Germs & Gems

In a rare spirit of hospitality, the Chicago Tribune's Colonel Robert Rutherford McCormick opened the doors of his high-paneled office last week to an inquiring visitor. The visitor: New York Timesman Felix Belair Jr. Because he had a cold, the Colonel kept Reporter Belair at a respectful 15 feet to protect him from germs. But he let him have some gems of McCormick wisdom.

The topic was Republican politics. Said Bertie: "I won't have anything to do with that fellow Stassen. He is no Republican, never was, and the same thing goes for Tom Dewey. He's no American; he's a New Yorker. . .. Like Willkie before him, he was put up by the international bankers in New York ... to save England and British Imperialism. ... I could have elected Willkie if he campaigned as an American.... Poor fellow, he thought Dewey beat him in the Wisconsin primary ... I beat him. . . . That's Tribune territory over there.

"Taft seems to be a good man. . . . All school children have to learn the names of the Presidents of the United States and they know the name of Taft. . . . There is some young fellow out on the Pacific Coast named Warren whom I haven't met yet but I've heard something about. I must meet that fellow. If he is all they say he is, I might be able to support him.

"I know the Eastern Republicans are going to try to put up some renegade Westerner for the presidential nomination in 1948. . . . But they won't have my support."

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