Revolution in Ohio

On the surface, the campaign in Ohio had been listless. But when short, swarthy, forceful Congressman Stephen M. Young, a New Deal enthusiast and the best Democratic vote-getter in the Buckeye State, went home just before election he heard rumblings that jarred his political ears. Farmers grumbled about the Administration's clamping down on farm prices, women complained of drafting 18-and 19-year-olds, citizens everywhere were impatient with the handling of the war. Steve Young found many Democrats with a don't-care attitude; he knew before election day that he was beaten.

But neither he nor any other Ohio politico was prepared for what the "listless" voters did at the polls. Republicans gained eight seats in the House, the biggest turnover in any State; handsome, grey-thatched Republican Governor John W. Bricker won by 375,000, the biggest majority ever given an Ohio governor. It was the lightest vote since the early '20s, but it was not the Republicans who stayed away. The G.O.P. had gained in previous off years, but never this much.

Ohio's voters also paid a tribute--the kind a politician understands best--to the efficient, blameless administration of Governor Bricker. Unlike Minnesota's Harold Stassen, John Bricker has taken no decisive stand on world affairs. Sticking to home territory, he ran up an honest record that his opponent could not attack. By the end of his present (second) term, he will have piled up a $40,000,000 surplus. Only other Republican to serve three terms as Ohio governor was Rutherford B. Hayes, who ended up in the White House. John Bricker's friends have hopes for him.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.