Evening star., 1948-02-28
The Political Mill
West Backs O'Muhoney
To Run With Trumun
Vice Presidential Boom Reported for
Wyoming Senator
BY Gould Lincoln

The West is intent upon giving President
Truman running mate. Many Democrats
from that section of the country, looking over
the field of prospective candidates for the
Democratic vice-presidential nomination, con-
slider Senator OMahoney, Of wyoming, their
best bet. Indeed, the OMahoney-for-Vice
President drive is already assuming proper
tions. Alaska's delegates to the Democratic
National Convention are aligned for Mr..
OMahoney. The Senator's friends have filed
his name in the Nebraska primary for the vice.
presidential nomination. growing sentiment
to make Mr.. OMahoney the candidate of all
the States west of the Mississippi is reliably
reported. II such bloc of delegates should
support the Wyoming Senator when the ma
tional convention assemblies in Philadelphia
next july he would be hard man to beat.
Mr. Truman quite naturally, will have much
to say about the selection of his running mate.
His predecessor in the White House, for ex-
ample, had much to say about the selection
OF Mr.. Truman himself for vice presidential
nomination. So far Mr.. Truman has not de-
clared himself candidate for the presidential
nomination-although 1t is taken for granted
he will seek the nomination. And he has made
no public announcement on the yice-presi.
DENTAL nomination 1t has been reported,
however, that Mr.. Truman has either per-
sonally or through friends sought to prevail
upon Associate Justice Douglas of the Supreme
Court to leave the bench and become his runs
ming mate in the coming national election.
Justice Douglas is rated Westerner, although
most Of his adult life has been spent In the
East. He was born in Minnesota and went to
college in the State Of Washington.
There is nothing in the record to indicate
that President Truman would turn thumbs
down on Senator OMahoney If q large num-
ber Of delegates in the Democratic National
Convention should favor the Wyoming man.
He served in the Senate with Mr. oMahoney
and they have been friends
OMahoney Experienced.
Senator oMahoney has had wide experience
in government and politics. He was appoint.
ed First Assistant Postmaster General by
President Roosevelt when Mr.. Roosevelt en-
tered the White House in 1885, In that office
he was right hand man of the then POST
master General, James A. Farley-who also
was Democratic national chairman Mr.,
O'Mahoney had been active in the campaign
which resulted in President Roosevelt's norni.
nation and election. In December, 1888 on
the death Of Senator Kendrick, with whom
Mr.. OMahoney had been closely associated, he
was appointed to fill the vacancy in the Senate,
was elected Senator in 1884 and has, been re-
elected twice since. His present term does
not expire until 1883
Senator OMahoney halls from large State
with small population and only three votes
in the electoral college. Ordinarily this
would eliminate even Senator as a possible
contender for place on a major partys ma
tional ticket. However, Senator OMahoney
has attained national reputation-and fur
ther, If the West or a large part of it should
back him in the convention his candidacy
would assume proportions far beyond those Of
a candidate from single State.
Headed TNEC Probe. -.
The Wyoming Senator's reputation as a stu
dent OF economic as well as public affairs was
enhanced by'~the investigation he conducted
as chairman Of the Temporary National Eco
nomic Committee in, 1888. The reports and
hearings Of this committee have been widely
studied. In this day and age when govern
ment, business and labor all have become "big"
and when questions Of vast Importance to the
American system Of free enterprise are con-
stantly knocking at the door, Senator o'Ma-
honeys grasp of economic problems makes him
valuable In any office, no matter how high
He has long favored q Federal statute fixing
national standards Of power and responsibility
for corporations engaged in interstate COM
merce He and the late Senator Borah Of
Idaho at one time sponsored such a measure
in the Senate. It is his contention that law
OF this kind would actually set business free
because it would render unnecessary the crea-
tion Of discretionary Federal bureaus to man
age management"