The Battle of Ohio

When stolid Bob Taft, armored with the breastplate of facts and the lance of logic, sallied forth after the G.O.P. presidential nomination last summer, he had cast hardly a backward glance at Ohio. He was certain that his home state was a strong keep which could not be breached, that its 53 convention delegates were loyal to their liege lord. But last week Bob Taft found himself with his back to his own portcullis, fighting for his political life. Minnesota's Harold Stassen had somehow managed to get across the moat and was threatening to kidnap the faithful henchmen.

Bob Taft battled the invader with grim and obstinate resolution. Taft workers distributed his literature outside Stassen rallies. They tracked the Minnesotan everywhere, took down his every word and stood up in his meetings to ask questions which had obviously sprung from Taft's precise legal mind.

Uncomfortable Man. Taft himself, stumping the state with the vigor of a Crusader, spoke bluntly and honestly, as always. He also betrayed a personal sense of outrage and irritation. But even so he did not stir audiences. At times fewer than two or three dozen people collected to hear him speak from courthouse steps; he seemed uncomfortable as he stepped forward to shake hands. When he spoke at Cadiz, a knot of roughneck strip miners booed, and called "Throw him out."

Over & over, Taft taunted Stassen with the line: "He never says in what respect he is more liberal than I am." It was an apt point, but not the kind of phrase to set off cheers. And it dramatically illustrated the differences between the two men. Stassen did not argue the point--he coolly implied that everyone knew he was a liberal and that Taft was a conservative --if not a reactionary. He shook thousands of hands with warmth and enthusiasm, answered hecklers so quickly and with such a disarming appearance of candor that he almost always stirred applause and laughter.

Students' Choice. He drew overflow audiences at Dayton and Hamilton, was vociferously cheered by 3,500 Miami University students who had just held a mock convention, in which he was nominated for President. By week's end he had made Taft's campaign seem dull and almost apathetic.

Taft would still carry Ohio--Stassen backers had entered only 23 candidates, mostly in industrial areas where Taft was weakest. But every delegate Stassen seized in enemy Ohio would add to his prestige. If he got only the six which the Taft forces already conceded him, he would increase the momentum he had gained in Nebraska and Wisconsin. If he won a majority of the 23, he might well unhorse Bob Taft for good.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.