National Affairs: The I mm ode rates

In Illinois last week, some sweeping statements made trouble for candidates.

¶ Republican Governor William G. Stratton released what he said was a tape-recording of a lecture given two years ago by Joseph D. Lohman, a University of Chicago criminologist who is the Democratic candidate for sheriff of Cook County. Lohman was quoted as saying: "I don't know if you realize this or not, but did you ever know that police officers have a disproportionately high number of wives that were formerly prostitutes?" The Chicago policemen's wives association, a militant group, threatened legal action and wired Lohman: "The honor of all policemen's wives has been impugned." Lohman denied that he had said it, suggested that the recording had been tampered with and called Stratton's action: "Nothing less than criminal."

¶ Senator Paul Douglas charged that "virtually all former Republican [state] treasurers ended up as suicides or in the penitentiary." Four days later, he issued an apology. Said he: "I have had a careful check made of the past records of Republican state treasurers, and I find I was wrong in describing their records." The record showed that no G.O.P. treasurer of Illinois ever committed suicide and only one went to prison (for mishandling bank funds after his term was over).