Evening star., 1952-08-12
The Political MN
Massachusetts to Play
Leading Role in Election
Eisenhower Likely to Cory
Notion If He Wins Boy State
The Political MN
By Gould Lincoln

Nation If He Wins Boy State
By Gould Lincoln
HYANNIS, Mass, Aug. 12.-Massa-
chusetts will play an important role in
the November election-and it may bo
the bellwether State. If Gen. Eisen-
hover carries it in the presidential race.
he is likely to carry the country. Not
since 1924, when Calvin Coolidge ran.
has the Bay State gone Republican for
President. That's % years ago, and not
for "a years has the country gone Re-
publican in such an election.
Gen. Eisenhower showed great strength
with the voters in the presidential pref
erential primary in Massachusetts, last
spring. He swamped Senator Taft Of
Ohio, his principal opponent. He ap-
parently stands well with a large num-
ber Of the independent voters, and even
with some of the Democrats There re-
mains, however, a diehard group Of
Taft Republicans and much will depend
on whether they come back into the fold
and support the Republican ticket, or
just sit on their hands, There was con-
siderable bitterness expressed by many
of these Taftites Immediately after the
Republican National Convention, when
Eisenhower and Nixon were nominated.
Taft's campaign manager. Basil Brewer,
New Bedford publisher. has not entirely
Gained down even yet.
Critical of Lodge and Weeks.
In a recent interview he declined to
say what his position would be. He was
very critical Of the tactics of the Eisen-
hover supporters, particularly those in
Massachusetts,, among them Senator
Lodge, the Eisenhower campaign man.
ager. and Sinclair Weeks. former Sem
ator and chairman of the Republican
Finance Committee, who issued state
ment urging Taft to withdraw and throw
his support to Eisenhower. Mr.. Brewer
complained that Lodge and Weeks had
borne down heavily on the idea that
Taft could not win II nominated, and
that Taft was supported only by group
of "Old Guard" Republicans. He does
not like to be considered an Old Guards
man.
MIR. Brewer would not say whether he
would support Senator Lodge, who Is up
for reelection, or even that he would
vote for Representative Herter, who will
be the Republican nominee for Governor.
He will wait, he said, until after tho
primaries in September. If he fails to
support them, however, his stand may
have little effect. He will be known as a
poor loser, at best It is unlikely many Of
the Taft Republicans would follow him.
Mr.. Lodge has been elected three times
to the Senate. His prestige seems greater
today than at any time in the past. since
he conducted the successful campaign
which gave Gen. Eisenhower the preSi-
Dental nomination. If Ike carries Mas
sachusetts, Lodge is practically certain
of reelection. Even If the Democrats
should defeat Ike in this State and turn
it's electoral votes over to Gov. Adlai Ste
venson of Illinois, Lodge might still nose
out his Democratic opponent, the youth
full Representative John Kennedy. The
last time Senator Lodge was elected was
in 1916, Republican year. But he de-
feated the late Senator David I. Walsh.
one of the greatest Democratic vote
getterS the State has had.
Big Independent Vote.
Registered Democrats outnumber reg
istered Republicans in this State. The
independent voters, however, are almost
as numerous as the combined Demo-
cratic and Republican registered vote.
This is reflected in the Massachusetts,
delegation in the House of Repre-
sentatives-there are eight Republic
can members and six Democratic.
This big independent vote is likely
to turn to Eisenhower. They are
the voters who are disgusted with the
corruption in the Federal Government as
administered by the Truman admin
istration. They are the voters who are
aroused over the inefficient government
of the Dever administration in this
State. And finally they are the voters
who likely will return Henry Cabot
Lodge, jr., to the United States Senate.
Young Kennedy. the son of former
Ambassador Joseph Kennedy. is. how
ever, the strongest candidate the Demo-
Gratis could select at this time to make
the race against Lodge. He is veteran
of the Second World War. when he
served in the Navy, in PIT boats in the
Pacific, and made record for gallantry.
He has back Of him all the money needed
to make a campaign, and he Is an ener-
getic and attractive campaigner. Ken
nedy is serving his third term in tho
House, where he has taken an active
part. He took over the district which
was formerly represented in the House
by Jim Curley, former Governor and
Mayor of Boston. He was quick to show
both political courage and independ-
ence.
Up to date, Gov. Stevenson has made
little impression as a candidate in this
State. He is practically an unknown to
the great mass of voters-all Of whom
know about Eisenhower It is going to
take lot of good organization work on
the part of the Democrats to put their
ticket across, especially as Senator
Sparkman Of Alabama. the vice presi-
dental candidate. is not likely to gain
votes here. Until the campaign actually
gets under way in September, however.
it would be folly to predict the results.
The last big Republican year in this
State was 1946, when President Truman
and the whole administration was at a
low ebb. In that year. the Republicans
not only elected Senator Lodge, who had
resigned to serve in the Army during
the war, but also Governor.