Evening star., 1952-01-12
u. 5. Public Wants Taft
Or Eisenhower, Not
Truman, Mundt Says.
ey the A..eeto,ed Pres.

Gates the public wants either Sen.
ator Taft. Republican, of Ohio.
Ior Gen. Eisenhower as the next
President.
But the American people have
not made up their minds between
Bob and Ike" Senator Mundt
said, adding he Is not committed
to any presidential aspirant.
There Is no definite trend"
Senator Mundt based his belief
on what he said were careful
Isoundings he made among voters
while In the Southwest and Mid
die West in recent weeks.
Tive come back convinced that
President Truman is not going to
run, he said. "FIe has lost the
South. and he can't win without
the South. I don't think he
wants to end his career as badly
defeated candidate" -.
Stassen Primary Planned.
Regarding two other announced
Republican candidates, Gov. Earl
Warren Of California and Harold
|Stassen. president Of the Univer-
|sity Of Pennsylvania and former
Governor of Minnesota, Senator
Mundt said:
"I don't think either one Is q
front : running candidate. They
NOW IRE in the favorite-son class"
Stassen supporters announced
In st. Paul. Mimi, last night that
Ia slate of delegates pledged to him
will enter the primary election in
Minnesota March 18. -
Warren e. Burger Of st. Paul,
vice chairman Of the Stassen-for-
President Committee. said the
names Of % delegates would be
filed Tuesday.
But Mr.. Stassen's hackers in
New Hampshire expressed doubt
he would enter that States pri.
mary. Mr.. Stassen himself said
last Sunday he was entering the
April 8 Illinois primary and might
Ido the same in Wisconsin.
On the Democratic side, there
were new indications Senator
|Kefauver Of Tennessee will seek
his party's nomination. although
|he has made no formal announce.
Iment.
Kefauver Men Map Plans.
There were Kefauver develop.
|ments in Illinois, Ohio and New
Hampshire. In each State, In.
Idications were strong that dele
|gates pledged to him would be
entered in primaries.
Probably the most emphatic
Kefauver development was q
definite statement. by Herbert L.
Lockwood, co-chairman Of the
Illinois Kefauver for President
Club, that Senator Kefauver will
seek the nomination" He said
the Senator had told him by tele-
phone that he Is "elated and was
very optimistic Of carrying nli-
nois."
In New York, Senator Kefauver
himself was silent as to his plans,
but announced he would see Presi-
dent Truman Tuesday. He would
mot, say what the purpose Of his
call at the White House was. but
lit was understood 1t related to
political matters"
Eisenhower boosters, led by New
Hampshire's Gov. Sherman
Adams, got the generals campaign
officially under way by filing en-
tries listed as favorable" to him
in their States primary.
Attorney Wesley Powell, an ad-
mitted Eisenhower opponent,
limited that he and others are
trying to get Senator Taft to
oppose Gen. Eisenhower IN the
New Hampshire primary.
Conference Planned.
Mr.. Powell, former STAN aide 10
Senator Bridges. Republican, Of
New Hampshire, and later a Re.
publican candidate for Senator
lagainst Senator Tobey in 1850.
said he had discussed this with
Senator Taft.
He said Taft managers, includ.
ing John d. M. Hamilton, former
Republican national chairman,
would confer with New Hampshire
Republicans this week end before
making a decision.
At Concord. N. H., Louis c.
IWyman, attorney and also a
former staff aide to Senator
Bridges. filed as a delegate fav-
lorable to Senator Taft but delayed
saying he thinks he can get per.
mission to file pledged" for Sen.
ator Taft early next week.
Senator Mundt said Gen. Eisen-
hover '.has a duty to make his
position clear on major issues and
I think he will do it"
There are a hundred ways in
which the general could do this
without violating Army regula.
tions." he said.
Gen. Eisenhower, in announcing
that he is Republican and would
accept but not seek the presi-
dental nomination, indicated he
would have nothing more to say
while remaining in uniform as
commander of the Western Euro
pean armed forces.
Senator Mundt said President
Truman's laudatory remarks about
Gen. Eisenhower this week indi-
cate there would be a liberal in
|terpretation of Army regulations
applying to him.
II suspect the White House
won't want to pull another Mac
Arthur-they can't afford another
martyr" Senator Mundt said.
Meanwhile, James D. McPhail
|of Manchester, N. H., became the
first man In the country to file as
Ia primary candidate favorable to
President Truman.