Republican search for a presidential candidate in 1952 narrowed to a contest between Senator Robert Taft of Ohio and General Eisenhower. Each of these men has its own appeal. Senator Taft epitomized what the Republican old god, plain was the essence of true republicanism, conservative, defender of free enterprise, enemy of the unlimited power of big labor and advocate of limited embalmment in world affairs.
Ike’s backers saw him as a winner. In their view only a middle of the road candidate would attract democratic and independent votes. Ike’s brain trust, Paul Hoffman, New York’s Governor Tom Dewey and Massachusetts Senator Cabot Lodge countered on an Eisenhower ground swell in the primaries. Hereby describes free convention efforts.
Male: We are in the Eisenhower for president movement had had the very favorable development. At first there was the big victory in New Hampton in spite of the fact of his popularity with democrats and independence couldn’t reflect itself at all in the volume. And yesterday came the news of the great ride in by a hundred thousand people in the state of Minnesota. I think that is a political explosion greater than anything that has occurred in the Republican Party since the day than Teddy Roosevelt.
Largest in the Eisenhower victories and tremendous volunteer effort of Dwight supporters to demonstrate the grass roots feeling for Eisenhower. Taft supporters challenge Eisenhower as a democrat in disguise. Ike denied it.
Dwight Eisenhower: Not only are by roots deep in republicanism but when I was a small boy in Dickinson County, Kansas we used to talk about the democrats like the we are talking about at sound room. That situation has unfortunately changed the myth.
But Senator Taft came to the convention with a firm support of the Republican Party regulars and Congress and the Republican state machine.
Male: A better dispute arose when three states sent rival sets of Taft and Eisenhower delegations to the convention. Two sets of delegates from each state claimed a single set of credentials. Taft men in control of the credentials committee gave the contested seats to the Taft delegations. But the Eisenhower forces took the battle to the floor. They framed the issue well and called their motion—
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services