National Affairs: Photo-Finish

¶ Ding and Dong in their race for Democratic nomination to the House for a Baltimore district last fortnight were bald-headed Representative Vincent L. Palmisano, 55, and black-thatched Thomas d’Alesandro, 35. Mr. Palmisano last week looked like the loser by perhaps 50 votes out of 25,000. As much interested in the outcome as Baltimoreans were residents of the District of Columbia. For as chairman of the House District of Columbia Committee since last April, Mr. Palmisano has been “Mayor of Washington.” District of Columbians have been agitating for years, lately with vigor, for the right to vote in national elections. “Mayor” Palmisano was unsympathetic. Next-ranking member of the District committee, now “mayor” presumptive is Representative Ambrose J. Kennedy, also from Baltimore, who favors District suffrage.

¶ Nip and Tuck in the race for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Maryland were Mayor Howard W. Jackson of Baltimore and Attorney General Herbert R. O’Conor. So close were totals of county delegates instructed to vote for them at the State nominating convention Sept. 28 that last week after every last ballot had been counted the final decision lay in the result of an Allegheny County recount and the “third-choice” vote of Prince George’s County.