Ohio: Ex-Jolly Fat Man

By playing the role of the jolly fat man, Ohio Democrat Mike Di Salle helped make himself a political success. But after he was elected Governor in 1958, Di Salle got serious. He wanted to be remembered as the man who had wrought great improvements in his state's highway, education and mental-health programs. Instead, he was criticized for raising taxes by $310 million. Di Salle brooded over his misfortune, then got mad. In so doing he committed political suicide.

Among the many things that annoyed Di Salle in 1962 was his inability to come to grips with his gubernatorial opponent, State Auditor James Rhodes, 52, who was backed by a highly efficient organization under State Chairman Ray Bliss. As mayor of Columbus from 1943 to 1953 and as auditor ever since, Rhodes was widely known to Ohioans as an able administrator who knew the value of a buck. In his campaign against Di Salle, he advanced no adventurous new programs, declined to debate or even discuss specific issues. That left Di Salle a roly-poly mass of frustration.

In his anger, Di Salle launched a savage attack against Rhodes, charged that the auditor's office had fraudulently purchased adding machines, accused Rhodes of diverting $54,000 worth of campaign contributions to his personal use. Di Salle's onslaught blew up in his face. Last week Rhodes carried 84 of the state's 88 counties, won even in Cleveland, and was elected by the biggest plurality ever given an Ohio gubernatorial candidate.

That made Mike Di Salle even madder. The day after election, he sat down and wrote out a vituperative statement that he had mimeographed for distribution to newsmen. In it he attacked the publishers of papers that had opposed him as "petty kingmakers more interested in power than in the truth." He said he had "less respect" for Rhodes than anyone he had ever run against, declared the winner absolutely unqualified to hold public office. He also vowed that he would hunt for evidence of fraud in Rhodes's auditorship until the very day in January when Republicans would finally dispossess him of his office in the squat, ugly capitol building in Columbus. In fact, Mike Di Salle should have remained a jolly fat man.

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