Evening star., 1953-11-03
The Political Mill
California Election
Is Eisenhower Test
6. o. P. Given Only $3.50
Chance Next Tuesday
By Gould Lincoln

BY Gould Lincoln
The voters Of California's gath con-
gresSionaI district will fill the last
vacancy in the House of Representa-
tives next Tuesday. Republicans and
Democrats are locked in tough strug-
gle over this House seat It has been
held by Republican, Norris Poulson,
who resigned last June to become Mayor
Of Los Angeles. Notwithstanding the
fact that Mr.. Poulson won election to
the House four times in row, this
California district is definitely battle
ground. Indeed, Democratic regis
tration runs ahead of Republican reg
istration. In 1852, 81,119 voters were
registered Republican, 91,935 were reg
istered Democrat, and 9,508 voters were
registered independent or for other
parties.
In California, however, the voters
wear registration collars lightly. In
only two out Of the 80 congressional dis
tricts does Republican registration run
ahead of Democratic registration-yet
the Republicans have 19 members Of
the House in the present Congress to
II for the Democrats; they have two
Senators, and Gen. Eisenhower carried
the State by 100000 over Adlai
Stevenson.
The situation for the Republicans is
made more difficult in this special
election by the fact that two strong
Republicans are running. The election
is a freefor-all. The State election laws
do not provide for primary to make
party nominations to fill such a va
cancy. The Democrats have two can
didateS, too. One of them, however,
has not campaigned actively and is not
regarded as a real contender. Obviously,
If the two Republican candidates divide
the Republican vote at all evenly, the
stronger Democrat is likely to win, and
so still further lessen the Republican
grip on the House.
LipSc0mb VS.. Arnold.
The Republican candidates are Glen
ard Lipscomb and John Collier. The
congressional district is made up of
two assembly districts. Lipscomb is
the assemblyman for one of these, dis
tricts, and Collier for the other On
the Democratic side. the principal con-
tender is George Arnold Irving Mark
helm is the other. Arnold is a 32-year-
old lawyer, son of Thurmond Arnold,
an Assistant Attorney General in the
Roosevelt administration and appointed
in 1943 a u. S. Circurt Court judge,
an Office Mr.. Arnold resigned in 1945
to go back to the private practice of
law, in the firm of Arnold, Fortas and
Porter. The youthful Democratic can
didate is the husband of the former
Ellen Pearson, daughter Of Drew Pear
son. He has been active in Young
Democratic organizations. He has labor
support. And he has the backing of
the Democratic organization in the dis
trict, such as 1t is.
Mr.. Lipscomb, who served as exec
utive secretary to Vice President Nixon
during the 1852 campaign, is the choice
of the Republican organization. He has
campaigned as an Eisenhower sup
porter. Senator Dirksen of Illinois,
chairman of the Republican Senatorial
Campaign Committee, and Postmaster
General Summerfield are among the
prominent Republicans who have spo-
ken for him at campaign rallies in the
district. Collier, on the other hand.
has run as an independent thinker"
and has attacked Lipscomb as boss
made candidate.
Arnold is a critic of the Eisenhower
administration, which he insists is DOM
mated by big business and has played
politics with national defense. The
race seems to lie between him and
Lipscomb. Into its result will be read
an Eisenhower victory or defeat. The
President carried the oath district last
year, with about 60 per cent of the
total vote cast for him. If Arnold
should receive the Stevenson vote of a
year ago, which, is 40 per cent, then
Lipscomb must have at least 40 per
cent plus of the total 1852 vote to win.
Republican reports from the district
indicate that the race is still very close.
with the G. o. P. having $3.50 chance
only.
Poulson Background.
Mayor Poulson Of Los Angeles won
both the Republican and Democratic
nominations for Congress in the oath
district in the 1852 primary. He took
advantage of the cross-filing system Of
California, which permits candidate
to file IL. primary for both Republican
and Democratic nominations. Irving
Markheim was the principal Democratic
candidate in the primary, running also
for the Republican nomination. Poul-
sons total vote on both tickets was
1886, as compared to total of II ,435
cast for Markheim. In the general
election, Poulson's vote was 1879
votes to 1907 for Bertram L. Sharp, IN
derendent-P Progressive candidate.
Poulsop was first elected to the House
in 1912. Two years later, he was de-
feated while the late President Franklin
D. Roosevelt was sweeping the country.
Poulson made his comeback in 1946,
anI wor reelection in 1948, 1850 and
1852. For 10 years before Poulson's
election in 1912, the district was repre-
sented in Congress by a Democrat. The
oath district is part of Los Angeles
County and is residential area, with