Ohio's 50

Harold Stassen's flat announcement that he was a candidate for the Republican nomination in 1948 (TIME, Dec. 30) tempted no older hands to the same early statement of aims. But other obvious candidates were watching, and two of them were from the same state: Ohio's Senator Robert A. Taft and her former Governor John Bricker, who will take his seat in the Senate this week. In 1940 Bricker had stood aside and let the 50 votes of the Ohio delegation go to Taft. In 1944 Taft had returned the favor, and Bricker had won the vice-presidential nomination. Last week in Washington, Bob Taft let it be known that this time he wanted an early decision on "which or neither" would bow out this time.

The answer came from Columbus. John Bricker himself made no commitment. But the Columbus Dispatch reported what other friends of Ohio's junior Senator quickly confirmed: in 1948 Ohio's 50 votes would go to Robert A. Taft.