Evening star., 1934-10-28
Senatorship Conceded to
Pittman, but Race for
Governor Is Intense.
FAILURE OF BANK CHAIN
INVOLVED IN CAMPAIGN
G. 0. P. Organ Refuses Support
for Nominee Griswold, So
Party Takes to Air.
BY EDGAR REINHART.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
RENO, New, October 27.-The end
of one of the most bitter campaigns
in Nevada political history is near,
but so far as the United States SEN
atorship is concerned, it is all over,
for even the most stanch Republicans
concede that Key Pittman, Demo-
crat, will be returned to Office. Prob
ably one Of the best indications of
this is that betting odds in the gam
bling clubs here are posted at to
that the senior Senator will be re-
elected, and some of these bets even
contain q provision that he will win
by 5000 or more votes.
The bitter fight is over the office of
Governor. and it all harkens back
to the failure of the Wingfleld string
of IL banks two years ago. which cost
Nevadans millions of dollars in de-
posits, placed George Wingfield. Re-
publican national committeeman, on
the verge of bankruptcy and broke the
machine allegedly controlled by Wing
field, as head of the Republican party
in the State, and by his attorneys,
George B. Thatcher and William
Woodburn, Democratic leaders.
Through Wingfield's offcial posi-
ton in the Republican party and
Thatcher's Democratic national COM
mitteeman job. which he has since
resigned, bipartisan control was
charged, and the effort now seems to
be to break up this alleged control.
Morley Griswold, acting Governor
since the death Of the late Gov. Fred
B. Balzsr, is the Republican candi-
date, and the heretofore Republican
paper, the Reno Gazette, is openly
fighting Griswold. The fight is based,
so far as the papers public state
ments are concerned, on the fact
that Griswold led a fight for reor-
ganization of the Wingfield banks
and on the charge he is a Wingfield
machine man.
1t is well known that the editor OF
the Gazette has been opposed to Girls
charges that the opposition is due en-
tirely to his refusal to take orders
from the editor of this paper, Gra-
ham Sanford.
The battle has taken to the air be-
cause the Gazette has refused to give
Griswold any space in his paper. al
though it is playing up the talks OF
his opponent. Rochard Kirman, ST,
Reno banker, whose bank came
through the depression in fine condi-
ton. The bank has since been sold
to the Bank Of America interests.
National Issues Stunned,
National issues have not been
brought into the campaign so far as
the Governor battle is concerned, al
though Senator Pittman and his op-
ponent, George w. Malone, State en-
gineer, have discussed them to some
extent, particularly the question Of re-
monitization Of silver. Efforts have
been made to show that Pittman is
one Of the mainstays of the admins
tration at Washington. and there has
been little or no contradiction Of this.
Representative James G. Scrugham
is opposed by George B. Russell, at
present State treasurer, but with the
registration for the first time in years
strongly Democratic the indication is
that Scrugham will be reelected by
strictly party vote.
Use Of the radio by Gov Griswold
and his stanch supporters promises a
test of the strength of the radio as
an advertising medium against a paper
Of large circulation and this situation
is being studied closely by advertis-
ing experts.
The air campaign has carefully re-
Trained from an attitude of defense
Of GriSwold, but has been so strongly
carried out as an offensive that the
Democratic nominee has been placed
in the position of entering numerous
denialS Of certain alleged policies and
leanings. The old banking situation
is the principal topic of the cam
paign, although education, taxation
and labor questions are not being
neglected.
Kirman, with the support of the
Republican paper, with his reputa-
ton as a conservative banker and
with the recollection of the Wingfield
Bank failure still uppermost in the
minds of voters, appears to have an
edge on his Republican opponent, but
Griswold appears to be gaining
strength in the hinterland. If he
can break nearly even in strongly
Democratic Clark County, where Is
located the Boulder Dam, and break
even in Washoe County, of which
Reno is the county seat, he should
overcome the sentiment now favoring
Kirman.