Evening star., 1936-10-05
DEMOCRATS SPLIT
IN MINNESOTA AS
RESULT OF IDEAL"
VOLTS Foes Are Angered by
Coalition With Farmer.
Labor Group.
G. 0.P. DENIES TRADE
Is BLOW TO CHANCES
Republican Hopes of Divided 0p.
position in State Campaign
Held Shattered.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN,
Stan Correspondent OF The Star.

Stan Correspondent OF The Star.
MINNEAPOLIS, Mimi, october S.
Politics in Minnesota have been stirred
to the boiling point by Saturdays deal
between one faction of the Democratic
party. by which it will throw its sup
port to the Farmer-Labor candidates
for Governor and Senator in return
for Farmer-Labor support of President
Roosevelt.
Are the Democrats sore-those
who we're not in on the deal? 1t
was the faction headed by Joseph
Wolf, former Democratic national
committeeman, which made the
trade, aided and abetted by the
Roosevelt high command in Wash
ington and New York. The Ryan
Regain faction, which
fought the Wolf faction to a stand
still and forced the selection of a
compromise candidate for Democratic
national committeeman at Philadel-
phia last June. is astounded. Some
Of its members are fighting mad and
threatening to form Democratic
organization to aid the Republican
candidates.
The deal was put across in a des-
perate effort to head OFF Landon in
this State. It was cleverly en-
gineered. AS the first step in the
deal the Democrats Withdrew their
candidates for Governor and Senator,
Curtis and Delaney, from the ballot.
And the withdrawal was made at
the last minute, so that other DEM
ocrats would be helpless to do any
thing about putting forward new
candidates. Under the State law all
candidates filing must be in the
hands of the secretary of State 80
days before the election. Saturday
was the last day. and on that Gay
the Wolf faction did the dirty vork
at the cross roads," at Least that's
what the other faction calls it.
Remaining Candidates.
Anyway, Curtis and Delaney are of
the ballot, leaving only the Repub-
lican and the Farmer-Labor candi-
dates for Governor and Senator to
fight it out at the polls. The Repub-
lican candidates are Martin A. Nelson
for Governor and Representative Theo-
dore Christianson for Senator. Against
them the Farmer-Labor party has
nominated Representative Lundeen for
the Senate and Senator Benson for
Governor. This is the first time in
years the Democrats have not had
candidates for Senator and Governor
on the ballot, although it has been
years since any Democrat was elected
to one of these Offices. The anti-WoH
faction is screaming that the Demo-
cratic party has been sold down the
river" and that the party is sinking,
if not sunk.
The truth of the matter is that
neither the Democratic candidate for
Governor nor for Senator had ghost
of show in the triangular race. They
only served to divide the vote against
the Republicans. The Republicans in
this State have really come to life
again and the Farmer-Laborites. who
nave been winning major elections
for several years, were scared-iust as
scared as Chairman James A. Farley
was that Roosevelt might not carry
the State in the presidential race.
Under the circumstances, the deal
seemed the wise thing-even though
it was sure to make lot of Democrats
angry and might turn some Demo-
cratic votes to the Republican ticket.
The Democrats and the Farmer
Laborites who put across the deal
claim to be entirely satisfied. Their
chant-which is also their excuse for
this kind of politics-is that there
must be no division of liberal ranks
in the presidential and gubernatorial
contests this year. They must all
stick together to beat the Republicans.
A Democratic Nelson Club to sup
port the Republican gubernatorial
candidate was formed here today,
(See LINCOLN, Page A-5)