Evening star., 1932-07-31
291 RUN FOR OFFICE
|NM|SSOUR| RACES
SO Seek Congressional Seats
With Only 13 to Be Filled
at Election.
Epecial Dispatch to The Star

OF CandldateS that has ever sought
preferment in Missouri at a single cleo
tion. d total Of 29l men and women
having filed for the major Offices, in
cuding those of United States Senator,
the Lower House of Congress and Gov
ernor.
In this list are 90 persons who aspire
to represent Missouri in Congress, out
of which only 13 may be named by each
party
The reason for this unprecedented
prOfUseneSS of candidates is to be found
in the fact that the emphatic injec-
ton Of prohibition into the campaign
encouraged numerous persons with wet
tendencies to try their luck this year
when the signs seem TO be right, plus
a situation which finds the State elect
ing all its Congressman at large.
districting bill passed by the last Cen
Cral Assembly was vetoed by Gov Caul-
field. and his action was sustained by
the State Supreme Court. which leaves
the State entirely without districts.
Veteran Candidates Warned.
With the field wide open. there has
been a veritab,e avalanche of aspirants
for Congress. each feeling that with the
voters befuddled by the number of can
didateS he has as good chance as
caused CONSERVATION among veteran
congressman whose strength hitherto
has been confined to their home dis
tricts, but who must now go before the
entire State, a status which gives them
only slight preference over newcomers
whose names are high in the alpha
betical list and are therefore regarded
as having an edge over their opponents.
Fifty-six Democrats. 90 Republicans
and 13 Socialists have entered this race.
Rejecting the attitude of the major
parties as expressed in their platforms,
the senatorial. congressional and guber-
material candidates are running wet,
with varying degrees Of moistness. To
some this presents a serious problem,
for in the list of candidates are men
who in other years have been pTomi-
nontly identified with the dry cause in
Missouri. Chief of these is Charles M.
Hay, st. Louis attorney, who seeks the
Democratic nomination for the Senate. |
He has long been one Of the dry bull |
warks in the State, serving for time |
as director of the Missouri branch OF |
the Anti-Saloon League.
Wet-Dry Stand PIeases.
When the Democrats voted for re- !
peal in Chicago Hay was in quandary |
Four years ago when he was the |
Democratic nominee for the Senate and !
was defeated, he succeeded in maintain |
ing stanch allegiance to Alfred E.
Smith and at the same time preserving |
his dry integrity. This year the prob |
lem was more difficult Shortly after !
the platform was adopted he announced !
that he stood four-square for repeal, but |
with this proviso: If elected to the Sen |
ate, he would vote for a repeal measure |
to 90 to the StateS-but with that done |
he would return to Missouri and do his |
utmost to defeat repeal in his home |
State. This adroit bit of politics salts |
fed both the vets and the dryS. and |
Hay's campaign booms along merrily. |
The Democratic senatorial race finds
five men entered. Charles M Howell, !
former chairman of the Democratic
State Committee, is figured to have the
best chance because he is supported by
Tom j. Pendergast of Kansas City,
sometimes described as the Democratic
boss of Missouri. Pendergast's well
oiled machine in Jackson County can |
be counted On to deliver majority Of !,
upward of $1,000 votes, which makes |
things reasonably safe for any candi- /
date he indorses.
Bennett Champ Clark. son of the late
Speaker of the House. is another can
didate, as is James w. Byrnes, presi-
dent Of the Missouri Association Against
Prohibition Both are avowedy wet.
Robert H. Merrymsn Of st. Louis is an
other candidate.
KieI Is Conceded Edge.
On the Republican side the edge Is
conceded to Henry w. Kiel, three times
mayor Ct st. Louis and for years party
leader He has virtually all the organ
ization support and IS running on
platform that would bring the breweries
back tomorrow If such were possible.
Opposed to him are Blodgatt Priest son
Of the late Judge Henry S. Priest, for
years president of the Missouri Associa-
ton Against Prohibition; Dewey j.
Short a former minister and also a
former Congressman from the Ozarks
section. who is also running wet; Robert |
J. Kratky, who has the tacit support of
the St Louis machine operated by |
Mayor Miller, now at loggerheads with
KieI, and B. F Beazen Of Kansas City |
and Pearl Abernathy, a Negro, of st. !
Louis.
So far as can be observed none Of
these candidates is running as a dry. |
Some, for obvious reasons, are attempt
irg to soft pedal the issue and stress
economic problems as paramount. but
on the face of things, the next United !
States Senator elected from Missouri !
viii be prepared to vote wet.
The same situati-n prevails among |
the open field runners in the con- |
gressional race. None has had the !
temerity to cCme out as bone dry and |
all express leanngS toward repeal or at
least resubmission. This has required a
deal of sail trimming by some, espe-
c.ally present incumbents whose votes
have been consistently dry in the past.
Race for Governor.
The most interesting race of all is
that for the Democratic nomination for
Governor. Until q month ago 1t was
conceded that Francis NJ. Wilson,
nominee four years ago would walk in
He was a popular candidate in 1928, al
though defeated by the Hoover land
slide. and in addition he was supported
by Pendergast. But opposition began to
develop in the person Of Russell L. Dear
mont q young attorney, and State Sen
ator from Southwest Missouri. Dear
mont was a standout in the last Cen
eral Assembly, is man OF attractive
personality, has youth as opposed to
wilson's more mature years, and he
struck fire among the voters when he
attacked boss rule in Missouri.
Il has been his claim that Pender-
past is atter1Dting to Strangle the State,
and that if Wilson is elected he will be
a mere puppet in the hands of boss
An untiring campaigner, Dearmont has
travelled up and down the State with
such telling effect that he has the Will
son forces seriously worried. Political
observers. however, are pretty much
agreed that Wilson will win. but by
much reduced majority. James Delk
and Grover Childers, two other candl-
dates. will not figure in the count.
The serious charge has been made
that the candidates supported by Pen
dergast are spending so much money
that their expenditures should be in
vestigated Both Hay and Clark asked
that a senatorial committee come to
Missouri and locked into the Howell
campaign, but the request was denied.