Evening star., 1936-11-01

uAbNA AL QOuUt.
rade between Democrats and Farmer
I'd party candidates for Governor and
comes rather mild indica-
:tions that the North Star State will
60 Democratic for the second time in
history.
Observers predict very close con.
test all along the line and many ex.
perts would not be surprised if Gov.
Landon carried the State, particu.
I larly in view of the rather potent
Lemke threat to the Democratic cause.
/ But the most optimistic Lemke sup
porters do not expect him to poll more
than 100000 votes. 1t is generally
agreed that just about all the Union
party candidates backing will come
/ from Minnesotans who ordinarily
would cast their ballots for a New
Deal standard bearer.
| Tremendous Effort by G. O.P.
Even with Lemke cutting deeply
into Roosevelt strength, most observ-
ers agree there should be enough left
from the 236,847 margin established
in 1882 when Minnesota first was
listed in the Democratic presidential
column to give the President the
edge
The Republicans have exerted ire.
mendous effort to put over Landon in
Minnesota and they apparently have
scored heavily with their emphasis
on what they term Minnesota farm
losses under the Democratic-spon-
sored reciprocal trade agreement with
Canada and with their attacks on the
administrations farm program.
But the combination Of the Demo-
cratic and Farmer-Labor machines
presumably provide obstacles too great
for the G. o. P. campaigners to over
come.
The prospects for the State going
Roosevelt but still electing a Repub-
lican Governor centers around the
backfire from the deal whereby Demo-
cratic senatorial and gubernatorial
candidates withdrew in favor of Farm.
er-Labor nominees for those Offices,
with the latter pledged to support
Roosevelt.
Many prominent Democrats have
actively campaigned for the Repub.
ucan gubernatorial candidate-Martin
Nelson-meanwhile advocating defeat
of United States Senator Elmer Ben.
son. the Farmer-Labor candidate for
Governor.
The rebelling Democrats who shout
ed loudly about the trade since, they
contend. the party may thereby lose
its identity entirely in Minnesota. are
| not expected to bolt in any great num-
bers from the Roosevelt ranks.
The Republicans have sought
strenuously to capitalize to the great
.st extent upon the Democratic split
and recruited many of the rebels in
their campaign forces with one group
labelling itself the "Democrat-For-N Mel
son Club" But the G. o. P. did not
succeed in getting any such outfit
into the field for Gov. Landon.
Ran Well Against Olson.
Another important factor in the
gubernatorial race is that Nelson, q
small-town attorney with considera BILE
oratorical ability, made a surprising
race against the late Gov. Olson two
years ago, losing by only $4,000 votes
when it had been apparent the mar.
gin would at least double that figure.
Senator Benson, who was lifted
from obscurity as first-term State
banking commissioner to take the
seat of the late Senator Thomas D.
Schall. has been badly handicapped
by lack of campaign experience. But.
selected by Gov Olson as the man to
carry on as the Farmer-Labor head Of
the State government. Senator Ben
son inherited the potent Olson cam
paign machine and has given the Re-
publicans a hot argument.
While the G. o. P. was trying to
tack the Red" label to Senator Ben
son for the support his party has been
getting from the Communist party
campaigners, the Farmer-Labor nom
inee concentrated on what he called
the Republican-sponsored sales tax
threat.
The conservatives In the. State
Legislature pushed through bill
calling for a vote at the Tuesday
election on a constitutional amers-
ment to exempt real estate from the
State tax levy. Benson said that,
should it carry and should his Re-
publican opponent be elected. a sales
tax would be enacted to make up
the deficit in State revenues.
Finally, Nelson came out against
the sales tax and, under constant
hammering by Benson just a few
days before election, said he would
veto such a bill should it pass the
State Legislature.
Six-Year Farmer Labor Rule.
If Nelson does squeeze in, as most
observers agree he will, 1t will mean
restoration of the State government
to the Republicans after six years
Of Farmer-Labor rule, with Gov.
Olson sitting in the Governors chair
through two terms. Since Olson's
death late last Summer, Hjalmar Pc
tersen, Lieutenant Governor under
Olson, has been Governor. Petersen.
who vainly sought to run for Gov
ernor in his own right, Is the third
party nominee for State railroad and
warehouse commissioner and Is fa-
vored to win.
The Farmer-Laborites have been
badly handicapped without the lead
ership Of Olson, who was the party's
nominee for the Senate at the time
of his death. But under the strange
set-up his successor on the ballot
Representative Ernest Lundeen-is
given q slight edge over his Repub-
lican opponent-Representative Theo-
dore Christianson, three times Gov
ernor OF the State.
The races for the national House
also have the experts puzzled. OF the
nine contests. only Farmer-Laborites
Paul John Kvale in the seventh and
Richard Buckler in the ninth and