REPUBLICANS: Now the Republican Rumble

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Will a more "presidential" Ford do better? In and out of the party, most analysts still reckon that Ford will recover enough to win the nomination—but they know the fight will continue to be messy, and probably debilitating to the G.O.P. Said a top Colorado Republican official: "After this week's primaries, everybody is either bleeding or smelling blood." California Republican Chairman Paul Haerle recalls waking up at night with the thought: "My God, what did we do to deserve this? Are the fates punishing us for Richard Nixon?" With sadness, one veteran Midwestern Republican leader observes, "What a time we're in. Here we have peace, and the economy is doing very well, and there's the President hanging on the ropes."

Reagan supporters, of course, see it differently. Dr. Dennis J. Nicholas, Reagan's campaign manager in Indiana, says of his success there, "It was an anti-Establishment vote that must have been a terrible blow for the man who comes in on Air Force One." Reagan's Nebraska campaign leader, Milan Bish, tells of asking a friend a few weeks ago, "Are you with me?" Replied the man: "No, I think I'll go with Ford." Adds Bish: "Well, I saw him last night at a Reagan rally, and he told me, 'Boy, we're really rolling now.' "

The biggest Reagan worry at the moment is money. His campaign is running $1 million in debt, although he estimates that $2 million is due him in matching federal funds, and he has been borrowing against that. Reagan has been assailing Ford for his unfair advantage in being able to use Air Force One, a press plane and a cargo plane on campaign trips without having to pay the Government in advance, as commercial carriers require of other candidates. Ford does reimburse the Government after allocating travel and staff expenses between political and official duties. Top Reagan Aide Lyn Nofziger, who is concentrating on the climactic June 8 California primary—another "must" state for Reagan-^-insists: "When I say I ain't got no money, I mean I ain't got no money. Buy me a drink and I'll pocket the tip when you're not looking."

Ford's men, on the other hand, complain that Reagan is getting big-money support from conservatives not officially connected with the Reagan campaign. The Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to limit spending by individuals or groups who buy advertising or distribute literature without the candidate's consent or coordination The American Conservative Union, for example, spent $33,000 on advertising for Reagan in Texas and $77,000 elsewhere.

While better off than Reagan's, the Ford campaign has spent $8.5 million, and is edging close to the $13.1 million legal limit for all the primaries. The President's delay in deciding whether to sign or veto the new Federal Election Commission law finally passed by Congress last week means there is little chance that additional federal money will reach Reagan or any of the other candidates in time for effective use before the final primaries.