Evening star., 1936-08-31

he declined to support the latter for
the gubernatorial nomination this
year.
Weak Link in Chain.
During his administration as Gov
ernor, Curley has been able to pull
off, win over or get around enough
Republicans in the Legislature and In
the Governors council to have his
own way. Dealing with individual
Republican oficeholders, however, is
q different thing from carrying along
with him a mass of the Republican
and independent voters of the State
So the Republicans and many Of the
Democrats regard Curley as the weak
link in the Democratic chain. DEM
ocrats here insist that Curley will
weaken the whole ticket and make 1t
more difficult for Roosevelt in the
national election.
There Is an unusually large regis
tration of voters in Massachusetts,.
Both Democrats and Republicans say
that their party tickets will be bene-
flied by this new registration. In
Massachusetts there is a large seq
ment of the population which came
here from other countries. The Dem
ocrats have an organization which
reaches down into all the voting pre-
cincts throughout the State. which
is an element of strength. They say
that this organization is responsible
for getting out the increased regis
&c N
quarters that many of the new voters
added to the lists are of foreign ex-
traction, and that Gov. Curley, who
constantly makes an appeal in his
campaigning to the underdog, may
profit through this group of voters.
It is the unknown quantity in a polit-
ical situation that otherwise is appar-
emily a set-up for the Republicans.
Opposed by Greenwood.
In the Democratic primary Mayor
Robert E. Greenwood of Fitchburg, a
son-in-law of Senator Coolidge, Is
running against Gov. Curley for the
senatorial nomination. The anti
Curley forces in the Democratic party
are backing Greenwood, but those who
follow politics here insist that Curley
will win hands down. When it comes
to the election in November. however,
Curley will have against him in ad-
dition to Lodge. the Republican nomi-
nee, Greenwood, who has filed as an
Independent candidate, and also
Thomas c. O'Brien, former district
attorney of Boston, who is running
on the Lemke third-party ticket, both
for Vice President and for Senator.
Greenwood, if he persists in this in
dependent candidacy can only take
Democratic or independent votes away
from Curley. BY the same token,
O'Brien, who has the support Of
Father Coughlin and National Union
for Justice, is expected to take more
votes from Curley than from Lodge.
The Democrats are expected to try
to have the independent candidates
for the Senate kept off the election
ballot. But If the State ballot law
tried any rough stuff, in order to aid
Gov. Curley. the resentment so
aroused may be worse for Curley than
If the independents have places on
the ballot. There is one school Of
thought which holds that the inde-
pendents will take votes which other
wise would 90 to Lodge and that there
fore it would really be to the Gov
ernor's interest to have the independ-
ents in the race. But that seems
rather far-fetched.
Lodge Has Opposition.
In the Republican senatorial pri-
mary Lodge will have opposition from
Alonzo B. Cook Of Boston. perren-
nial candidate, and Guy M. Gray of
Greenfield. Cook has polled a con-
siderable vote in other Republican
primaries, but he is not expected to
do well against Lodge. Gray is practi-
cally an unknown. Both these candi-
dates against Lodge have also filed as