Evening star., 1952-07-11
Taft Makes Plea
For Floor Fight
bySupporters
Fighting but Cheerful
Speech Rops Stolen
Texas Delegation
D.. n.l>.a " MILL
Sfor StaH Correspondent

CHICAGO. July 11.-Senator
Taft made q last-minute plea for
a stubborn floor fight shortly be-
fore today's balloting got under
way.
In q fighting but cheerful
speech to several hundred of his
own delegates and workers before
they left for the convention hall,
the Ohio Senator charged that
the only detection in his camp
resulted because "some 40 votes
were stolen from us at the con-
vention."
Referring to the conventions
reversal of the Credentials Com
mittee and seating of a Texas
delegation, Senator Taft ex-
planned:
In all my experience in politi-
cal life there has never been any
thing as outrageous as the seating
of the Texas delegation"
Calls for Firm Stand.
The Senator said he had stayed
up practically the whole night
checking figures and studying re-
ports from the convention floor.
II cannot figure over $50 or $50
votes for Eisenhower, no matter
how you look at it. They know
they haven't got the votes. They
ARE shooting for a first ballot NOM
|ination. If they don't get that NOM
|ination, Eisenhower is through. :"
Urging supporters to stand
firm in what he predicted would
be a fierce struggle on the con-
|vention floor when the balloting
begins today, Senator Taft as
serted that more than q majority
of all the delegates really want
to vote for him. Some Of them,
however, are committed to favorite
sons in their States or are "domi-
mated" by other political leaders.
Moved by Big Turnout.
eff anybody tells you today that
he thinks he had better get on the
Eisenhower bandwagon, you tell
him to be careful that he doesn' t
get on a hearse," Senator Taft
added.
Obviously moved by the early
morning turnout which jammed
the biggest ballroom in the Con-
rad Hilton Hotel, Senator Taft
said:
II shall be grateful the rest of
my life for the way our people
have stood by us. This has been
a comfort to me personally and
always will be. I cannot thank
you enough for the wonderful
demonstration in my behalf on the
floor Of the convention last night. "
Earlier David s. ingalls,, Taft
manager. directed his fire not at
Gen. Eisenhower, but at Gov.
Dewey of New York. He distrib-
uted a statement printed in heavy
type and headed "Sink Dewey!"
by now every delegate knows
that it is Tom Dewey who is call
ling the shots in this convention, i"
IMr. Ingalls, said. "He is not the
candidate this time, but he is the
man who pulls the strings. He is
the candidate in everything but
name"
Dewey Replies.
Gov. Dewey'S reply:
1--WE been in public life now
for 81 years and I've never at
tackled my fellow Republicans.
I'm not going to start now"
To a reporters question whether
the intense feeling displayed at
the convention was going to make
lit impossible for the party to
close ranks against the Democrats
he replied:
We'll start pulling together
after some one Is nominated"
In today's early hours-as dele
gates roared while names were
placed in nomination-the Taft
headquarters fired another salvo
lat Gov. Dewey. This came from
Monte Appel. Washington attorney
and chief counsel for the Ohioan' s
campaign.
It deplored what it called "the
lcallous, cynical disregard for law
and justice shown by the Dewey
dominated pro-Eisenhower group
in seating delegates for purely po-
litical reasons"
II l|ToIavieinn nnn