Evening star., 1951-07-19
The Political Mil
Wheeler Eyes Senate
Seat in Montana
Suggestion Thot He Run Said
To Come From White House
By Gould Lincoln

Montana is one Of the States to which
Democrats look hopefully for q gain in
the Senate next year. Republican Sen.
ator Ecton, who has announced he viii
run again, Is not an easy target, how.
ever, for the Democrats even In State
which is usually Democratic. Report
has it that former Senator Burton K.
Wheeler, who Is now in Montana on a
vacation until September, is looking the
Held over to determine whether to try
to stage comeback. II he does make
run for the Democratic senatorial
nomination. plenty Of political fur win
fly.
The former Senator, who has been
practicing law In Washington the last
five years. not long ago asserted that as
1t looked to him the Republicans would
never elect another President. It is re-
ported that he visited the White House
thereafter and In talk with President
Truman received the suggestion that
he get into the senatorial race next
year.
Defeat Credited to Murray.
Mr.. Wheeler, q tough fighter always.
met defeat in the Democratic primary
in 1916 at the hands Of Lief Erickson.
His defeat has been credited in large
part to Senator Murray, his Democratic
colleague, and the Murray organization.
What would happen If Mr.. Wheeler gets
into the race again next year is any,
body's guess. The chances appear, how
ever, for another bitter Democratic row.
despite the fact that Murray and
Wheeler have been on more friendly
personal terms in recent years, and that
Murray would not get into the primary
fighter so it is understood. Two po-
tential candidates for the Democratic
senatorial nomination have been in the
talk. The first is Representative Michael
j. Mansfield and the second, Gov. John
w. Bonner.
Erickson, the Democratic senatorial
candidate in 1946, was beaten by Senator
Ecton by about $4,000 votes, with total
OF $4,000 votes cast. That was q bad
year for Democratic candidates. How
ever. the Democrats elected their can.
didate in the 1st congressional district,
Mansfield, but by a reduced majority,
and the Republicans took the second
district. 1t was clear that Ecton had
the benefit OF the support of a consider
able number Of Democrats, partly be-
cause the Truman administration was
unpopular and partly because Of the
bitterness in Democratic ranks over the
Wheeler defeat.
Wheeler was colorful figure in the
Senate for years. He was one Of the
first Democratic leaders to jump on the
Roosevelt bandwagon in 1882, and he
worked hard to help bring about the
nf n 1a&a
Wheeler and the late President fell out.
particularly over the Supreme Court
packing bill. Nor did Mr.. Roosevelt
ever accord to Wheeler the recognition
which Wheelers early efforts to put Mr..
Roosevelt in the White House appeared
to entitle him.
Has Sizeable Law Practice.
Whether Mr.. Wheeler would be willing
to relinquish the very sizable legal prac.
tice which he has now built up to enter
the Senate again is another question.
The former Senator was an early and
ardent progressive Democrat. In 1924.
unable to stomach the Democratic ma.
tional ticket headed by John w. Davis.
Wheeler was nominated for Vice Presi-
dent and ran with the senior Bob La
Toilette on the Progressive ticket. He
returned after that race to the Demo-
cratic Party
Mr.. Mansfield is serving his nth term
In the House. When he was IL years
old, he left home and Joined the Navy
in the first World War. Then he Joined
the Army for a year. and had two more
years in the Marine Corps. After that
he returned to Butte and worked as q
miner and mining engineer. He went
to college. received B. A. and M. A. de-
grees and wound up as professor Of
Latin American and Far Eastern his
tory at the University of Montana. Con-
sidering the fact that he had not COM
pleted the eighth grade in school when
he Joined the Navy, that was some ac-
complishment.