One Against Two

When a special election was scheduled for Nov. 10 in California's 24th Congressional District, there was every indication that the Republican Party would be able to hold on to the seat. Last year the district re-elected G.O.P. Representative Norris Poulson on both Republican and Democratic tickets and went 90,010 to 59,807 for Dwight Eisenhower. Despite all this, Republican Governor Goodwin J. Knight spoke an obvious truth last week when he looked at Los Angeles' 24th and said: "We're in trouble down there."

There is a clear reason for the G.O.P. trouble: the party has one too many candidates for the office. The candidate blessed by all the important Republican organizations is Glenard P. Lipscomb, 38, an earnest, intense certified public accountant who has represented one section of the district in the California State Assembly for the last six years. Lipscomb is considered a member of the California Republican faction headed by Vice President Richard Nixon. Still in the race, despite strong organization pressure to get him out, is Republican John L. Collier, 49, a big, blunt manufacturer's agent who for seven years has represented another section of the district in the State Assembly. Collier is regarded as a member of the party faction that has been headed by U.S. Chief Justice Earl Warren and U.S. Senator William Knowland. Since there was no primary, there was no simple way to eliminate either of the candidates. Despite the official organization efforts in Lipscomb's behalf. Collier seems certain to split the vote seriously.

Capitalizing on the Republican split is Lawyer George L. Arnold, a breezy young (32) newcomer to the area, who voted in another Los Angeles congressional district in 1950. A son of Thurman Arnold (Franklin Roosevelt's trustbusting Assistant U.S. Attorney General from 1938 to '43) and a son-in-law of Columnist Drew Pearson (who has used his nationally syndicated column to discuss Arnold's candidacy), Democrat Arnold has all of his party's organization support. There is another Democrat, named Irving Markheim, in the race, but he is a chronic candidate, has little vote-pulling power.

This week, as election day approached, there was deep gloom among California Republicans. Putting it mildly, G.O.P. National Committeeman A. Ron Button said: "With two good Republicans running against one good Democrat, the chances of a Republican winning are seriously impaired."

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