Tit for Tat

Aware that Oregon was probably an Eisenhower state, Senator Taft prudently kept his name out of the popularity contest in last week's primary. But in the confused race among 50-odd candidates for the state's 18 delegates to the Republican convention, a Taft-Ike battle developed anyway. On the eve of the vote, the Ike forces glumly conceded that Taft might win three or four of the delegates.

The glumness vanished as the returns came in. This week, with the count nearly completed, Eisenhower had carried all 18 delegates, swept 68% of the Republican vote. California's Governor Earl Warren, who chose Oregon for his most ambitious campaign to date, got 16%.

In the Democratic primary, Estes Kefauver, who was unopposed, collected another twelve delegates and a thumping majority (73%) of the vote--plus a pair of live raccoons presented to him during his three-day tour of the hustings.

. . .

In last week's West Virginia primary, the Oregon situation was reversed. With the local Republican machine solidly behind Taft, Eisenhower's name was not entered. Taft defeated Harold Stassen, his only opponent in the popularity contest, by a four-to-one margin. Taft was equally successful in squelching an effort to steal two or three of the state's 16 Republican delegates for Eisenhower. He won all but one. On the Democratic side, there was no contest; the 20 delegates elected will go to Chicago uninstructed.

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