Evening star., 1946-06-23
COP, on March, Expects
Important Gains in West
Businesske Campaign Under Way, With Odds
Favoring Republicans, Unless Truman
Regains Lost Ground
Rv Gould Linc0In

Lincoln
November are regarded as certain In
Minnesota the amalgamated Demo-
cratic-Farmer-Labor party shows no
signs OF strength. Equally strong is
the Republican trend in Wisconsin,
There the fight is to determine whether
Senator Bob La Toilette and his Pro-
gressive friends shall triumph over the
so called regular Republicans - the
"stalwarts the leadership of
Thomas c. Coleman. The Progressive
party, started by the La Follettes in
1884, is dissolved, although it still has
a place on the ballot. La Toilette is
seeking the Republican nomination
against the regulars candidate. at
tractive Judge Joe" Mccarthy, a So
year-old Irish-American who served in
the last war in United States Marine
Air Force
Judge Mccarthy has the backing Of
the Coleman-built Republican organiza-
ton. an organization which has helped
to bring Wisconsin more surely into
the Republican fold-although the
State has not been Democratic except
for its support of the late President
Roosevelt. Even Roosevelt lost the
State. however, in 1914. Coleman is
chairman of the Republican State
voluntary" Committee which has
taken the place of the party's State
committee. 1t is voluntary" because
under the State law strictly party Or
ganizations are limited in the amount
OF expenditures, and voluntary com.
mittee is not.
Edge Given La Toilette. .,
In Wisconsin the wiseacres give La
Toilette the best chance to win, although
admitting he has a fight on his hands.
Mccarthy is Catholic and so is the
stalwart candidate for governor, Del
bert ]. Kenny. Add to this the fact
that Coleman himself is an Irish
American Catholic, and the situation
is difdcult-for Wisconsin has never
elected Catholic governor. 1t is a
strongly Lutheran and Protestant State.
Further, the La Toilette name is still
one to conjure with in Wisconsin
politics
In the Badger State, too, the question
of foreign policy is likely to play part.
La Toilette, although he voted for the
United Nations Charter, has in the
past been regarded as an isolationist.
The regular Republican State conven-
ton wrote into its platform the
following; I'VE will give our whole
hearted support to the United Nations.
which is designed to prevent a repeti-
tion of the world wars in which two
generations of Americans have fought.
We believe in the restoration of the
sovereign rights and self-government
to those nations which have been Fore
IDLY deprived of them"
This may be interpreted as plea
for support not only of those voters
who believe in the United Nations but
also of those who are of Polish, Finnish,
Baltic States and other foreign blood.
Judge Mccarthy is standing firmly on
the international collaboration issue.
Ended Willkie Boom.
Wisconsin was the State which in
1914 put an end to the presidential am
bitions of the late Wendell L. Willkie.
Mr.. Willkie ran in the primary for dele
gates to the Republican National Con-
vention that year-and got none
Moving farther West, the Republicans
are hopeful of. holding the Senate seat
now occupied by Senator Knowland
and of picking up a number of House
seats from the Democratic incumbents.
They believe that the sweeping victory
of Gov. Warren, who won denomination
in both the Republican and Democratic
primaries, is measure of the turnover
of sentiment in California, although
Warren is personally very popular. The
State is beginning to believe that it's
Governor may well be in line for
presidential nomination two years hence.
The COP is going to put up battle
in Washington, too, for the Senate
seat of Senator Mitchell, Democrat, who
was Gov. Wallgrens secretary before
Wallgren was elected Governor. Wash
ington has been radical in its politics
and there is a chance that it may turn
more conservative The Wallgren ma
chine, however. will go all out for
Mitchell.
Not long ago Gov. Wallgren ap-
pointed Dave Beck, head of the Team
sters' Union-an old favorite of the
late President Roosevelt member Of
the Board of Regents of the University
of Washington. Whatever Beck's quail
ications or lack of qualifications to
serve on the university board-the ap-
pointment was obviously political
move. The Teamsters' Union is power
full in Washington and it is currently
reported that every driver of truck
must belong to the union
The Beck appointment was expected
to add still further strength to the
Wallgren machine. That kind OF thing,
however, sometimes works to damage
a machine with a lot of independent
voters. 1t was Beck's union that Presi-
dent Roosevelt addressed here in Wash
ington, when he started his campaign
for fourth term. 1t is Becks union
which the Hobbs antiracketeering bill
is aimed at. 1t was the operations Of
that union in New York that the late
Chief Justice Stone likened to highway
robbery in a dissenting opinion now
famous.
Six Others Have Test.
A half dozen other States of the West
and Midwest have Democratic Senators
coming for reelection this year: Idaho,
Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming
and Missouri. The Republicans in
Jdaho helieve thev can elect their cas,.