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Show Guess Early on 1948 Presidential Candidates yim Truman Seen as Standard-Bearer of the tfff - Democratic Party; Dewey Faces Fight t,J In New York to Stay in GOP Race. V&Xzl By BAUKHAGE j News Analyst and Commentator. WNU Service, 1616 Eye Street N.W., i Washington, D. C. I National elections still are three years away, but Washington politicians politi-cians and news correspondents particularly the latter already are selecting "men to be watched." The next campaign will be nor- mal In at least one respect namely, name-ly, that the Democratic candidate for all practical purposes already ,has been chosen. Unless the par-' par-' ty's hierarchy wishes to confess failure of a policy of government it i has espoused with only occasional ' departures, the ticket will be headed j by President Harry S. Truman. As a matter of fact, that can now be dismissed from conjecture; unless fate Intervenes, Truman Is the candidate. can-didate. However, passing of a President and the elimination from the political po-litical scene of an incumbent in the vice presidency, plus election of a Demacratic mayor in New York City have combined to encourage election forecasting, Mayor-elect I William O'Dwyer will not figure per-i per-i sonaily, but because he ran roughshod rough-shod over the nominee of Governor Thomas E. Dewey, head of the Republican Re-publican national ticket In 1944, he has brought national Implications into what otherwise would have been simply a municipal ballot. Who will be Truman's running mate, currently Is a popular subject sub-ject of debate in political circles. Whom the Republicans will place on their ticket runs a close second. Taking those developments up In inverse order, attention first comes to. Governor Dewey. His was the presidential chance discounted by the election of O'Dwyer In New York City, over Josiah Goldstein, a former Democrat turned Republican Republi-can a circumstance that didn't help him one bit in an overwhelmingly overwhelm-ingly Democratic community headed head-ed for the past 12 years by Mayor LaGuardia. The Little Flower de-fled de-fled description by party label, but his replacement on January 1 will I be regarded as substitution of a Democrat for a Republican. No one familiar with New York state politics poli-tics needs to be told how poor are the chances of a candidate for governor who lacks city support. I Dewey faces the New York elec torate two years hence. And he does it, recent history indicates, without city backing. If he fails to gam another term at Albany, that, plus his defeat for the presidency, just about ends him as a contender. Strong GOP Competitors Loom Assuming, if only for the sake of developing the thought, that this diagnosis by Washington scribes is accurate, upon whom does the mantle fall? The subject becomes difficult at that juncture, but there are two who stand out so far in front of other aspirants as to make them virtually alone in the field. One is a disciple of the old school, the other an ultra-modern In politics poli-tics the former. Senator Arthur iVandenburg of Michigan; the lat-jter, lat-jter, former Governor Harold Stas-sen Stas-sen of Minnesota. A close third, and a vigorous contender, is ex-Governor ex-Governor John Bricker of Ohio. A political catalogue could hardly record re-cord three more differing types, ' Senator Vandenburg Is the most politically orthodox of the three. His experience in public life has been confined wholly to the United States senate, but he has made the best of every political break. A forceful orator,' he captures headlines, is known thrqughout the country. There Is no bluster to his oratory; It has been pointed at specific objects ob-jects and he has clicked. With the country facing an era of international internation-al dealings of transcendent importance, impor-tance, he is well versed in world affairs. He was chosen over several other Illustrious party members as a Republican delegate to the United Unit-ed Nations conference at San Fran-(Cisco, Fran-(Cisco, where he acquitted himself well. ,'. In the field of labor relations second sec-ond today only to international problems he was the sponsor of the recent labor-management meet-'ings meet-'ings in Washington, which. If they did no more, proved that employers and employees can sit down at the same table and discuss their differences dif-ferences even if they cannot eradi cate them. That was a major step ping stone toward amity. It was labeled la-beled the President's Labor-Management Conference. Both sides, and the rest of the nation, know it was Vandenburg's, Former Governor Stassen stands in a position to become the first veteran of World War II to become President, just as the incumbent, President Truman, Is the first veteran vet-eran of World War I to achieve that high estate. Stassen has youth plus experience as the chief administrator administra-tor of a state which Is Important politically and geographically. Like Vandenburg, he also was a delegate to San Francisco, but In any frank appraisal of their roles in international interna-tional politics, he must give ground to the Michigan senator. However, Stassen has captured popular Imagination Imag-ination by his forward-looking attitude atti-tude toward the tantamount subject of the day, the atomic bomb. He has a faculty for capitalizing on issues. Governor Bricker faces the drawback draw-back that "he's been to the well" before. He failed to win the Republican Re-publican presidential nomination in 1944 and had to be content with second sec-ond place. But who could win against the wave of Dewey sentiment senti-ment then washing over the nation? That he has made a splendid state administrator even Democrats admit. ad-mit. What he lacks is recognition recogni-tion outside his own state; he has suffered from the accusation that he is provincial. His declarations on foreign affairs as a vice presidential presi-dential candidate a year ago weren't marked for their profundity, weren't convincing. Unless all present pres-ent plans miscarry, Bricker will try for the United States senate. That would give him the national sounding board he needs. Bricker is handsome (an attribute which cannot be overlooked In these days of women's vote), he's an able speaker and a war veteran. The latter will be a factor to be carefully weighed when the 1948 ticket is made up. And this time he'll have the wholehearted support of Senator Robert A. Taft of his home state, something he lacked in a practical sense before. Taft was a candidate himself. This time he says he will not be. Democrats Vie for Vice Presidency On the Democratic side, the goal hopefuls will be shooting for is the vice presidential nomination. The field Is rather open, but not to the more obvious personages. There is, of course, no vice president today. Senator Kenneth McKellar functions func-tions on the job as president pro tern of the senate. Actually, in spite of public thought to the contrary, con-trary, that doesn't make him the second highest officer of the federal government Protocol places the speaker of the house next to the President As a matter of record, President Truman has asked congress con-gress to enact legislation creating statutory succession to the presidency presi-dency with the speaker preferred over the president pro tem of the senate should vacancies occur in both the presidency and the vice presidency. Translated Into sports talk, McKellar is "in on a pass." In any event, McKellar will be approaching 80 years of age when the next convention rolls around and would be out of the running on that score if for no other reason A dark horse in the long-range predictions is Senator Brian Mc-Mahon Mc-Mahon of Connecticut. A first-term member, he trimmed the popular and able Senator John Danaher, Republican, to win his office. He has many of the attributes which won votes tor Thomas Dewey a year ago he's young, just turned 42; he has proved himself an able prosecutor while serving as chlel of the criminal division in the department de-partment of justice when he cleaned up such messes as the Harlan mine I outlawry; he's a White House Intimate, Inti-mate, a vigorous speaker, self-made man with a substantial accumulation accumula-tion of worldly goods gained in the practice of law. arid he's chairman of the senate's committee to develop national policy on atomic energy. In gaining the latter distinction, he overthrew the senate seniority rule and by-passed older members who aspired to that Important post |