Evening star., 1940-09-08
Democrats in Indiana
Fear National Ticket
Is Of Little Help
Election Bourd Orders
Separation Of 1t
From State Slate
BY WILLIAM L. TOMS,
Special Correspondent OF The Star.

Special Correspondent Of The Star.
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. THE
departure of Wendell l.. Willkie on
his 7.000-mile campaign swing to
the West Coast will bring shift
Of attention from the national cam
paign to the heretofore neglected
State contest in Indiana.
For the last few weeks the NOM
inees on the opposing State tickets
have been content for full attention
to be given the national campaign.
From his headquarters in Rushville
the energetic Republican nominee
for President has been meeting
delegations and issuing statements
with such rapidity that the State
tickets voluntarily took a back seat.
Now that Mr.. Willkie is preparing
to invade the West. the Republican
and Democratic State tickets are
settling down to practical business.
Later this month the Democrats
will rally at the annual meeting of
their party editorial association at
French Lick. At each Of the recent
meetings there it has been custom
airy to adopt resolutions indorsing
former Gov. Paul v. McNutt for
President. Mr.. McNutt, present
Federal Security Administrator,
already is a candidate for his party's
presidential nomination in 1914, but
the matter of his Endorsement may
be overlooked on this occasion. Mr..
McNutt was dealt with vigorously
at the recent Democratic National
Convention and the party has
streamlined New Deal national
ticket this year-those two points
may initiate against the customary
attention for Mr.. McNutt this time.
State Ticket Uneasy.
The Democratic State ticket Is
little fearful that the national
ticket will be of little assistance
this year. Some outside friends OF
the State ticket are asking that 1t
be supported, openly asserting there
will be no protest If those consulted
support the Republican national
ticket. The Democratic admins
tration- controlled State Board OF
Election Commissioners Just few
days ago ordered separation Of the
State and national tickets. a
decision which would have been
avoided had the national ticket
been regarded as appealing IN
Indiana.
Up to this point the Republican
strategy appears based on condi-
tions enumerated in the foregoing
paragraph. Already the high COM
mand has decided the strategy Of
the opposition will be to erase do
mestic fiscal issues with the war
situation. At a recent G. o. P.
meeting it was decided
that separate weeks would be al
lotted for discussion of different
subjects. One week all the candi-
dates will talk on taxation, another
their talking point will be institu-
tional management and still another
the cost Of government.
Regarding Mr.. Willkfe as
thoroughly competent to cross
swords with President Roosevelt,
the Republican State nominees in
tend to confine their attention to
purely State issues. To the pres
ent time, the State ticket has shown
a greater willingness to cooperate
with Mr.. Willkie than has the latter
to work with the State group. But
State leaders insist this is a tempo
rary condition that will diminish
when the bitter stage of the cam
paign Is reached.
G. o. p. Ponders French Lick.
Early in October the annual meet
Ing of the Republican Editorial As
ISOLATION Is to be held. It may be OF
that the Republican
editors also are considering French
Lick, long the Midwestern citadel
of Democracy, as the site. The
fact that the G.. o. P. State ticket
is short of general representation
in Southern Indiana is one reason
for the idea, which would be a
radical departure from precedent.
Another is combination Of the
circumstances wherein Mr.. Willkie
is making a bid for the support of
Jeffersonian Democrats, who abound
in lower Indiana and once headed
a utility which operated satisfac-
torily in that region.