Evening star., 1960-10-27
Drenching Rain FoiIs to Stoy Kennedy
From Appointed Rounds in Michigan
BY GARNETT d. HORNER
star stan Writer

StNr StAu WElter
EN- ROUTE WITH KEN
NEDY, Oct. 27.-He acted like
q man trying to prove that, no
matter what mama said, getting
wet and chilled won't give you
q bad cold.
Actually, all he was trying
to do was persuade people to
vote for him for President Of
the United States.
And, like the postman, he
wasn't going to let rain as
chilling as snow or sleet keep
him from his appointed rounds.
That was Senator Kennedy,
the indefatigable Democratic
candidate for President, cam
paigning in Michigan yesterday
afternoon and evening.
For nearly two hours he was
standing up in an open car.
bareheaded and wearing a top
coat, or speaking in the open.
with cold rain beating down
upon him, to drenched ad-
mirers in the Detroit area.
Results on Way
If he doesn't come down with
q bad cold by tonight, he will
have succeeded, whatever his
intentions. in proving that
such a chilly drenching doesn't
necessarily mean the sniffles.
The preliminary prognosis
was good. He didn't look or act
any the worse after his ex-
posure to the cold rain, nor did
he stay his fiery attacks no Vice
President Nixon, in two
speeches last night before he
new from Detroit to New York
early today.
On the way to New York he
was asked If he had felt any
bad effects. With a confident
grin, he said not a Bit"
He wasn't completely fool
hardly about the weather, how
ever. He took some precautions
before and after his prolonged
exposure to wet and cold. He
wore q tee shirt under his regu-
lar shirt, suit coat and topcoat
to help keep him warm.
And as soon as he got in out
Of the rain at Detroit's Shera-
tion-Cadillac Hotel, he shed his
soggy clothes. took a hot bath,
put on clean, dry clothes, and
ate q Juicy steak.
Did somebody ask why the
man didn't put up the top
on his convertible instead of
standing up in the rain as he
rode into Detroit in a motor
cade?
Votes at Stake Il
If he had done so, he would
have disappointed the compare
lively few people standing on
the streets and getting drenched
themselves in order to see him.
That wouldn't do, Of course,
for an ambitious politician work.
ing hard for every vote he can
get.
A couple Of times when there
was no one in sight along the
streets, the top did 60 on Sena-
tor Kennedy's car for q mo-
ment or two. But as soon as
he saw q small knot Of people
standing in thsIrain. back down
went the top md up he stood
to wave at them. 2Ae 4,
Despite his bragging 8 about
how Democrats worked III the
rain while Republicans sought
shelter indoors, the rain - or
something - did keep down
much below expectations the
crowds that greeted him in the
Democratic territory around
Detroit. Il
In fact, the Detroit area
throngs that turned out to see
and hear the Democratic nomi-
nee were smaller and seemed
not quite as enthusiastic as
those who greeted him In Re-
publican territory on the
fringeS Of Chicago the day
before.
Smaller Crowd
At Mount Clemens, which
turned out about $4,000 to hear
Vice President Nixon in an
open air speech a few weeks
ago, less than 10000 braved the |,
rain to hear Senator Kennedy.
It was raining harder when
the Senator told some 5000 ad-
mirers at q shopping center in
Rosedale: "The Bible tells us
that it rains on the just and
unjust alike. 1t Is raining on
Vice President Nixon today,
and we don't mind the rain. We
welcome 1t. We are ready to
60 to work"
Standing again in the rain
with some 1000 admirers at
another shopping center in
Warren, Senator Kennedy
words: "The Republicans are
all home in bed, under shelter.
And we are out here working,
and we are going to continue to
work for the next 13 days"
Only scattered small groups
Of people braved the rain to
stand along the Kennedy mo-
torcade route through Detroit
until he got to Cadillac Square,
where some 1000 to 5000
cheered him.
His biggest crowds in the De-
troit area came later in the
evening, at Hamtramck, and
at the Michigan State Fair
Coliseum-after it had stopped
raining.
In Harntramck, which Sena-
Kennedy described as 1.-The |
strongest Democratic city in the
United States" it seemed that |
there were as many or more |
people gathered on the streets
just to see him as at Keyworth |
Stadium to hear him speak. A
4,500-seat grandstand was not
quite filed, although a few