The Republicans

Last week Thomas E. Dewey, running like a mountain jack rabbit, scorched through St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Wis., burning up energy, microphones and the New Deal. The hard little attorney with the shoebrush mustache continued to make the best Republican speeches U. S. citizens have heard in many a day, continued also to be allotted the No. 2 slot, at most, by professional GOP ticket makers. The Dewey keynote--that the New Deal means defeatism--still echoed in the U. S. like a shout down a well.

Last week in St. Louis "Buster" Dewey took off his gloves, fitted brass knuckles over his fingers and slugged: "The record of the New Deal is one of broken promises, contempt for free institutions and abuse of power. . . . The platforms were worthless. . . The erosion of character in this Administration began within six weeks after it took office. This country needs a restoration of character. . . ."

In Chicago he hit out again: . . . shame of the New Deal . . . shameless corruption behind the smiling visage . . . crimes of intimidation and coercion . . . larceny, extortion, vicious practices . . . lowest form of political life . . . vested interest in human misery.

In Milwaukee: 10,000,000 unemployed . . . unbalanced budget . . . vested interest in continued depression . . . spending $17,500 a minute . . . public scandal . . . selling agriculture down the river.

No one could deny that when Tom Dewey goes to the wars, he goes. U. S. political history had seen few cases of such violent campaigning before convention time. Last autumn aggressive "Buster" Dewey charted every trip, speech he must make, every bigwig he must meet before June, allotted his days and nights, set up his staff of 30 researchers to gather the material at a cost of $3,000 a speech.

> Other Republicans worked more quietly. In Kansas persistent Alf Landon finally grasped entire control of the State's GOP delegation (18 votes) to the Republican convention. Landon's strategy, concurred in by Liberals Joe Martin of Massachusetts, Ken Simpson of New York and Midwest leaders, as now planned, is simple. Expecting Michigan's Vandenberg and New York's Dewey to cancel each other out, the GOP liberals count Ohio's Taft as their chief foe. Mr. Taft, who has Hooverized about 300 Southern and miscellaneous delegates, will be kept, if possible, from gaining votes for several ballots, until it is clear he cannot win. Then GOP liberals would hold their own version of the 1920 smoke-filled room (out of which came Warren G. Harding), will invite in Pennsylvania's Oilman Joe Pew, who also bosses Delaware's Du Pont Republicans. By maneuvering Mr. Pew, the liberals hope then to bring forth a really strong GOP 1940 ticket: i.e., Supreme Court Justices Owen Roberts or Harlan Stone to head it; perhaps Oregon's McNary or New York's Dewey as No. 2. Their most audacious dream: for President, McNary; for Vice President, LaGuardia--a ticket they guarantee would convince: 1) Franklin Roosevelt that he is too tired to run again; 2) the U. S. that the GOP is sincerely progressive; 3) the farm and labor vote that they should go Republican.

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