Evening star., 1934-05-20
NEBRASKA FIGHT
FOR CONGRESS IS
ONE OF DECADE
Three Withdrawals Include
That of Moorhead of
First District.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

from the House, one to seek the SEN
atorial toga on the Democratic ticket,
another to seek the gubernatorial
nomination in the Democratic pri-
mary, and the third to private life,
the primary and general election cam
paignS in Nebraska are to be one OF
the greatest struggles in decade.
One unusual development curing
the past week was the announcement
by Representative John Moorhead of
the first district that he would not
be candidate to succeed himself, eX-
pressing no choice Of a successor,
thereby leaving the field wide open
for candidates in both party ranks,
the Republicans hoping to gain an
other foothold in Congress by nomi-
mating a strong candidate. Moor
head, q two-term Governor and with
IL years of service in the House back
of him, stated upon withdrawing from
the race that his political plans for
the Summer were indefinite, but the
States political prognosticators say
that he withdrew with view TO rum
ming for either the Senate or the
ticket. Moorhead insists he is not
thinking of politics at this time. Po-
litical students of both parties admit
that his reelection this year was
political certainty and there was talk
that the Republicans would not offer
q candidate.
Burke Second to Quit.
The second Democratic Representa-
tive to withdraw from the House race
during the week was the popular Ed
ward R. Burke of Omaha. represent
ing Nebraska's second district, and
numerically the largest, who an
nounced his candidacy for the United
States Senate.
So insistent was the urge from farmer
and labor organiZa tionS for Burke to run
for Senate and represent the So-called
Roosevelt wing of the Democratic
party that ne forScok the congress
sional field, where he was assured of
denomination without opposition, and
his campaign platform will be predi-
Gated on the Roosevelt recovery pro-
gram. His campaign slogan will be,
he declared, Stand by the President"
Although serving his first year in
Congress, Burke gained unusual rec
ognition for his efforts in behalf of
the agricultural and outstate interests
of Nebraska. The records show he
played an important part in getting
S32 100000 in P. w. A funds, the
three major projects being Omahas
new $1,600,000 bridge, at South
Omaha, spanning the Missouri River:
the Sutherland and Columbus irriga-
tion and power projects, each involv
ing approximately 100000. Burke
does not take full credit for achieving
these contracts, but gives due praise
to other members of the delegation
and to Arthur Mullen, former ma
tional committeeman, now located in
Washington. 1t is generally known,
however, that the Omaha Representa-
tive pushed the Nebraska projects for
final approval, and they are conSid-
cred among the most meritorious of
the contracts allocated by the P. w. A
Contesting Burke for the senatorial
nomination in the primary will be
Charles w. Bryan, serving his third
term as Governor of Nebraska. AL
though he has publicly criticized some
vi IIlc 1SOOScNCII pOA1SlCo, IlC 40 AC-
garded as one of the most powerful
Democratic leaders in the State, pos
sessing a wide following among GER
tain groups, and being the beneficiary
of one of the strongest State organiza-
tions built up in Nebraska for years.
Bryan-Burke Issue Clear.
Political advisers say the issue IS
clear cut between Bryan and Burke.
On one hand there are those who say
the Roosevelt policies are ill-advised
and dangerously experimental, and
that now is the time to call halt to
further printing of the industrial re-
covery pump with Federal funds. This
group with Republican backing is lin
ing up with Bryan. On the other side
of the picture we have Burke with un-
equivocal support of the administra-
tion to his credit, having voted for all
recovery measures. The Roosevelt"
followers are rallying to the Burke
standard and the fundamental issue in
the primary will be the nomination of
an avowed Roosevelt man or one who
some of the present program.
The third Democratic Representa-
tive to withdraw from the congression-
al race is 34-year-old Terry Carpenter
of SCOTS Bluff of the fifth district,
who defeated the veteran Republican
Robert Simmons in the last election.
Although serving his first term in
Congress with reasonable assurance of
reelection, Carpenter declared that he
Is not ambitious to remain as Repre-
sentative in an overwhelming House
majority, but has definite progressive
ideas he would like to inaugurate for
the benefit of Nebraska.
Up to the present time no candidate
with wide following has actu-
ally filed against him, although petit
tlonS are in circulation for Roy
Cochran, present State highway engi-
neer, who is understood to have both
the support of the Bryan and Mullen
organizations, and if he files will be
regarded as the man Carpenter must
defeat in the primary. Cochran is un-
derstood to have the blessing of Null
len and National Committeeman Keith
Neville. although Mullen has often
been quoLed as saying ne will never
SUPPORT any candidate who has the
Bryan Endorsement. This is under
stood by party observers to be an i'm
portant reason why Cochran is re-
lUctant to enter the race. Carpenter
is regarded as playing "lone wolf"
hand, courting neither the Bryan nor
Mullen factions. He is getting his sup
port from the ranks of the war vet
Grams and farmers, and the railway
unions because Of his activities in
Washington in behalf of legislation
which carried particular benefits for
these three groups.
Foe of Hangers-on.
Carpenter has promised that If
elected he will clean the State House
of the political hangers-on, effect
economies in State administration
and remove from the pay roll of the
State many useless employees. Also in
his platform declaration he is advo-
eating the unicameral legislation
which provides for a one-houSe Legis-
lature, a proposal which Is advocated