BACKSTAGE AT OTTAWA
THE MAN WITH A NOTEBOOK
IN BOTH the older parties these days, all the talk is about new leadership. The Liberals' problem is out in the open and relatively simple. Since J. L. Ilsley's retirement, the number one candidate is Louis S. St. Laurent. Had Mr. Ilsley consented to run, he could probably have carried the Liberal convention. But now the only real opponent to Mr. St. Laurent is Hon. Jimmy Gardiner; Hon. Jimmy is a resourceful and tenacious fighter who should never be counted out in advance, but this time the odds are against him.
There may be other candidates before the convention for the first ballot or two. Some Liberal strategists think it would be better not to let it develop as a straight two-man fight, for fear it might break down into English versus French. They’ve asked several people, including Premier Garson of Manitoba and Right Hon. C. D. Howe, to be ready to run in order to break up the English vote on the first ballot. This would give Mr. St. Laurent a commanding lead and thus create a “St. Laurent band wagon”; the front runners would then drop out in his favor.