Presidential Foretaste
If opinion in New Hampshire, population little over half a million, could be taken as representative of opinion throughout the United States, population 153 million, it would be reasonably safe to predict that General Eisenhower would be the next President of the United States. He well may be, though mere citation of these figures indicates how precarious a basis New Hampshire provides for such a conclusion. But it happens that New Hampshire is regularly the first of the sixteen States which hold its Presidential primaries (official party elections to choose the party candidate for the Presidency) and first indications naturally attract disproportionate attention. In New Hampshire the Republicans are for Eisenhower rather than Taft, and the Democrats, more surprisingly, are for Kefauver, the Senator who conducted the recent investigation into the relation of crime with politics, rather than Truman. If the next State to vote, New Jersey, yielded results like New Hampshire's two consequences would follow. The belief of General Eisenhower's supporters that he can win the Republican nomination without coming home to fight for it would be con- . firmed; and President Truman, who has not yet stated whether he will run, will be considerably assisted towards a decision. But it will be wise to wait for the verdict of one or two populous States like California.
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