Evening star., 1959-12-28
ROCKEFELLER
ROCKEFELLER
COP. Sees Unity in 1860,
Democrats Hunt Candidate
Continued From First Page

contests party which can
now devote all it's energies to
electing Vice President Nixon
to the presidency.
Democrats depicted the
g., o. P. as controlled by old
conservatives. who do not give
"progressives" like the New
York Governor a look-in.
One big poser for the Re-
publicans was how. to pump
any drama into their conven-
ton opening in Chicago next
July rs. 1t will be like a mystery
novel of which every reader
knows the ending. Nothing now
sighted on the political horizon
can prevent a first ballot NOM
ination for Mr.. Nixon. The only
suspense lies in the choice of
his running mate.
If political custom holds. Mr..
Nixon and not the delegates
will make that choice.
Democrats Have Problem
For the Democrats - with
their small army of aspirants
the problem is how to pick
the best man to take on Mr..
Nixon without ripping the party
seams by fights over religion,
north-south issues and other
matters.
Some of the Democratic tax
that Mr.. Nixon would be easier
to defeat than Gov. Rockefeller
has died down since polls
showed Mr.. Nixon faring we'll.
Some of it persists.
The guessing about Mr. Nix
on's running mate covered a
wide scope. Names mentioned
included:
Secretary of Labor Mitchell,
House G. o. P. Leader Halleck
of Indiana, Attorney General
Rogers, Senator Morton of
Kentucky. Secretary of the
Interior Seaton, Senator Keat-
ing of New York, Senator
Scott of Pennsylvania and
Cows. Cecil Underwood of
West Virginia, Christopher Del
Sesto of Rhode Island and VIII
liam Quinn of Hawaii.
Lodge Takes Self Out
Another potential G. o. P.
vice presidential minee,
United Nations Ambassador
Henry Cabot Lodge, said yes
terday, 81 am not going to be
candidate for any elective Of
fee in 1860"
In Montpelier, VT, the name
of Senator Aiken was injected
as a vice presidential possibility.
Supporters of Vice President
Nixon and, the hackers of Gov.
Rockefeller Joined in boosting
Senator Aiken who is 81.
Senator Aiken told newsmen
the presidential nominee will
have the say. He added, Il don't
think he is going to ask me.
And I think we had better let
it go at that"
If the usual geographical con-
siderationS are given weight,
they would rule out such men
as Gov. Mark Hatfield of Ore
gon. 1t would be highly unusual
for a party to choose both its
nominees from the Far West.
If the Democrats should nom
mate Senator Kennedy, a Ro-
man Catholic, for the preSi-
dency, the Republicans might
turn to Mr.. Mitchell, a Roman
Catholic from New Jersey, for
balance.
"Dream Ticket" Yearned For
Many Republicans still yearn-
ed. for a Nixon-Rockefeller
ticket. There was no evidence
Gov. Rockefeller would count
enance this, though he can
count upon being the target
of pressure from now until
convention time. He proclaimed
an absolutely definite resolve
not to accept the vice presi-
Dental nomination.
Reporters at Albany yeSter-
day sought to get Gov. Rookie
feller to say specifically whether
he would support Mr.. Nixon.
He would not go beyond his
Saturday statement, which said
he expected to support the
nominee" of the convention.
Students of politics look upon
the Governor as a rare phe-
nomenon-a politician with a
coolly objective view of his own
prospects.
Usually when a man gets
presidential fever, desire be-
clouds judgment. Not so Gov.
Rockefeller. He looked over the
situation, with the help of polls
and experimental journeys West
and South, and decided that
the odds in 1860 were too heavy
to buck.
His decision apparently re-
suited from the counsel of some
of his closest advisers who told
him he didn't stand much of a
chance.
No "Deal" Seen
Observers searched in vain
for signs of a deal" in the
Rockefeller withdrawal. Eye
brows went up a bit when for
mer New York Gov. Thomas E.
Dewey, a two-time G. o. P.
presidential candidate. Travelled
here December 20 to attend a
party in Mr.. Nixon's home.
There was talk that Mr.. Dewey
might have brought word that
Gov. Rockefeller was willing to
bow out this year, in return
for a pledge of Nixon support
some time in the future.
But evidence for this was
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