Evening star., 1948-04-30
Stassen Gamble
In Ohio Appears
Due for Payoff
Taft Organization
Buckles Down to
Keep Losses Low
By Gould Lincoln
Sfot Stoff Corresnandant

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 30
Harold Stassen's gamble in Ohio
gives every evidence of paying
of in next Tuesdays primary.
This is admitted, privately, by
Republican leaders in Columbus,
the headquarters of the Republican
State organization which is backing
Senator Taft for the presidential
nomination.
The organization, however, is
ouckling down for the final drive,
hoping to keep the Taft losses, in
number OF delegates. down to S or
3: II 1t can do that, it will consider
they have done a job.
One OF the top-notch Republican
leaders said frankly today he does
not know what was going to
happen. His hope is that the or
ganlzation will not lose more than
tlve delegates to Mr.. Stassen. He
added. however, 1t might 20 as
high as II.
ms and Outs Battle.
In a measure, the contest in Ohio
Is between the organization and
anti-organization Republicans-the
ms and the outs. Not a single lead
ing Republican offlceholder. from
Gov. Herbert down, is openly sup
porting Mr.. Stassen, who has chal-
lenged Senator Taft. In addition
Senator Bricker and all the Repub-
lican members of the House are in
senator Taft's corner with Repre-
sentative Brown a Senator Taft,
overall campaign manager.
On the surface, the setup looks
incredibly difficult for Mr.. Stassen
to buck. The Stassen campaign.
however, has been planned with
great ingenuity by men who knew
the territory in which Senator Taft
was weakest. They picked II con-
gresslonal districts in which to enter
otaSsen delegate candidates. Each
district is entitled to two delegates
to the Republican National Conyen-
ton. The Stassen forces left the
other IL districts to Senator Taft.
Ohio also has nine delegates at large
TO elect in the coming primary. The
StasseniteS entered only one can
dldate for delegate at large. Sem
ator Taft entered nine. The ad-
vantage there lies in the fact that
the Stassen voters may mark the
ballots for only one delegate at
large-single shot or bullet voting.
At-Large Delegate.
fhe lone Stassen delegate-at-larea
candidate is Darlington r. Marshall.
former judge of the Ohio Supreme
Court. Judge Marshall is a good
running name" in this State.
The Taft adherents practically
are admitting that Judge Marshall
Will win. AS one of them put it:
ITS like shooting a sitting duck"
"A Stassen supporter, however, did
not take the same view, although he
expressed confidence that Judge
Marshall would be one of the chosen
nlne 1t was his contention that
the election of a delegate at large
pledged to Mr.. Stassen would be a
clear indication of Stassen State
VIDE support on large scale. There
Is no question but what the Stassen
camp will make great claims for
their candidate, if Judge Marshall
comes through winner.
Taft Slate Formidable,
The Taft slate of candidates for
delegate at large is formidable. On
the list Is Gov. Herbert, Senator
Bricker, State Chairman johnson.
Mrs. Katherine Kennedy Brown. Re-
publican national committeewoman
Representative Brown, Republican
national committeeman; Represent
atlVe Frances Bolton and Ed Schorr.
former State chairman. If one is
to be dislodged, it is felt it will be
either Mr.. Schorr or Mrs. Bolton
There is some prejudice against
electlng women, and, outside of
cleveland, Mrs. Bolton is not so
widely known in the State.
Except for two, the districts in
which Stassen candidates have been
entered include large industrial CEN
tiers, where, because of labor's oppo-
sition to Senator Taft, co-author of
the Taft-Hartley law, it should be
easy to rally votes against the Ohio
Senator. Even in the other two
there are smaller industrial cities.
Labor in the past has been DEM
ocratic, and If Mr.. Stassen is to
receive many labor votes it is OBJ
vious there must be some crossing
over OF Democrats to the Repub-
hcan primary. The Taft people
have a right to challenge any sus-
tSee OHIO Page A-3J