Evening star., 1935-09-29
Roosevelt RebuHed.

President Roosevelt's efforts to bring
the warning Democratic factions in Ken
lucky together somehow missed fire.
Gov. Ruby Laffoon and Thomas s. Rhea.
defeated candidate for the gubematorial
nomination, just stayed away from the
love feast which the President had
thoughtfully prepared for them on
board his train when it reached Gin
cinnati The successful candidate for
the nomination, Lieut. Gov. A. B.
Chandler, however, and Senator Barley,
leaders of the other faction, were on
hand to greet the Chief Executive.
Gov. Laffoon and Mr.. Rhea apparently
did not feel called upon to join the
happy Democratic party aboard the
Presidents train. Perhaps they remem-
bered the letter of the President which
Senator Barkley had carried some months
ago to the Democratic State Committee,
strongly indorsing the idea that the
Democratic gubernatorial candidate
should be nominated in primary elec-
ton instead of by convention. They
may have recalled that, when Laffoon
and Rhea came to Washington to make
peace with the administration, no sooner
had they left Kentucky than Lieut.. Gov.
|. Chandler called a special session of the
Legislature to put through a mandatory
primary election law. In a convention
Laffoon and the Central Committee
doubtless could have brought about the
nomination Of Rhea. In the primary
Rhea lost.
Rightly or wrongly, the Governor and
Rhea seemingly take the view that the
influence of the President was thrown
against them in the fight for the control
of the party in Kentucky. If there is
to be a mediator of this Kentucky feud.
they consider that the man who exerted
great influence against them should not
be that mediator. Rhea fatty declined
to board the train to meet his enemy,
Chandler. Gov. Laffoon, through some
mistake, was not included in the tele-
gram sent him from the White House
implying an invitation to board the train,
but was merely asked to have Chandler
and Rhea on hand to see the President.
Long distance telephone calls from the
White House, after the mistake was dis
covered, failed to bring the Governor
around He did not 60 to the train.
The contest for Governor of Kentucky
this year stands in the political lime
light. For Kentucky is the only State
to elect a Governor. No general con-
gressional elections are to be held. Ad-
mittedly it would look none too good
for the New Deal should the Republicans
defeat Happy" Chandler at the polls in
November. Kentucky is border State
and is usually Democratic. 1t has today
a Democratic Governor, two Democratic
Senators and eight out of the nine mem
bers of the House. The election OF
Republican Governor this year. particu-
larly when the New Deal is made the
dominant issue in the campaign, would
not aug,r well for Roosevelt in 1896.
G. O. p. victory would be placed along
side the Republican congressional victory
in Rhode Island of last August and the
defeat of the Roosevelt Democratic
leaders in Pennsylvania recently, when
they sought to win constitutional con-
vention to revise the States basic law
along New Deal lines.
How far Laffoon and Rhea and their
followers are willing to go in their oppo-
sition to Chandler remains to be seen.
Chandler, it is reported, insists that
nearly all the principal hackers of Rhea
have pledged him their support. The
Roosevelt Democrats, however, may be
expected to 60 into the campaign in
Kentucky in big way.