| Show NATIONAL NA AFFAIRS Reviewed by hy CARTER FIELD Carter Carler Field believes Governor Bricker of 01 Ohio ito has lias a good chance for lor the Republican nomination for lor resident if il the national convention should be dead dead- Electric grid system ss s's tern tem shrouded d TO tided in mystery Dell Bell Syndicate Syndicate Service W WASHINGTON The The The Republican presidential contest has narrowed down to Thomas E. E Dewey Dewcy and Sen R Robert bert A. A Taft so far tar as the pre- pre convention con battling is concerned Of course anything may happen at Philadelphia Philadelphia Phil Phil- adelphia hla There could be a deadlock deadlock dead dead- lock for example with neither Taft nor Dewey able to muster a majority majority ma ma- at the end of which the leaders leaders lead lead- ers rs would suddenly decide on the head lead of the ticket or the convention convention conven- conven tion ion might be hysterically stampeded stamped stamped- ed to almost any conceivable can can- Incidentally that is one of the advantages advantages advantages ad ad- vantages of not taking part in the battle To be eliminated eliminated In advance as for example in primaries puts a handicap on a amans aman's amans aman's anan's mans man's being selected after a dead dead- lock ock Not always however There was Warren G. G Harding who did miserably in the primaries but was named after the three leaders had worn themselves out John W. W Bricker governor of Ohio seems to be in the prettiest position at the moment if 11 there should hould be a deadlock He is on the bench at the moment and aDd must stay there until Taft wins or blows by which time it may be too late Dut But if there is a deadlock between between be- be tween Taft and Dewey with just a afew afew few ew scattering votes which neither can corral to make a majority the convention might turn to Bricker That would be all right with most of the Republican leaders It would be beall beall beall all right with most of the big contributors contributors con eon to G. G O. O P. P war chests especially those in downtown New York I LITTLE BITTERNESS Up to now there has been little if ii any bitterness in the Republican fight however and bitterness is almost almost al al- al most an essential in creating a dead dead- lock Taft has said nothing about Dewey so far as has come to light calculated to make Dewey or his friends eager to prevent Tafts Taft's nomInation nomination nomination nom nom- at all costs The same is true about Deweys Dewey's utterances On the whole the picture does not look too bright for Mr Bricker Something may be said or done before the convention assembles to tomar tomar tomar mar the harmony prevailing between the contestants But Dut there is no DO sign of it yet In fact there Is no prospect prospect pros pros- of it even if there should be a knock down and drag out primary between Taft and Dewey in West Virginia which looks more likely now than it did before Dewey scored so heavily in Wisconsin SHROUDED IN MYSTERY Mystery continues to shroud the thela la latest test proposal for a huge electric grid system for the entire Northeast North North- east from east from Boston Doston to Chicago and Milwaukee south to St. St Louis and east to Baltimore which Baltimore which th the federal power commission group laid before before be be- fore tore private utility executives But Dut since there has been a leak and obviously a leak from federal sources practical engineers and utility men not in the original secret have studied what they have learned about it It and are arc far from This is a revision of the plan proposed proposed proposed pro pro- posed last summer which was to have cost and Included four tour government built and operated steam plants the whole avowed purpose purpose purpose pur pur- pose being to bolster the power supply sup ply of industrial America against the possibility of it being called on for tor war production Two things happened to that original nal proposal One was that congress congress con con- gress was horrified at the notion of appropriating The economy economy economy econ econ- omy wave which has been slipping a bit since was in the process of birth then and the White House was giving no encouragement to any government branches figuring on a abig abig abig big boost in the budget ISSUE SIDETRACKED The other was that war fever so obvious in some of the governments government's departments notably the war department de de- was Just about the most Interesting thing In Washington at that time tune So the national defense motive while still present scarcely seemed to justify an appropriation of So the group inside the government government government govern govern- ment so 10 strongly Interested in the grid system has whittled down and revised the plan It now calls for tor foran foran toran an expenditure of at only and this does not require an It merely requires that the loan the money to the util util- Now the curious phase of the whole business is that the private utilities do not want the grid system Particularly they do not want any grid system to be imposed by the government So If It is to come It 11 will have to be forced on them and forced under the guise gulie of national defense |
