The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-04-20
Political Cooks Are Watching Pot
What Stew Will Be Is Big Question

X \ \ 4 4
What Stew Will E
North Dakota's politics seethes and
bubbles in the old cauldron. What
kind of a stew will be dished out for
the voters in June is uncertain at
this writing.
Last week witnessed the opposition
on the part of some Nonpartisans to
the gubernatorial candidacy of Will
liam LANCER of Bismarck develop into
revolt. Leaguers, gathered at Grand
Forks want T. H. Thoresen to run on
the Democratic ticket with or without
convention endorsement. Thoresen,
put in q rather embarrassing position,
countered neatly and said he was
seeking no nomination. The door Is
still open, however. If the Democrats
seek him out and offer him the New
Rockford nomination he will have an
other decision to make. To date,
Thoresen has said that he Is not
seeking any nomination and Of course
that Is the absolute truth. The Grand
Forks attorney has minded his own
knitting. He evidently prefers private
life to the hurly burly Of North d.
kota politics.
Word comes from California that
j. F. T. O'Connor, silver tongued or
ator and once prominent Democrat
as well as an I. v. A., will manage
Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt's cam
paign in Southern California. Until
recently O'Connor has been McAdoo's
law partner. McAdoo retired to write
his autobiography but the two men
are still closely associated in political
matters. Evidently the McAdoo or
ganization is running in the direction
of the Roosevelt band wagon.
O'Connor was popular figure in
North Dakota politics. He resided for
many years at Grand Forks and was
elected several times to the state
legislature. Those opposed to Sen
ator McCumber groomed him for the
United States senate. At the famous
Jamestown convention, the "real'' Re-
publicans and the I. v. A. machine re-
fused to endorse Senator McCumber
who was a candidate opposed by Lynn
]. Frazier Frazier had recently been
recalled as governor and r. A. Nesto5
elected in his place. The I. V. A. or
ganization re-nominated Nestos at
this Jamestown convention, but Mes
tos refused to endorse McCumber, al
though the Wahpeton statesman gave
Nestos very nice endorsement
X y X
Instead, the Twichell crowd, aided
by other leaders who opposed Nc
Cumber's espousal of Judge Miller's
appointment to the federal bench,
lined up behind Frazier secretly and
defeated McCumber in the Republic
can primaries. In that election j. F..
r. O'Connor secured the Democratic
nomination for United States senator
and Nestcs was the Republican nomi-
nee for governor. He endorsed C'Con-
nor and in the fall elections Nestos
and O'Connor stumped the state to-
gether. Their pictures appeared
together on the I. v. A. placards, but
C'Connor could not carry the state
against Frazier.
In that election Gov. Nestos won.
but he started a feud with the Nc.
Cumber stalwarts, which retired him
from politics. The remnants Of the
McCumber organization turned on
him when he ran against A. G. Sorlic
and defeated him for governor Meth
er did they forget him when he came
out for United States senator.
\ X X
CONGRESSMAN Burtness, now a
candidate for reelection, was prob
ablv one Of the few Of the prominent
I. v. A. leaders who stuck to Senator
McCumber. Most of them wers
either cold toward McCumber in the
primaries or were openly for Frazier.
declaring that they could beat the
Hcople farmer with "Jefty" OConnor
in the fall. The plot failed to work
McCumber was beaten and with him
went much political prestige for North
Dakota as the senior senator was
chairman of the finance committee
and ranking member OF the foreign
relations committee. This state has
rot as yet recaptured prestige gained
through years of McCumber's service.
The wounds of that political battle
have not completely healed and the
ancient feud often comes to the sur
face. "Jefty" O'Connor's friends build
ed their hopes on that dissension to
send a Democrat to the United States
senate, but the McCumber crowd lined
up behind Frazier in the fall and re-
NAMED regular. The Twichell crowd.
now posing as "real" Republicans,
supported O'Connor and his Demo-
cratic national program. Such are the
vagaries OF politics from which
strange bed-fellows result, even IN
North Dakota.
So then there is plenty OF political
precedent for the Democrats If they
choose to select T. H. Thoresen to run
in their primary. This state, since the
inception of the Nonpartisan League
has not taken party labels seriously.
ANY party available has been seized
on if that meant access to office.
Take a more recent example. Halvor
Halvorson, prominent Democratic
candidate at times for state and fed
eral positions on the Democratic
ticket ran for the last session OF the
legislature as Republican with !. V.
A. endorsement. This year, he de-
clined an endorsement at the hands OF
the I. v. A. Probably he does not
want his Democratic record sullied
any more at this juncture. It Is
national election year and Halvorson
probably will be at New Rockford
with political ideas Of his own.
X X X
In face Of North Dakota polit-
zeal history, no departed follower Of
Democracy will turn over In his grave
# the Democrats should play practical
politics at New Rockford and offer
Thoresen the gubernatorial nomina-
ton. There are not even any surface
indications that they will play such
~ Ia u