Evening star., 1950-10-01
Political NumeroIoqv
Capitol Forecosters Claim the Length
Of q Candidates Name Is important
By Poul Mcbride

games with equal skill, and often
combines the two to keep his au-
diences entertained. He generally
campaigns from an airplane, but,
on one occasion utilized a winter
ing circus and appeared in parades
atop an elephant.
His primary race-an easy one
was climaxed when the minister
rented huge drive-in theater. He
mounted lofty stage and mixed
campaign talk with hymns from
his crack church choir and folk
tunes from hillbilly band which
f1anked MIN.
He attacks his opponent, Mr..
Monroney, in hard to-answer gen.
eralities. Mr.. Alexander accuses
the veteran of six terms in the
House of going east and turning
left. He claims Mr.. Monroney
has passed only two minor, private
bills during his 12-year tenure,
but when reminded that Mon
roney was co-author of the Legis-
lative Reorganization Act for
which he received national ac-
claim-Mr. Alexander replies that
all the legislation did was to raise
the CongresSman's own salary sew
eral thousand dollars year.
Monroney Seemed Cinch
Earlier In the turbulent Okla
homa campaign it appeared MIR.
Monroney had a cinch on the
Senate seat of veteran, a73-year-
old Elmer Thomas, with "a years
of Senate service. Mr.. Thomas
campaigned for 80 years without
defeat until this past spring.
Oklahomans knew about Mr..
Alexander. They recall he worked
as a night club entertainer in St.
Louis while studying for the min
iStry. They know he served
briefly during the last war as
war correspondent. They remem-
ber when Hollywood studio at
tempted to sign him to movie
contract. They were aware, too,
that he was convincing and an
entertaining speaker who often
had congregations that he could
mot seat for lack of space. His
sermons often required the rent
ing of a huge auditorium to ac-
commodate all listeners in the
winter and an amphitheater in
the summer.
Now they were considering him
for the Senate. A worried State
Democratic organization, torn
asunder by a bitter Democratic
gupernatorial campaign in which
run-off candidates accused one
another Of alcoholism" and of
"wife-and-child abandonment"
and bought newspaper pages to
attempt to prove .it. sought out
side assistance.
They called Senator Kerr down
from Washington. Mr.. Kerr, a
self-made millionaire and crack
erjack speaker, helped iron out
party differences and launched
his attack on his close personal
friend, "the red-haired preach
err"
Speaking to the State conven-
ton at huge Municipal Auditorium
in Oklahoma City recently, Mr..
Kerr's strategy appeared to be that
of laughing "the Preacher" out of
the race. One of the States out
standing church leaders, only the
Oklahoma freshman Senator and
former Governor was in a position
to delve into the realm of politics
and religion at the same time to
hit at Mr.. Alexander.
Mr.. Kerr reminded his State
wide audience that Mr.. Alexander
had always been a Democrat and
a good minister. He related how
the minister had spent a night on
his knees, wrestling with himself
over whether or not to run for the
Senate. Alexander says the Lord
put his arm around his shoulder
that fateful night and said, Bill,
I think you should run for the
Democratic nomination for the
United States Senate and he did.
He filed for the Democratic nomi-
nation for Senator, but soon he
switched to the Republican col
umn.
Nov, all I want to know is:
Who did Alexander wrestle with
the night he decided.t to go against
the Lord and run as Republican, /"
Mr.. Kerr asked his HILARIOUS au-
dience.
The Senator also remarked about
Mr.. AleXander's bringing Roy
Rogers, the movie cowboy, and his
horse, Trigger, to Oklahoma to
help him campaign. Now I'd like
to vote for Roy, but he isn't a
candidate. And I'd even vote for
Trigger if I could, but in this race
on the Republican side it is just
impossible to vote for whole
horse" Kerr teased, not mention
ing that Gene Autry, Rogers rival,
! helped him campaign in 1948.
Since anything usually happens
in Oklahoma politics, the pollsters,
the seasoned observers and the
"numerologists" had best wait un-
til the votes are counted November
] 8 to announce the name of Okla
homa's new Senator.