Evening star., 1940-04-18
Senator Taft 10 Leave
Maryland Primary
Field 10 Dewey
Cards Would Be Stacked
Against Him by 6. o. P.
Porty Fight, He Soys
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

Senator Taft of Ohio today an.
nounced he would not enter the
Maryland Republican presidential
preferential primary in opposition to
Thomas E. Dewey, New York dis.
trict attorney.
The Ohio Senator gave as his rea
son the fact that the heads of the
Republican organizations in the
State had declared for Mr.. Dewey
The cards, he said. would be stacked
against him under such circum.
stances.
Senator Taft's statement follows:
MY name will not be entered In
the Maryland primary. A very bite,
night Is going on there between two
factional organizations Of the Re.
publican party for control Of the
party. The Republican party In
Maryland is a minority party. The
vote In the Republican primary is
light and will be controlled by these
organizations.
Former Gov. Nice and Mr..
Broening, the bosses Of both fac
tions. have declared for Mr.. Dewey.
The national committeeman, former
Senator o. E. Weller, and the State
chairman. Mr.. David Tilghman,
have both urged me to stay out to
avoid an intensification of the parti-
san contest.
Cards Would Be Stacked"
Under the circumstances, in a
two-week campaign, the cards would
be stacked from the beginning. al
though the poll we have taken shows
no preponderance of sentiment
among the Republican voters of
Maryland for Mr.. Dewey.
There are 13 primary States.
Mr.. Dewey has failed to file in 8 of
them, Massachusetts,, New Hamp-
shire, Pennsylvania, West Virginia,
Ohio, South Dakota, Oregon and
California. I presume he failed to
do so because he found that the
Republican organization in those
States was opposed to him. I shall
stay out of Maryland for the same
reason.
Il had my papers ready to file last
Saturday in West Virginia If any
other candidate had filed. None did.
Mr.. Dewey has run his campaign in
his own way. propose to do the
same"
The decision of Senator Taft not
to enter the MARYLAND primary
means apparently that there will be
no open contest between these two
candidates for the presidential
nomination in primary States. Sena-
tor Taft's name was entered in the
New Jersey primary, but without his
permission, and he later withdrew
it. Mr.. Dewey will be in that primary
as well as In Maryland.
The Ohio Senator made it clear
he was ready to contest in West
Virginia with Mr.. Dewey had the
New Yorker entered that primary
for the delegation to the Republican
National Convention. Neither Mr..
Dewey or Senator Taft filed in West
Virginia.
Claim West Virginia Votes.
The Taft supporters claim the
West Virginia delegation to the ma
tional convention, as well as those
Of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. It
is on this nucleus Of delegates that
the Taft-for-President campaign is
being built. Taft support, it is IN
sisted, has gone far beyond the con-
fines Of these States. Indeed, it is
claimed by Taft managers that
when the first ballot is taken in
the national convention Senator
Taft will have as many as $40 votes.
This will be q much larger block of
delegates than any other candidate
win have, they say.
The refusal of Senator Taft to
enter the Maryland primary has
prevented what promised to be a hot
campaign in that State.
Senator Taft is going to West
Virginia tonight to deliver speech.
Mr.. Dewey Is now on q swing
through the West and South, after
stopping in Indiana. He is expected
to make q tight for Indiana support
in the national convention, In the
Hoosier State the delegates to the
national convention are picked In
State convention.