Evening star., 1952-06-29
Taft Challenges Claim
By His Opponents
That He Cant Win
By Arthur Merims

Il
/ Senator Taft Of Ohio leaves to-
night for the Chicago presidential
battle-ground. prepared to chal-
lenge the chief claim Of his op-
ponents. that he could not win
If nominated.
The Senator told q press con-
ference yesterday that "the only
thing anybody has got against me
is the claim that I can't carry the
election, and there is no basis for
it." He said it is the only effective
argument left.
Asked if he thought it was dam
aging his cause, the Senator re-
piled:
"It's the one argument we feel
is most important. I think we
have convinced most people, but
there are still some who remain
to be. convinced"
Ohio Margin Recalled.
The biggest point the Taft
forces have to combat the cant
win" argument is the 430,0 vote
margin by which the Senator won
reelection in Ohio in 1850. They
recall also that he carried indus
trial areas, where organized labor
is strong
The Taft camp also contends
that the Senator's total vote in
the States that held primaries
this year refutes the argument
that he would not be as popular
a candidate as Gen. Eisenhower.
Figures compiled by the Asso-
ciated Press show that Senator
Taft polled 2,785.990 votes in IL
States, while Gen. Eisenhower
polled 2,115,430 in nine States.
Expects to Get Out Vote.
Senator Taft also insists that
the degree of Republican success
in November will depend more on
the kind of campaign that is
conducted than on the personali-
ties on the ticket.
He predicts that If he is the
nominee and organizes the Ma
tion-wide campaign as thoroughly
as his senatorial campaign was
organized in Ohio two years ago,
the G. o. P. can bring to the
polls enough stay-at-home voters
to win.
Reporters who accompanied
Senator Taft to Virginia Friday
found signs that some of the Re-
publican politicians who are not
unfriendly to the Ohio Senator,
nevertheless have been affected
somewhat by the claim that Gen.
Eisenhower would have more pop
ular support.
Senator Taft said yesterday,
however. that the II to 10 vote
by which the Virginia delegation
elected Taft supporter to the
important Credentials Committee
Of the national convention was
not a straight test of Taft -Eisen-
hover strength. The Taft forces
still think he will get closer to 18I
OF the States % convention votes
when nominating time arrives.
On Television Tonight.
Senator Taft will be interviewed
on the NBC Meet the Press" tele-
vision program here at 7:3O this
evening before taking a plane for
Chicago. He will spend three or
four days comforting with party
leaders and then return to Wash
ington July 4 and S for urgent
Senate business. He will return
to Chicago with Mrs. Taft at the
end of the week.
The Ohio Senator stuck to his
claim yesterday that about half
of the 1906 delegates are for him.
He said he does not agree with
the fears expressed Friday by Gov.
Warren of California that the
struggle for delegate votes has
given the Republican Party an at
mosphere of undue conservatism.
He also took issue with the sug-
gestion of Gov. Warren that the
Republican Party is in danger of
breaking up on the rocks of per-
sonal bitterness. The Senator be-
lieves a spirited battle for the
nomination stimulates interest in
the party.