primary in 1948 was fateful. In that
campaign Gov. Thomas E. Dewey of New
York took off the gloves and went after
Harold E. StaSsen in bare-fisted man
ner. Mr.. Stassen had trounced Gov.
Dewey in the earlier Wisconsin primary.
Another such defeat for Gov. Dewey
might have lowered his prestige to such
an extent he could not have won the
nomination for President. In whirl-
wind campaign, Gov. Dewey staged
comeback in Oregon and took the dele
cation away from Mr.. Stassen, and
eventually was nominated at Phila-
delphia.
Oregon has played an important role
in national politics on other occasions.
Back in 1920 it was an Oregon delegate
to the Republican National Convention
who led the stampede of that conven-
ton for the nomination of the then
Gov. Calvin Coolidge of Massachusetts,
for the vice presidential nomination.
This upset entirely the plans of the
leaders who. after engineering the nomi-
nation of Senator Warren G. Harding
of Ohio for President. sought to have
Senator Lenroot of Wisconsin placed on
the ticket as the vice presidential nomi-
nee