Evening star., 1952-03-06
Brewster Challenges
Truman 10 Run, Saying
IFS Time 70 Call Bluff
sy ihs Assoeio,ed Press

Senator Brewster, Republican, Of
Maine today challenged President
Truman to seek reelection. saying
"it's time to call his bluff"
Senator Brewster, q supporter Of
Senator Taft Of Ohio for the Re-
publican presidential nomination,
made the statement in comment
ing on remarks attributed to Mr.
Truman by Representative Bryson.
Democrat. Of South Carolina.
Mr.. Bryson and Representative
Rivers, Democrat. Of South Caro-
lima conferred with the President
yesterday and Mr.. Bryson said
afterward:
1.-The President said that If he
were sure that Taft would not get
the Republican nomination and
not get elected II he got it, he
(Truman) would know what to do
himself about running. He indi-
Gated he would support any Demo-
crat to beat Taft"
Taft Is Choice Opponent.
The President previously has
said Senator Taft is his favorite
candidate for the Republican NOM
ination. Senator Taft has said he
would rather run against Mr.. Tru-
man than any other Democrat.
Senator Brewster said the state
ment Mr.. Bryson attributed to Mr..
Truman represented IAN obvious
attempt by the President to in
fuence the Republican nomina-
ton at critical time"
The Maine Senator made it
clear Critical time" alluded toI
New HampShire's first-in-the-
Nation presidential primary next
Tuesday, a contest in which Sen
ator Taft and Gen. Dwight D.
Eisenhower are the front runners
on the G. o. p. ticket.
"The President obviously was
not trying to help Taft" Senator
Brewster said. "He was intimat-
ing that if the Republican Party
doesn't nominate Taft, maybe he
CTruman) won't fight us to the
extent he otherwise would.
81 say it's time to call his bluff.
Let him run again. He is the
one who most certainly personif1es
the record of his administration
for good or evil. Let him go out
and defend the record as a candi-
date.
Let him put it up to the people
to decide whether they want more
Of his administration"
Reveals Conversation.
Senator Brewster said he was
disclosing for the first time that
about two and q half years ago
at a dinner Mr.. Truman called
me aside" and said:
Nominate a real Republican
who believes in your principles
and we will have a showdown and
I will abide by the result"
Senator Brewster said he re-
minded Mr. Truman of the con-
versation when he called at the
White House last month.
HE remembered it," the SEN
ator said. II told him I had done
my level best to get him a real
Republican (Taft) and I asked
him how about doing his part.
He just grinned" .a4 j,
Mr.. Bryson, in reporting on his
talk with Mr.. Truman yesterday, !
said the President was Openly
complimentary" about Senator
Russell of Georgia. an announced
candidate for the Democratic
presidential nomination.
Mr.. BrySon added that the
President said she was leery about
the geographical area from which
Russell comes" and that 'he
wished Russell came from Ken
tucky instead Of Georgia"
Mr.. Bryson quoted Mr.. Truman
as also saying, however, that he
considered Senator Russell "a fine
fellow, thoroughly trained and
qualified and acceptable except
for that"
Senator Russell's State, like the
rest of the South, is a center Of
opposition to the Truman civil
rights r1ropram