Evening star., 1950-08-06
Monroney's G. 0. P. Opponent
To Meet Party Leaders Here
Bill Alexander PIuns
3 Days of Talks With
Republicans on Hill
By Gould Lincoln


Oklahoma City's flying parson." +"
Bill Alexander, who recently won
the Republican nomination for
Senator, is planning three-day
visit here beginning August 26 to
confer with Republican leaders in
Congress. In the meantime he is
letting no grass grow under his
feet in his campaign to defeat
Representative A. S. (Mike) Mon
roney, his Democratic opponent.
The pastor of Oklahoma City's
second largest church, the First
Christian Church, is a 35-year-
old redhead. He has an uphill
fight to make in his contest for
the Senate-against an extremely
popular Democrat who defeated
veteran Senator Thomas for the
party's nomination.
The primary vote-for Repub-
lican and for Democratic can
didates-was so lopsided in favor
of the Democrats that on the sur
face it would appear Mr.. Alex
ander had no chance at all
against Mr.. Monroney. However,
thousands of Republicans in
Oklahoma register as Democrats
so as to have a voice in local
elections, and the party usually
rolls up 250,000 at least in gen.
eral elections. The combined vote
for Mr.. Monroney and his oppo-
nents in the Democratic senate
rial primary was around 100000,
and Mr.. Alexander won the Re-
publican senatorial nomination
with $4,000 votes out of a total
of only $1,000 in his party's pri-
mary. Republican leaders hope
to attract disgruntled Democrats
and independents in November.
Owns Airplane.
The bitterness growing out of
the primary contests for Senate
and gubernatorial Democratic
nominations, the Republicans ar
que, will be an asset to them in
the general election. They con-
tend, too, they have in Mr.. AL
exander a dynamic candidate, a
marvellous speaker and cam
paigner.
Mr.. Alexander owns his own air.
plane, a four-passenger Bonanza
which he uses to fly about the
State and sometimes the country.
He employs a pilot to fly him. and
when he first announced his can
didacy for the Senate he promised
he would fly back from Washing
ton each Sunday to speak to his
congregation in Oklahoma City.
AS the campaign has dev 'lopec,
however, Mr.. Alexander has real
lied a job in the Senate would
require much more time than he
had expected, and he viii lresign
the pastorate If elected.
At first Mr.. Alexander planned
to enter the Democratic senatorial
primary, but changed ris mind
shortly before fling time and an
nounced he would run as a Re-
publican. His sympathies, he said.
had been with Republican policies
for some years. Further, when the
Democratic National Committee
man last February declared there
was no place in the Democratic
Party for any one who criticized
the Truman Administratio tion, end
the State Chairman urged that
the Republican Party be blotted
out completely. MI. Alexander
says he was unable to stomach
such ideas. So he shifted to fight
for the Republican nomination,
which he won without difficulty.
Backs Government Economy.
Mr.. Alexander's program in
cludes Government economy. sup
port of the free-enterprise sys tenn,
opposition to the Brannan farm
plan and national health insur-
ance. He favors retention of the
Taft Hartley labor law with some
amendments. He attacks the Tru-
man FEPC bill, which he says
would dictate to all employers
whom they should hire or fire, and
he wants all Communists and fel-
low travellers ferreted out of Gov
ernment jobs.
The son of a minister, Mr.. Alex