The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-07-05
SEN. VAN NUYS IS
 ASKED TO RETURN
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can victory, had urged Townsend to bring him back into the party. Tele~ranhs Van Nuvs

can victory, had urged Townsend to bring him back into the party.
 Telegraphs Van Nuys
 Townsend sent this telegram to Van Nuys, who was at Walloon Lake, Mich, on vacation:
 Last summer at French Lick I discussed the philosophy of demo- cratic government. (Where Town- send made his statement which in effect read Van Nuys out of the party) Unfortunately I was accused of being dictator and of trying to read you out of the party.
 "As a Democrat in action as well as in theory, am now inviting you to become a candidate for U. s. sen- ator at the convention July 12, and so far as I am concerned you will find it wide open convention"
 Van Nuys could not be reached immediately, but his friends, inter- preting Townsend's telegram as meaning that the state organizat ton would renominate him without ques- tion, felt that he would withdraw his independent candidacy and &C., cept.
 The state organization which Townsend heads, controls 85 per cent of the convention votes.
 It was believed that Townsend's s action had been approved in ad- vance by Sen. Sherman Minton, Van Nuys' colleague, former Gov. Paul V. McNutt, and National Committee man Frank McHale.
 Fear of Split
 The fear of split in the Demo- cratic party which would endanger the candidacy of the Democratic ticket for state offices in the general election was accepted by Indiana political experts as the explanation of Townsend's change of heart. It had been reported that friends of former Gov. Paul V. McNutt pro- noting him as a candidate for the 1940 Democratic presidential nomi- nation, had feared that the split in the state democracy might endan- ger McNutt's aspirations.
 Political experts also had believed that the state organizations case against Van Nuys-or disloyalty to President Roosevelt-had been weak ened by President Roosevelt's recent speed in which he said he would not oppose any Democrat in primaries merely because he had opposed a particular measure. Van Nuys op- posed court reorganization, but he supported almost all other new deal legislation.
 Van Nuys was expected to call short his vacation and return this week to join with Democratic Iead- CTS in formulating the platform. It was anticipated that the Democratic convention would be a lovefest and that Van Nuys would be re-nomi- mated on the first ballot.
 Three Candidates
 Three candidates for the nomina- tion-Lieut. Gov. Henry F. Schrick- CT, Sam Jackson, Fort Wayne, and expected to withdraw.
 The Democratic nominating con- vention will be hsld next week.
 Van Nuys' expulsion from the party had not been received with appreciation by all sections of the state party, and Republicans had been outspoken in their criticism of Townsend and of the state organi- zation for having taken such &C., tion. There had been suggestions that Van Nuys be given the Repub lican senatorial nomination, but the Republican nominating convention last week did not consider his name The Republicans, however, had well comed his Independent candidacy, believing that it would make an is- sue which would put them in power in the state.