Dewey Gets Going

Thomas Edmund Dewey was too young, said the experts: a not-so-nice kid too big for his breeches; cocky, inexperienced both in politics and statesmanship --a ball of fire in New York, maybe, but just a city dude out where men are men and a cow is a cow.

Dewey did it the hard way. With his braintrusted speeches (at $3,000 a speech), without the help of one major G. O. P. figurehead, he entered every primary in sight, met every challenge head on. Last week he pulverized professionals, reduced experts to tears. Expected at best to break even, he swept the Wisconsin primary, using Michigan's Arthur Vandenberg as the broom. In the State where Vandenberg is best known, outside Michigan, Mr. Dewey suddenly became better known. On Wisconsin farms he ran like a prairie fire; in Wisconsin cities he ran like a rumor. Of a possible 24 delegates, he got 24. Mr. Vandenberg's candidacy was dead as a doornail.

Bug-eyed politicos, bag-eyed experts conked out cold; the U. S. was thrilled and a little frightened. A lot of people decided to take a closer look at Tom Dewey, just in case. The ranks of all other candidates closed up tighter to stop Mr. Dewey.

Racket-Buster Dewey last autumn became merely Buster Dewey, in sarcastic appreciation of his age, 38. Now Buster began to get some of the old meaning back. But much remained to be done, perhaps too much, before Mr. Dewey became the G. 0. P. nominee; when it came to lining up delegates, harelike Mr. Dewey hadn't yet overtaken Robert the Tortoise Taft.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.