Last Look Around

The stage was Tom Dewey's. The audience was 39 U.S. governors and 132 tU.S. newsmen. The occasion: the 36th annual governors' convention in the "chocolate town" of Hershey, Pa. By afternoon of a hot Sunday, most newsmen and governors were standing on the sun-baked porch of the million-dollar Hershey Hotel. They watched the roadway from the valley, waiting for Dewey.

One early arrival had used his time well. Silver-haired John Bricker, handsome in a sand-colored suit, had promptly called a press conference. He answered all questions freely, said he favored "something like the League of Nations," but no international police force, no military alliances. Then he drove his point home: every candidate should be equally plainspoken about where he stands, said Challenger Bricker.

Delayed Entrance. The newsmen, the governors, their wives in bright sport dresses got disappointing news out on the porch. Tom Dewey would not appear until later: he was going direct to a troop review at Indiantown Gap. Not until 9:30 at night did Governor Dewey reach the Spanish splendor of the Hershey Hotel. As he climbed the ornate spiral staircase he saw about 50 newsmen at the head of the stairs. Said Tom Dewey, with a look of surprise:

"My goodness, I did not expect to see so many familiar faces. You fellows don't know what you have missed. We have been riding around in jeeps and you should have been there. If you had been, your piles would have gotten the best working over they will every get."

Hypothesis. Dewey spent 35 minutes freshening himself up after his afternoon with the troops, then, in a neat dark grey suit, greeted newsmen in the tiled cocktail lounge. One correspondent straightway asked him: are you a candidate? "For what?" the Governor asked.

"For the Republican Presidential nomination." "My position on that remains unchanged." "Will you accept the nomination?" "It hasn't been tendered me." "If it is?" "That is a hypothetical question," said Tom Dewey.

Then, for the first time, Dewey affirmed his knowledge of the boom in his behalf. (This week a Gallup Poll gave him 65% of the G.O.P. vote; and another showed him leading Franklin Roosevelt in New York State 52%-to-48% (see PRESS).

Newsmen said that New York's governor had enough delegates already to win the G.O.P. nomination. Said Dewey, smiling: "I'm afraid it's beyond the stage of rumor."

Byplay. Next morning Dewey listened to speeches by Governors Warren, Saltonstall and Schricker, but took no part in the discussion. Once West Virginia's 100% New Dealing Governor Matt Neely turned off an anti-Administration question by demanding to know where Bricker and Dewey stood on postwar Federal Works programs. Bricker arose, said he was for them. Dewey sat silent.

At lunch, Dewey had the seat of honor between General George Catlett Marshall and Admiral Ernest J. King. In the evening, Tom Dewey made the main speech: as round and smooth as a billiard ball, calculated neither to inform nor offend any one. Chief point: the U.S. must remain united after victory is won.

This was probably Governor Dewey's final appearance outside New York until convention time. All present knew that the Hershey conference was the last look around that the 24 Republican governors, the elected chieftains of their party, could take before the party sealed its 1944 fate at the convention this month. They could take another close look at "Honest John" Bricker, who was staying in there pitching though his prospects were poor. But if they now looked around, and at each other, and saw no possible candidate but Tom Dewey, then the deed was done, and the nomination finally in the New York Governor's bag.

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