Milford chronicle., 1952-05-16
THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE SEEMS
WIDE OPEN


The struggle for the Republican presi-
Dental nomination has really become horse
race. To all practical purposes, General Eisen-
hover and Senator Taft are running neck
and neck so far as sOlidly pledged votes are
concerned. Some eager partisans on both
sides still claim that their man has a COM
manding lead and that the prize is practically
in the bag, but this is the sort of wishful
thinking that is ever a part of the great
game of politics.
Eisenhower is strongest along and near
the Atlantic seaboard-as his extremely inn
preSsive victory in Massachusetts demon
strated. Taft, on the other hand, pulls his
greatest weight in the midwest and parts
of the south. The Eisenhower camp was
particularly elated by the fact that he at
tracted many Democratic voters in the Bay
State primary. This, they argue, should be
the clincher, on the grounds that no COP
candidate can win the presidency without
cutting deep into the ranks of the Democrats
and independent voters.
In any event, nothing has been decided.
1t is perfectly possible, for example, though
not probable, that by convention time either
Taft or Eisenhower could have enough dele
gates (603) to get the nomination on the
first ballot 1t is also perfectly possible that
they would be so nearly equal in strength as
to make the nomination of either impossible,
and so force the choice of someone else. This
last possibility, however, now seems very
unlikely.
One other candidate will have sizable
bloc of delegates when the convention con-
venes. That candidate is Governor Warren,
with his 70 California and six Wisconsin
votes. These votes represent powerful trad
ing material. Governor Warren is making an
aggressive effort to capture OregOn's 18 dele
gates in the May Is primary. The forecast is
that he will get a substantial popular vote,
but that Eisenhower will get the delegates.
There is Cne facet to this race that has
some cool heads worried. Bitterness is be-
ginning to appear among both Taft and EiSen-
hover supporters. There is a tendency to
get down into the political mud and start
singing it. The cool heads believe that the
respective campaigns for the nomination
should be conducted on high political level,
as political levels go. First of all, they say,
both General and Senator are obviously men
of the highest character, sincerity and patriO-
tism. You can disagree with their views, but
you can hardly call them cheap run-Of-the-
mill politicians. Secondly, the argument
runs, the highest possible degree of unity
among anti-Administratio forces will be
needed if a COP victory is to be won in No
vember, and this unity could be seriously
undermined by mud-slinging between the
Taft and Eisenhower hackers. AS for the
two men personally, it certainly isn't to be
expected that they will go in for dirty fight
ing.
The Democrats are in pickle The pro-
fessionals within the party don't want Sena-
tor Kefauver, but he has swamped the field
in the primaries. They like Governor Steven
son, an able man with fine record, but he
has shown no inclination to seek the nomina-
ton and he is not well known nationally. Ad-
ministration men were strong for Senator
Kerr, but he has shown no ability to obtain
widespread popular support.
$3.50
HE DIDN'T SAY "NOp
Aroused by the Presidents grab of the
steel industry in direct violation of Con
stitutions prohibition against seizure oil
private property, a reporter asked Mr. Tru
man this question: "Mr. President, if it is
proper to seize the steel mills, can you tel
us in your opinion if it is proper to seize the
newspapers and radio stations 2" Since direct
quotation Of the Presidents remarks is for
hidden without special permission, his answer
was given to the public in a carefully para
phrased, third-perscn version, as follows
The reply was that under similar circum
stances the President had to act for whateve
was the best interests of the country Tha
is your answer, Mr.. Truman added" Tht
President did not say mo" nor did he choOs,
to remember Thomas Jefferson's famous
statement that, if he had to choose between
government without newspapers and news
papers without government he would un
hesitatingly choose the latter.
Equally as alarming as the implication
Of the Truman seizure and threat of seizur
is the fact that the public seems little dis