Evening star., 1938-10-16
Party Has Opportunity to
Win in Minnesota First
Time in Years.
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE
IS REMAINING IN FIELD
Chief Danger to Governor Is
Feeling of Farmers That Labor
Gets Most Benefits.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.
Star STAFF Correspondent.

MINNEAPOLIS, Mimi, Oct. is
Revolt against the Benson Farmer
Labor administration. plus falling
of in affection for the New Deal, gives
the Republicans a chance to take
charge Of the Minnesota State govern
ment for the first time in years.
The G. o. P. nominee for Governor
is a young man, Harold E. Stassen.
He is only 81 years old, as a matter Of
fact. Big, rawboned, likeable. Stassen
has made an excellent impression on
the stump. He is something new, and
the crowds flock to see him and hear
what he has to say. He made his
he headed up the Young Republican
organization. His present campaign
organization has lot of young people
in 1t. For number of years he served
as county prosecutor.
The trouble for Benson began back
in the primary campaign days, when
HJalmar Petersen, railroad and ware
house commissioner, ran against the
Governor in the race for Farmer Labor
preference. Petersen went after the
Benson administration without gloves,
charging graft and corruption and
rank favoritism. The charges came,
not from a Republican or Democratic
source. but from a Farmer Laborite,
who had been Lieutenant Governor
under the late Floyd Olson.
Believing that Benson could be de-
feated for the gubernatorial nomina-
uon, thousands OF Republicans, esti-
mated as high as $4,000, went into
the Farmer-Labor primary to vote for
Petersen. Benson squeezed through.
however, with lead of approximately
10000.
Division Not Yet Healed.
The situation today is that Benson
Is engaged in battle with a detCA-
mined and youthful Republican op-
ponent, not to mention another very
determined Thomas Gallagher. Demo-
cratic nominee for Governor. The di-
vision in the Farmer-Labor ranks has
by no means been healed. Petersen
Is doing nothing for Benson, and now
and then takes dig at him when he
can. 1t is said that perhaps 90 per
cent of the workers in the Petersen
primary campaign are now out working
for Stassen. Two years ago Benson
and the Farmer-Laborites arranged
deal with the New Deal Democrats by
which they agreed to support Presi-
dent Roosevelt for reelection and the
Democrats withdrew their regularly
nominated candidates for Governor
and United States Senator and agreed
to support Benson and Ernest Lun-
deem, candidates respectively for Gov
ernor and Senator. President Roose-
welt was running and his popularity
pulled many votes for Benson which
he might not otherwise received, for
Mr.. Roosevelt had given Benson his
blessing
Today the Democratic candidate for
Governor against Benson is sticking in
the field, and Democrats who do not
like Benson but who would not 60
the length of voting for Republican
candidate are able to vote their own
party ticket. Democrats who, on the
other hand, are anxious to defeat
Benson and believe the only way to do
so is to vote Republican, are at
liberty to vote for Stassen.
1t IS true that Joseph Wolf, former
Democratic National Committeeman
and an ardent supporter of Roosevelt,
has just issued public appeal to
Democratic voters in Minnesota to cast
their votes for Benson next month.
Wolf was largely instrumental in ar
ranging the deal by which the Demo-
cratic nominees for Governor and
Senator were withdrawn in 1886. He
recently visited the President when
Mr.. Roosevelt was in Minnesota.
True Admirer of Roosevelt.
MY reason for supporting Benson
is that he is a true Progressive and
true admirer of President Roosevelt"
said Wolf. Secondly there is no
chance to elect Democratic Cover
nor Therefore, all the Progressives of
both parties should join together and
re-elect Benson against conservative
candidate"
Stassen not only has the backing of
the Republican organization-such as
(See MINNESOTA, Page A-4)