Reuther, Pierce join forces
By GORDON ATCHESON
John Reuther and Dr. Edward Pierce,
the top finishers in Tuesday's 2nd Con-
gressional District primary, announced
last night that they will campaign joint-
ly against incumbent Marvin Esch (R-
Ann Arbor) during the next several
weeks because an anticipated election
challenge could affect the outcome in
their unexpectedly close race.
Complete but unofficial returns show
that Reuther defeated Pierce by some
70 votes. However Pierce's campaign
coordinator Robert Dwyer said a re-
count would be a certainty.
ALTHOUGH REUTHER expressed
confidence his winning margin would
be upheld in a recount, Dwyer felt the
outcome could easily be reversed.
Fearing a loss of momentum to Esch,
the two candidates decided to campaign
together rather than await the results of
an official vote certification - which
could take up to six weeks - before be-
ginning an election drive.
Early yesterday, m o s t political ob-
servers gave the primary to Pierce, but
returns from the Monroe area came in
overwhelmingly for Reuther and tipped
the balance.
THE RACE was declared Reuther's
by a five-vote margin around noon yes-
terday. A subsequent discovery of an
error in a Monroe County township up-
ped the Reuther edge to 69 votes.
A Pierce spokesperson said, however,
that the township returns may be in-
valid and conceivably could be thrown
out all together by the courts, which
would give the doctor a winning differ-
ence of less than 30 votes-if no other
errors were discovered.
The Monroe County Clerk said he
found no irregularities with the ballots
in question. "A mix-up resulted in the
votes being miscounted on election
night," the clerk explained. "That has
been corrected and the appropriate re-
sults reported."
DURING THE jovial press confer-
ence. both Pierce and Reuther said they.
have- no idea who has actually won but
after brief vacations will be ready to
See REUTHER, Page 5
U.S. CONGRESSIONAL candidates John Reuther, left, and Dr. Edward Pierce
pledge a united effort to defeat incumbent Marvin Esch (R-Ann Arbor) in Novem-
ber. The two Democrats finished neck-and-neck in Tuesday's primary and
rather than wait for an official recount they decided to begin campaigning
together immediately.
THE
Michigan Daily
Vol. LXXXIV, No. 58-S Ann Arbor, Michigan-Thursday, August 8, 1974 Ten Cents Eight Pages
Rumors hint Nixon
to resign this week
President meets
with GO!
By AP and UPI
WASHINGTON - President Nix-
on informed Republican congres-
sional leaders yesterday he was
considering resigning, and it has
been learned that a resignation
statement is being drafted for in-
tended delivery in the next few
days.
Buffeted by pressure to step
down from office, Nixon summon-
ed three top Republicans to a crisis
conference yesterday afternoon
and one said later that "the situa-
tion will be resolved within a mat-
ter of days."
'"He did not give any indication
one way or another of whether he
is going to resign," Senate GOP
Leader Hugh Scott said after join- .
ing Sen. Barry Goldwater and
House Republican Leader John
Rhodes in the late afternoon meet-
ing with Nixon.
"There has been no decision made,"
reported Goldwater. "We made no sug-
gestions."
ALL THREE clearly imolied Nixon
was considering resignation, -aying Nix-
on stressed that any decision he mak".
"will be in the national interest."
The 35-minute meeting in Nixon's Oval
Office came after the President had
talked privately in his hideaway Execu-
tive Office Building suite with his daugh-
ters and sons-in-law, Julie and David
Eisenhower and Tricia and Edward Cox.
leaders
As twilight settled on the capital, aides
said Nixon and Tricia walked for a while
in the White House Rose Garden, then
joined Ms. Nixon and the rest of the
family for a private dinner. lie also
talked briefly with Secretary of State
Henry Kissinger on "a foreign policy
matter," a spokesperson said.
Scott said Nixon made clear he wanted
to assess the situation in Congress with-
out considering "collateral considera-
tions." The Pennsylvania senator defined
these as including immunity from pos-
sible legal action, his pension and staff
allowances.
He said the three leaders gave Nixon
specific estimates of the leanings of
individual members of Congress, as well
as an overall assessment that he termed
"gloomy."
HE SAID Nixon asked, " 'Do you mean
damn gloomy,' and I said, 'Yes sir.' "
But Scott said Nixon"s "state of mind
is that of a man who is at peace with
himself."
Earlier in the day, third-ranking house
Republican' Rep. John Anderson of Illi-
nois said he doubted there would be any
presidential resignation at least for sev-
eral days because "there are too many
negotiations going on."
ASKED TO elaborate, he said he
meant discttssions on "how to make a
graceftul exit."
Rhodes said that "all the options"
were discussed at the White House meet-
irig except Nixon's possible invocation
of the 25th Amendment. That amend-
See NIXON, Page 5
SENATE REPUBLICAN leader Hugh Scott (R-Penn.) and Sen. Barry Goldwater
(R-Ariz.) field questions from reporters after meeting with President Nixon
yesterday afternoon amidst rumors that the chief executive was planning to
resign.