Nation: Deadlock

On Nov. 7 Pennsylvania voters elected exactly 101 Republicans and 101 Democrats to their state's 203-seat legislature. And the race for the remaining seat ended in a tie (8,551 votes apiece) between a Democrat and a Republican. Since the legislature could not deal with such matters as choosing a speaker until the tie was broken, it seemed that the two candidates might have to settle their contest by drawing lots. Last week, however, a recount in the deadlocked district showed that Incumbent Kenneth Cole, a Democrat, had actually won by 14 votes. But soon, alas, the legislature was back in a 101-101 impasse: the day after Cole's election, another Democrat, Frank Meluskey. died while vacationing in Florida.

It may be next year before a vote can be held to fill Meluskey's seat. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania politicians have something to ponder. The cause of Meluskey's death: heart failure, possibly triggered, said a Dade County, Fla., medical examiner, by the stress of campaigning.