Show 1 WALL STREET STREET VI VIEWS I By James McMullin Financial Observer y NEW YORK YORK The The most signIficant significant significant cant Republican triumphs last Tuesday in the view of New York political sharps were those in Ohio and Michigan The biggest surprises surprise's were the G. G O. O P. P victories victories vic vie tories in Indiana New Jersey and Connecticut This columns column's prediction that Robert A. A Taft and John W. W Bricker would both win in Ohio Taft Taft by a larger margin than Bricker Bricker was was confirmed by the figures But Tafts Taft's majority of was far greater than the most optimistic Republican sympathizers sympathizers sympathizers sym sym- foresaw So was the jump in the Ohio G. G O. O P. P delegation delegation delegation tion in the house from two to 15 out of a total of 24 seats Bricker as governor and Taft as senator from a key state automatically automatically automatically auto auto- become prominent entries entries entries en en- tries for the 1940 presidential sweepstakes Keen New York observers observers observers ob ob- servers privately rate Taft the themore themore themore more promising of the two two and and not solely because of his name and his bigger ma majority In a way the young senators senator's election Taft election Taft is 49 ranks 49 ranks as a modern political miracle Rea Reasoned ea- ea politicians at first regarded regard regard- ed ed his bid for the G. G O. O P. P senatorial senatorial sena sena- tonal nomination as a joke The Taft family is not particularly popular in Ohio Ohio especially especially not with Republican bosses Moreover Bob was thought to be hopelessly lacking in political sex appeal He Heis Heis Heis is not and never will be a glad- glad handing baby kissing baby kissing type and has often been criticised as cold and aloof Recognizing his own limitations Taft did not try to assume the Unnatural unnatural unnatural un un- natural role of jolly good fellow But he did learn to thaw out in his human contacts he discussed is issues issues issues is- is sues simply and intelligently he avoided fervid oratory he was gracious and responsive to questioners questioners questioners ques ques- he got the impression impression impression sion of sincerity and integrity His appeal was directed to the the reason reason rather than the emotion emo- emo tion of the electorate The success of this unusual polItical DO po- technique is attested by L bli bi emphatic victories In the primary and the election He scored heavily over Robert J. J Bulkley in their joint Lincoln Douglas debates across the state state and and dont don't forget that Bulkley had the full fulI an and fevered support of the new deal dea organization including W P A AJ Republican Frank O. O aids aid's election as governor ot of Michigan over Democrat Frank Murphy was also prophesied here New Yorkers rate it especially impressive because of the labor angles involved and because the new dealers were privately more anxious to reelect Murphy than any other Democratic governor A widespread reaction by farmers farm farm- ers small merchants and ordinary ordinary 1 citizens against union domination domina domina- tion as typified by last years year's virulent epidemic of sit down strikes was a decisive factor The result was all aU the more re remarkable reo re because Fitzgerald f fa is not nota a particularly colorful per l' l Unlike Taft he belongs definitely to the conservative wing of the party J As to surprises Even rabid New NewYork NewYork York Republican rooters had taken Frederick Van Nuys' Nuys reelee reelection I tion as senator from Indiana for granted I The supposedly powerful Mc Me- j Nutt machine was behind him and I so were the new dealers the latter lat lat- I tar ter from necessity not choice He He t was also expected to draw a certain tam tain amount of Republican support sup sup- port because he had been on the I Roosevelt purge list His G. G 0 P. P r opponent Raymond Willis was l relatively colorless and virtually unknown L Willis Willis' amazing showing can f only be explained by a very strong anti new deal undercurrent among the mass of Indiana voters 0 |