Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-19
By EDWARD J. NICHOLSON

ny EDW AMI Dc MANhEACOr
Four years ago next We'd
nesday Representative Chris
tian A. Herter. Republican Of
Massachusetts,. and 10 House
q. o. P. colleagues in the SD
. Congress signed . Washing
tons Birthday appeal TO Gen.
Dwight D. Eisenhower to
make himself available for
their party's presidential nom
nation.
On Washington's Birthday.
1856. Christian Herter will
observe traditional ceremo-
mics in the ofilce Of the Massa-
ehusetts Governor, greeting
thousands Of visitors on Bea-
con Hill.
The vast majority Of these
voters. who regard Gov. Her
ter as one Of the truly great
chief executives Of the COM
monwealth are convinced
they win be shaking hands
with q man who viii be on the
national G. o. p. ticket this
fall, or, at least. the next Sec
rotary Of State.
Here on the Potomac the
former House member Is re-
garded as Just another dark
horse presidential possibility.
although an attractive one.
In the Bay State. by contrast.
o Herter boom has been max
ing vigorous progress since
last October.
There Ii an amateur move
ment known as the Christian
A. Herter-for-P resident-if- Ike
Doesn't Run Again Clubs. :"
created In the Greenfield,
Mass, area. But In Boston,
where the speculation about
the Governors future has been
particularly feverish since his
long anticipated announce
ment several days ago that he
won't seek a third term, most
interest centers on his pros
poets for the vice presidential
nomination.
It has been taken for granted
for some time that the tall.
lanky Governor, now rounding
out a highly successful sec
ond term, Is headed for higher
office and ready. willing and
able to campaign for 1t. For
some months he has been
speaking around the country,
commanding attention as an
Eisenhower Republican. An
avowed moderate, he was quick
10 praise Adlai Stevenson, the
Democratic presidential as
pirant, for urging last week
that the race segregation ques-
ton as 1t affects the public
schools be removed from the
national election battle arena
as an issue.
Age, Health and Birth
The Governor. at go. is II
years older than Vice Presi-
dent Richard M. Nixon. There
also Is the matter Of his
health. Gov. Herter has an
arthritic condition which used
to give him periodic trouble
when he was in the House. His
doctors maintain that 1t has
been arrested. A third prob
lem Is his birth-in Paris.
France.
Gov. Herter supporters are
convinced that the Supreme
Court will, at the appropriate
time, rule that any child born
TO American parents anywhere
in the world is a natural
born" citizen Of the United
States. This will apply TO
many small children whose
parents are in foreign and
military services and stationed
throughout the world. It would
also apply to Representative
James p. s. Devereux, Repub-
lican Of Maryland, and former
Civil Aeronautics Board Chair
man James M. Lands. and
former Representative Frank
lin D. Roosevelt, jr.
In Herter's case such a rul-
ing would remove the cloud
over his constitutional eligibil-
ity for the presidential nomi-
nation.
Since his enthusiasts are
hopeful, as Is the Governor,
that President Eisenhower will
decide to seek a second term,
there has been q marked ten
dency to draw comparisons
between his assets and liabili-
ties as q vice presidential
nominee, and those Of the
incumbent.
This Is being done privately
In Washington, where the for
mer Representative has strong
backing among friends on
Capitol Hill. He also has ar
dent hackers in the White
House inner circle. In Boston.
the vice presidential Herter
talk is being done out loud
even though professional poll
ticians contend nobody ever
runs for Vice President.
The reticence In Washington
n understandable. For one
&0inR. any praisN 0f Gov.