The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1932-09-30
BY G. B. WOLLAN.

10y W. u. WILLIAM.
st. Paul, Sept. 20, 1932.-Seven weeks
from today the 1882 battle of ballots
will become history, but these interven-
ing seven weeks are going to be
crammed full of fight, Of charges and
countercharges, Of accusations and
denials, of speechmaking and wisper-
ings, of claims and counterclaims. The
campaign now gives promise of being
one of the most hectic and bitterly
fought in Minnesota in many years.
The presidential contest between
Hoover and Roosevelt promises to be
closer than four years ago between
Hoover and Smith. Some political OBJ
servers look to it's being almost as close
as that of 1916, when Hughes won over
Wilson in Minnesota by only 1872 votes,
the Republican candidate receiving
1854 as against 1882 cast for
Woodrow Wilson.
That was the nearest Minnesota ever
came to going Democrat for president
although we have had three Democratic
governors in the last generation-John
Lind, John A. johnson and Winfield
Scott Hammond.
I don't think any Minnesota Re-
publican leader, if he wants to be
honest with himself. will deny that
Roosevelt is today comparatively
stronger in this state than was Al
Smith at any stage of the 1928 cam
paign, when Hoover won out with a
plurality of about 10000. The vote
that year was: Hoover, 560,977; Smith
1896, 451.
Thousands Of the Smith supporters
of 1928, who were disappointed when
he was not nominated last June, are
only lukewarm toward Roosevelt. Some
are openly in rebellion, but hesitate to
Ego to the extreme" of voting for
Hoover. Some of these are behind a
movement now to place II Smith cleo
tors on the state ballot. If this is
done-and it now is reported to be
assured-the result will naturally be
to take a considerable part of the
Democratic vote in Minnesota away
from Roosevelt, thus aiding Hoover.
But now comes report to effect
that some anti-Hoover Republicans
with at least the tactic support of
Roosevelt Democrat9 are circulating
petitions to place on the ballot the
names of II electors for Cal Coolidge
and Charley Dawes. It is reported
and it sounds quite logical-that this
move is being made to counteract the
Smith move, in the hope that the Cool
idge ticket will take as many votes from
Hoover as the Smith ticket will take
from Roosevelt.
AL of this is of interest, of course, but
if both side" movements for Smith
and Coolidge are carried out by placing
electoral tickets on the ballot, the net
Roosevelt contest pretty much as ii
would have been without any such
moves.
If one is to take any stock at all
in the various straw votes as taken at
the state fair and at numerous county
fairs, it is clear that Earle Brown,
g. o. p. candidate for governor, is
considerably stronger than is Hoover
running quite ways behind Roosevelt
with John Energy" Regain, Democratic
gubernatorial candidate, none too
good third in the race.
1t must be remembered, of course,
that the Roosevelt vote is being split
between Olson and Regain, since the
Democratic presidential candidate also
has the support of a majority at least,
of the Farmer-Laborites. Gov. Olson
and other FL leaders are openly sup
porting Roosevelt, yet the party's state