Leaders applaud Dewey’s ‘drafters’
Sprague, Jaeckle, Brownell praised for the way they have handled campaign
By James A. Hagerty
Chicago, Illinois – (June 25)
With Governor Dewey’s nomination for President by the Republican National Convention now assured on the first ballot, the three New Yorkers heading the “Draft Dewey” movement, J. Russel Sprague, national committeeman; Edwin F. Jaeckle, state chairman, and Herbert Brownell Jr., chairman of the law committee of the state committee, have won the admiration of party leaders for the effective way they have conducted their campaign for the New York Governor’s nomination.
The strategy has been simple. It has been based primarily on the argument that Governor Dewey, of all the candidates available, is the most likely to carry New York with its 47 electoral votes and therefore is the most likely candidate to win the election.
This argument has been reinforced by the contention that Mr. Dewey as governor of the most populous state in the Union has demonstrated marked ability as an administrator and can go before the waters with an enhanced reputation which he did not fully possess when he was a presidential candidate four years ago.
At the Philadelphia convention in 1940, Mr. Dewey’s reputation, so far as the country was concerned, was based on his success as a prosecutor in curbing rackets in New York City and exposing alliances between politics and crime. His conviction of James J. Hines, powerful Tammany Assembly district leader, received wide publicity.
Record as Governor emphasized
This year., Mr. Dewey will enter the national convention with the emphasis on his record as Governor. In their talks with delegates and party leaders from other states, Messrs. Sprague, Jaeckle and Brownell have pointed out that in 1942, Mr. Dewey was elected Governor by a plurality of 647,395 over Democratic candidate John J. Bennett Jr. and by a majority of 243,786 over Mr. Bennett and American Labor Party candidate Dean Alfange. They have also pointed out that Mr. Dewey was the first Republican to be elected Governor of New York in more than twenty years and have expressed the belief that if nominated for President, Governor Dewey would carry New York, and that with any other candidate the outcome would be doubtful.
The “Draft Dewey” leaders have contended that Mr. Dewey’s administration has the approval of the people of New York State and cite as evidence the election of Joe R. Hanley as Lieutenant Governor last year over Lt. Gen. William N. Haskell, who was the candidate of the Democratic and Labor parties and whose candidacy had the approval of President Roosevelt.
Mr. Dewey’s position on foreign policy has not been stressed, and the impression has been created that he will approve the plank adopted by the convention. For the most part, delegates calling at the Dewey headquarters have shown more interest in Mr. Dewey’s vote-getting ability than on his stand on issues. The one factor that has brought a majority of the state delegations to the support of Governor Dewey is the belief that he can get more votes than any other candidate who might be named. To foster, maintain and increase this belief has been the main task of Messrs. Sprague, Jaeckle and Brownell.
The fact that about 850 votes out of 1,057 in the convention are now in sight for Mr. Dewey’s nomination is proof that these tactics have been successful. Should a fight on the platform develop in the convention, it will not affect the nomination of Governor Dewey, which is already foreclosed, whatever effect the fight might have on the election in November.
The “Draft Dewey” forces reached Chicago a week ago with a majority for their candidate assured it they could hold what they had, and support from such states as Pennsylvania and Illinois, of which definite assurance had been lacking, not only added more than a hundred votes to the Dewey strength but prevented any possible defections.
The situation at this convention is comparable to that which existed at the 1932 Democratic convention which nominated Franklin D. Roosevelt for the first time. Mr. Dewey, as Mr. Roosevelt was then, is Governor of New York and each had won a gubernatorial election by a large plurality. Mr. Roosevelt, if nominated in 1932, however, seemed certain to win the election. Mr. Dewey at this time is merely the Republican candidate adjudged to have the best chance to win.
Mr. Roosevelt in 1932 faced more formidable opposition for the nomination, and it required a deal with Texas and California and agreement on the nomination of John N. Garner for Vice President to get Mr. Roosevelt the two-thirds vote needed to nominate.
A majority of the delegates to this convention have been obtained for Governor Dewey without commitments. So far as it has been possible to observe, Messrs. Sprague, Jaeckle and Brownell have made no errors in tactics.
Because of his position as a member of the National Committee, Mr. Sprague has been the acknowledged leader of the “Draft Dewey” forces. He would be acceptable to the membership of the committee as national chairman, but it was learned definitely that he would not accept the post, though preeminently qualified.
Mr. Sprague is the Nassau County executive, a position that pays $15,000 a year. As county executive, he operates under a charter containing a provision, which he was instrumental in inserting, requiring the executive to give full time to the duties of that office, which is comparable to mayor of a city.
Sprague declines chairmanship
Nassau is a very wealthy county with a population of half a million, and Mr. Sprague takes great pride in heading its government, the form of which he had a large part in establishing.
Mr. Sprague has informed members of the National Committee and presumably Governor Dewey that it will be impossible for him to take on the full-time duties of national chairman because of the Nassau charter provision, and that he has no intention of resigning as county executive.
In 1940, when Mr. Sprague was the Dewey pre-convention campaign manager, charges were filed with Herbert H. Lehman, then Governor, seeking to oust Mr. Sprague as county executive because of allegations that he had violated the full-time service provision. Mr. Lehman, however, dismissed the charges.
Mr. Sprague believes that acceptance of the national chairmanship would violate the charter. Unless the chairmanship should go to someone outside New York State, either Mr. Brownell, close friend of Governor Dewey, or Mr. Jaeckle will be named national chairman. One difficulty in the selection of Mr. Jaeckle is that he is valuable in his present post, for the national election my turn on the results in New York, and a change in its state chairman may not be desirable.
Governor Dewey on arrival after his nomination will discuss the selection of a national chairman with members of the National Committee and state chairmen and will undoubtedly make a suggestion. It has been the practice of the Republican Party that the suggestion of the presidential nominee for the national chairmanship is followed invariably.