Evening star., 1948-05-01
The Political Mil
'Stossen Jitters' Grip
Ohio 6. 0. P. Regulars
Organization Afraid Minnesotan May
Take 12-l5 Delegates
By Gould Lincoln

StdSSen JlGteTS mas SelZed organization
Republicans in Ohio They visualize-as in q
bad dream-a Stassen vote that may elect
as many as Il to Is delegates to the Repub-
lcan National Convention, pledged to the for
mer Minnesota Governor for the presidential
nomination. The organization is supporting
Ohio's favorite son-Senator Taft
On the surface, however the organization
leaders are putting up a bolder front. They
talk of holding the Stassen group of dele
gates down to five or six at the most Sen.
ator Taft himself, who is dashing from county
to county and from meeting to meeting as
strenuously as the more youthful Mr.. Stassen
has done in the past. frankly says he feels
encouraged and that he believes the Stassen
popularity peak was reached and passed Q
week ago.
Here Is the picture which the organization
leaders see when they look into the glass
darkly. They see Mr.. Stassen cleaning UP in
the Wisconsin and Nebraska primaries and
then piling upon them his more recent sue.
cess in Pennsylvania. They had been prom
ised by Taft leaders that in Nebraska the
Ohio Senator would run first-and he ran a
poor third. In Pennsylvania the Taft vote
was also terrible encouragement.
Young Voters Back Stassen.
The organization leaders are worried par
tlcularly about the young voters, who seem
TO have gone over to Mr. Stassen en- masse.
They worry, too, over the war veteran voters.
many of whom have come out for Mr.. Stassen.
a captain in the Navy during World War
H. Particularly are they disturbed when
they consider the. labor vote Because of the
Taft-Hartley labor law the labor leaders would
like to SINCE Mr.. Taft One way to accom-
plish this end is to go into the Republican
primary and vote for 6tassen delegates. This
would mean the crossing over of Democrats
INTO the Republican primary, too for most
of the labor vote has been Democratic.
II an llth-hour appeal was made by labor
leaders, openly or grapevine to support Mr..
Stassen in the primary next Tuesday, any,
thing might happen" one of the most promi-
nent Taft supporters said. His hope, however,
was mat the contest for the Democratic
guoernatorlal nomination, between former
Gov. Frank Lausche and former Mayor Ray
t. Miller OF Cleveland-which is being fought
ne1cely-would tend to hold Democrats in their
own primary
Mr.. StaSSen has the advantage Of being
something new. Senator Taft is an old story
to Ohio voters, and unfortunately, notwith-
standing his great qualities, dull story.
The Stassen campaign is a crusade An
organization of Stassen Paul Revere Riders
OF 194S" is ready to place their automobiles
IN service to get out the vote on primary day.
and to make demonstrations for Mr.. Stassen
in the meantime.
Taft Group Not Crusaders
There is very little of the crusading spirit
about the Taft crowd They are going prm,v
to work. The unfortunate part, from the
Taft point of view, is that not enough work
was done early. When Mr.. Taft came 10 DAYS
ago into the State to make a fnal-and un-
expected-drive to carry the primary, the
reports made by organization leaders were In
many instances gloomy. With Senator Taft
here, however, the organization is warming
up.
Senator Taft has, always gotten what he
went after politically in Ohio. But not by
wide margins of votes. There has always
been an ant-Taft element among the Republi-
can voters. 1t is to that element the Stasscn
managers have played up-for the most part
the antiorganization element.
Earl Hart, who planned the Stassen strategy
IN Ohio, has been in charge, largely, of the
campaign. Mr.. Hart ran the campaign for
Justice Burton when Mr.. Burton was an
antlorganization candidate for the Republi-
can senatorial nomination, and won. He also
ran an antiorganization campaign for Gov.
Herbert in the primary two years ago. Mr..
Hart went directly from Gov. Herbert to Mr..
Stassen and has been with him ever since. It
has been easy for him to line up the anti
organization Republicans. He knows where
and how to do so. This is not minor grief
for Senator Taft.