The Grand Old Game

Republican Nelson Rockefeller declined to talk about his presidential ambitions. Republican Barry Goldwater denied that he had any, weeks ago shrugged off questions about burgeoning Goldwater-for-President clubs with the remark:

"It's useless to try to stop this thing.'' Republican George Romney vowed that "there are no circumstances under which I will seek" the 1964 G.O.P. nomination --but, given the chance, he refused to take a Sherman.

At President Kennedy's press conference last week, a newsman noted the reluctance of the three most widely mentioned Republican possibilities to declare themselves, asked "if, to your experienced eye, any of them looks like a candidate, and if you'd care to be a little more frank than they are about your plans." The President chortled his reply: "I would say that if the party spirit--if the party comes to them, that they will answer in all those three cases, and I would say that that's just about my position too."

Candidate Watching. The fact is that it was, for some reason, the opening of the season for that grand old American game: candidate watching. Since there is no real doubt about who will get the Democratic nomination in 1964, interest and speculation naturally centered on the Republicans.

Newlywed Rockefeller, returning from an 18-day honeymoon at his Venezuela ranch and at Brother Laurance's comfort able Virgin Islands bungalow, told greeters at Idlewild airport that he was "very happy to be back." He and his second bride, the former Mrs. Margaretta ("Happy") Murphy, planned to settle down in Rocky's Pocantico Hills estate, then take a get-acquainted tour of New York State. As the Governor stepped toward a waiting car, somebody called out: "The Duke and Duchess of Windsor said they're happy for you." After reflecting for a moment on the implications of that,+. Rockefeller called back: "That's very nice of them."

The fact was that Rocky, only a couple of months ago the far-in-front runner for next year's G.O.P. nomination, was still hearing echoes about his remarriage. A Presbyterian Church board last week formally censured the minister who performed the ceremony--on the ground that Happy had been divorced less than five weeks before, and church law requires a minister to get permission from his superiors before marrying anyone divorced less than a year. In an editorial entitled "Thy Neighbor's Wife," The Living Church, an Episcopal weekly, declared that it was doubtful whether Rockefeller "can any longer be considered as a candidate for the presidency."

Voters' Choice. With Rocky rocking, there was renewed interest in the possibilities of Michigan's new Governor Romney. Last week he flew into Washington for the second time in recent days. On this occasion, the skilled and lively Romney speaking style was devoted to extolling the virtues of his home state, which is celebrating "Michigan Week." Addressing the National Press Club, he said: "The Creator endowed us with 11,000 lakes and 36,000 miles of streams." But he also spoke out in favor of civil rights justice for Negroes, free medical care for the "indigent," state action to meet public needs as an answer to the sort of inaction that "allows the Federal Government to poach on the state governments' preserve."

Asked whether he would accept a favorite-son nomination by the Michigan delegation in 1964, Romney did not reply very directly. He merely said that he already had "invited Rockefeller and Goldwater to come out to Michigan to let the people see them and decide which one they like."

For Romney, this was pretty good strategy. Rockefeller, if he ever really hopes to be the Republican nominee, must take his chances in 1964; to skip next year and wait until 1968 would be disastrous for him. His testing grounds will be the Republican presidential primaries, starting with New Hampshire next March. But to be a true test--and one that might say something about the voter reaction to his divorce and remarriage --there must be somebody to run against him. Plainly, it would work to Romney's advantage to have Rocky and Goldwater pitted against each other in the primaries. If they were to kill each other off, who would be a likely man for the Republican Party to call upon? His name might be George Romney.

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