Evening star., 1938-09-18


campaign OF Representative J.
O'Conor. chairman OF the House
Rules Committee. for renomtna-
tton.)
BY WILL p. KENNEDY;
Stan Correspondent Of The star.
NEW YORK, Sept. 17.-With the
score to o against the presidential
burgers in the congressional eliminA-
ton series. stocky Red" OConnor
comes to bat in the last inning. He
may, Of course, knock = home run,
and he may on the other hand strike
out. Box seats in the political grand
stand are occupied by President Roose-
welt. Chairman Farley Of the Demo-
cratic National Committee, Secretaries
Ickes. and Morgenthau, Cadet Brain
Truster Tommy the Cork" Corcoran,
Mayor La Guardia, Harry L. Hopkins.
administrator of Federal emergency
relief and w. P. A.; David LASER. head
Of the Workers Alliance, and various
Communist leaders. In other grand
stand seats are hundreds of Federal
and municipal employees. who have
been doing campaign work in the Old
Gas House (l6th) New York congress
sional district-which runs the gamut
from Park avenue mansions and Sut-
ton place exclusiveness, to congested
slum and cheap tenement sections.
Backed by Tammany.
Who will win? Make your own choice.
All that is certain is that Repre-
sentative John J. O'Connor, chairman
Of the House Rules Committee, who
has served IS years from this district,
has encountered the most bitter.
stacked opposition in all his career in
politics. High Tammany oficials e.
pecially. powerful in this district, some
Of whom tried to "trip" Mr.. O'Connor
in previous campaigns, say emphati-
cally that he will bs renominated in
the Democratic primary on Tuesday
and apparently they have passed the
word down the line.
If Mr.. O'Connor is. "purged." 1t will
not be so much glory for the New
Deal forces-the President having de-
nounced him at the White House as
"one Of the most effective obstruction
ists," who labored to pickle New Deal
legislation 1t will be for the La
Guardia forces. While many ennis
saris from Washington, temporarily
released from Federal positions, have
been quietly working against the
O'Connor candidacy, the La Guardia
opposition has been more open and
active. His own campaign organiza-
ton in that district, built up during
the past five years. with key men and
trouble shooters ready to meet any
emergency. has been loaned to James
H. Fay, Endorsed by Mr.. Roosevelt.
La Guardia Backs Fay.
Mayor La Guardia's ONCE on Au-
gust II issued statement that Mr..
Fay would enter the Democratic pri-
mary against O'Connor, and on Au-
gust Is according to Mr.. Fay's own
statement. he resigned" as chief
1ield deputy In the third New York
district Of the United States Internal
Revenue Bureau, where he had served
for more than two years, to become a
candidate for Congress. The Mayor,
who said he was against Mr.. O'Connor
because he served 10 years with him
in Congress"-La Guardia himself
elected as q socialist, also granted
leave OF absence to q high-ranking
oficial Of the controllers office. Mai.
William j. Walsh. who has served as
Mr.. Fays campaign manager. After
visit to the summer White House at
Hyde Park, Mr.. La Guardia said he
would actively campaign against
Mr. O'Connor.
1t Is charged that a score OF deupty
collectors OF Internal Revenue, fellow
employees Of Mr.. Fay under the Treas
ury Department., and that city en-
ployes. particularly in the hospital
department (where Mr.. Fay was an
important oficial for 10 years and
finally acting commissioner, and those
IN charge at the municipal lodging
houses circulated Mr.. Fay's petitions
for the. necessary $50 signatures, and
finally got about $500 names thereon.
Mr.. OConnor's managers have chal-
lenged some 1900 Of these signatures
as fraudulent, forgeries or as non
existent persons, and court proceed
lngs are pending to determine whether
there is net of $50 legitimate, neces-
sary signatures.
Survey Is Difficult.
That Is a sample of the bitter in
trlgues and complications in this New
York district where political ways are
devious and make an Independent
survey extremely difficult and positive
forecast hazardous. As 4 matter Of
TACT. Mr.. Fay seems to have been Mr..
La Guardia's second choice-called in
an emergency when a "boner" had
been pulled. In July the Mayors
office announced that a Mr., Mcdonald
would oppose Mr.. O'Connor, seeking
nomination in the primaries of three
parties-Democrat, Republican and
American Labor parties. Mr.. McDon-
AIDS petitions were circulated under
the name Of the American Labor party
Issued Ut Is claimed) from communist
headquarters, just around the corner
from the present Fay headquarters
on Third avenue, and circulated by
communist members. The Communist
party, IN its national convention in
Madison Square Garden in July, had
placed Representative O'Connor at the
neao OF Its blacklist" On August