The Week

• Tempers are arising in Illinois, where the Nixon Recount Committee continues to investigate the balloting boxes. Republicans say that preliminary findings indicate that Nixon won the state; Democrats scoff at this. Republicans say that in 151 districts so far investigated they have gained 1,283 votes for Nixon (who lost the state by 8,849); Democrats say the recount was without “any significant change.” Republicans say that they have found ballots on which an “X” in the Republican column was erased and an “X” written in the Democratic column, and that a court test would invalidate 15,000 ballots, most of them cast for Kennedy. Republicans also demand invalidation of two boxes filled with unused ballots. Democrats call these “human errors” and “clerical” mistakes. Republicans discovered ballot boxes being brought to City Hall without seals or with broken seals; Democrats say the seals were just pieces of gummed paper and could have come unstuck or been broken in transit. Chicago, we are told, is named after an Indian word meaning “place where the wild onion grows.” Wonder what’s the Indian word for rhubarb?

• Arthur Krock writes that when he speaks of the Nixon-Rockefeller-Goldwater Republican triumvirate, he does not mean to imply that Goldwater has the “potential of influence” of the other two; Goldwater is included only by way of conceding that there still are a few conservatives within the Republican camp. Mr. Rockefeller’s “potential of influence,” in point of fact, may not materialize—if upstate New York’s Republican legislators have their say during the next two years. Many of the Governor’s housing, rent control and welfare programs are not popular. And the upstate legislators are out of sympathy with the Governor’s attempts to lure Democratic New York City votes. They point out that this year’s election—after two years of Rocketeller—was the first national or state election since 1948 in which the Republicans failed to get 60 per cent of the vote outside of New York City, and that deep inroads were made into the suburban and upstate Republican margin. Had the Republicans maintained their 60 per cent margin, Nixon would have carried the state and won the election.

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• Tempers are arising in Illinois, where the Nixon Recount Committee continues to investigate the balloting boxes. Republicans say that preliminary findings indicate that Nixon won the state; Democrats scoff at this. Republicans say that in 151 districts so far investigated they have gained 1,283 votes for Nixon (who lost the state by 8,849); Democrats say the recount was without “any significant change.” Republicans say that they have found ballots on which an “X” in the Republican column was erased and an “X” written in the Democratic column, and that a court test would invalidate 15,000 ballots, most of them cast for Kennedy. Republicans also demand invalidation of two boxes filled with unused ballots. Democrats call these “human errors” and “clerical” mistakes. Republicans discovered ballot boxes being brought to City Hall without seals or with broken seals; Democrats say the seals were just pieces of gummed paper and could have come unstuck or been broken in transit. Chicago, we are told, is named after an Indian word meaning “place where the wild onion grows.” Wonder what’s the Indian word for rhubarb?

• Arthur Krock writes that when he speaks of the Nixon-Rockefeller-Goldwater Republican triumvirate, he does not mean to imply that Goldwater has the “potential of influence” of the other two; Goldwater is included only by way of conceding that there still are a few conservatives within the Republican camp. Mr. Rockefeller’s “potential of influence,” in point of fact, may not materialize—if upstate New York’s Republican legislators have their say during the next two years. Many of the Governor’s housing, rent control and welfare programs are not popular. And the upstate legislators are out of sympathy with the Governor’s attempts to lure Democratic New York City votes. They point out that this year’s election—after two years of Rocketeller—was the first national or state election since 1948 in which the Republicans failed to get 60 per cent of the vote outside of New York City, and that deep inroads were made into the suburban and upstate Republican margin. Had the Republicans maintained their 60 per cent margin, Nixon would have carried the state and won the election.