Evening star., 1951-03-22
Toft Could Prove Appeal
In Early Primary Votes
Has to Be Shown Thut G. O. P.
Really Wants Him to Run
The Political Mil
By Gould Lincoln

by 6ould Lincoln
Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio made
a good start at convincing his friends
that he can win elections when he ran
$4,000 votes ahead of Jumping Joe"
Ferguson, his Democratic, labor -sup-
ported opponent in a senatorial election
last November. He has a chance, if he
wishes to take it, of clinching this con-
viction in big way. He can go into
the early presidential preferential pri-
maries-in New Hampshire, Wisconsin,
Nebraska, Illinois and Oregon. If he
goes over well. for example, in Wiscon-
sin and in New Hampshire, he will have
demonstrated his appeal" as a presi-
dental candidate so strongly it would
appear nothing could halt him on the
way to nomination.
AS matters stand today Senator Taft
has not yet made up his mind whether
he will become candidate for the pres
idential nomination. This may sound
strange. coming from man who has
been more widely mentioned as presi-
Dental candidate than any other man
in the Republican Party-since the No
vember election.
Taft Has to Be Shown.
Gen. Eisenhower has been put forward
for the same nomination by Gov. Dewey
of New York and many other Repub-
licans-but no one knows for sure
whether the general is Republican or
not. He has never announced himself
member either of the Republican or
the Democratic Party. Mr.. Taft is, how
ever. a Republican-an understatement.
Also he will run If the Republicans really
want him for q candidate. But this
time, 1t seems, he Is from Missouri-he
has to be shown.
OF course. one way he could be
shown" Is through entry into the presi-
Dental preferential primaries. Not until
next winter does he have to determine
whether he will enter these primaries, or
any one of them. New Hampshire's
primary falls in March and those Of
Wisconsin and Illinois in April. In past
preconvention campaigns, Senator Taft
has not entered primaries except In his
own State. His name was entered, to
be sure. but without his specific consent,
In the Nebraska primary in 194S-and
he ran well there although he made no
campaign. Frankly, many Of Mr.. Taft's
friends are hoping he will go into some
of these presidential primary campaigns.
They feel he could do well in them, II
he personally went into the States and
campaigned.
Recently there has been some talk
of Senator Joe" Mccarthy of Wis.
consin as Taft political lieutenant.
Whose political lieutenant Joe Nc
Carthy may become, however, is likely
to be determined by what happens in
the Wisconsin presidential primary.
How Gossip Grew.
The gossip about Taft and Mccarthy
grew originally out of Senator Taft's
failing to rise in the Senate and de-
nounce Senator McCarthy's attacks on
communism in the State Department
(acting as Republican leader, and
more recently his, Senator Taft's, al
legged failure to protect Senator Mar
garet Chase Smith of Maine from Sen
ator Mccarthy, as ranking member OF
the investigating subcommittee" Of
the Senate Committee on Expendi-
lures. Senator Mccarthy eliminated
Mrs. Smith from that subcom-
mittee and put newly elected Sem
ator Nixon of California in her place.
Senator McCarthy's claim was that
Senator Nixon, as an old member Of
the House Un-American Activities Com
mittee, would be more effective in
vestigator than Mrs. Smith. This, Sem
ator Taft, as chairman of the Repub-
lican Policy Committee, those who try
to tie Taft to Mccarthy say, should
have prevented. However, Senator
Taft knew nothing about the switch
in the subcommittee until after it was
made-and if he had known about it
it was not his business to interfere
in a subcommittee matter, particularly
when he was not member of the COM
mittee.
1t has been gossiped, too, that Sem
ator Mccarthy himself has presiden-
tial aspirations. That, however, he
stoutly Denies saying fatty that for
various reasons he could not be nomi-
mated or elected. Nor does he have
ambitions for vice presidential nomi-
nation. He is intent on running for
denomination and reelection to the
Senate next year-and. from Wisconsin
reports, he seems pretty certain Of win
ming.