OREGON DEMOCRATS VOTE TO BACK BOB JR. FOR VICE PRESIDENT OF U. S.
Neuberger, Richard L.
Oregon Democrats Vote To Back Bob Jr. For Vice President of U. S. Sen. La Follette Wing State Delegates in Recent Primary; Total Vote Just Announced Shows Win Over Louis Johnson By RICHARD L....
...Palmer Hoyt, publisher of the Ore-gonian of Portland, the state's latest newspaper, said today he did not think the outcome of the write-in contest was in any way a setback for Louis Johnson, but was rather a triumph for the name of La Follette...
...Total Vote Just Announced Shows Win Over Louis Johnson By RICHARD L. NKUBERCER PORTLAND, Ore.—Oregon's 10 delegates to the Democratic national convention are pledged to vote for Sen...
...I think...
...La Follette as did the labor unions which have not liked the M-day plans of the government...
...They may or may not become strategic votes...
...The campaign to obtain write-in votes for La Follette and Johnson was by long odds the most bitterly contested feature of the recent Oregon election...
...La Follette had won a victory over Louis Johnson, the following statement was issued by Sweetland: "This shows emphatically that while the voters of Oregon favor adequate national defense, as does Sen...
...Also sup/orting him were members of ths party who have taken pot-shots at the Roosevelt domestic legislation...
...La Follette now owns, virtually in fee simple, the 10 Oregon votes for vice-president at the Democratic convention...
...Unofficial totals, announced here Saturday, reveal that in a write-in contest at the primary election May 17, the senior senator from Wisconsin defeated Louis Johnson, assistant secretary of war 2,339 to 2,001...
...La Follette was promoted by the Oregon Commonwealth Federation, a political organization consisting principally of pension clubs, CIO labor unions, and consumers' groups...
...Willis Ma honey, twice Democratic nominee for the United States senate, condemned the Commonwealth federation for backing Sen...
...He pointed out that in 1924 the elder La Follette ran second to Coolidge in the state, polling more votes than John W. Davis, the Democratic nominee...
...In the primary election he conquered Vice-President Garner by the colossal margin of almost seven to one...
...Robert M. La Follette Sr...
...Roosevelt, and circulated the petitions which placed the president's name on the ballot, Accusations, charges and countercharges characterized the campaign...
...Roosevelt for president and Sen...
...It was not generally predicted that the Wisconsin Progressive would become proprietor of the 10 votes which Oregon can cast for vice-president at the Democratic national convention in Chicago on July 15...
...Two small backwoods counties are missing, but their reports are not expected to alter the outcome...
...The Grange, the Farmers' Union and other organizations favoring public ownership of electric power also are believed to have contributed to the LaFollette total...
...La Follette for vice-president on all succeeding ballots and roll-calls...
...The assistant secretary of war was supported mainly by war veterans and conservative Democrats, although he won some New Deal backing because of his championing of the president's defense program...
...They are his until he chooses to release them from their obligation...
...These are returns from 34 of the state's 36 counties...
...La Follette, who he said was a Republican and a pacifist...
...Roosevelt...
...Robert M. La Follette Jr...
...I think that as a whole Oregon thinks highly of both him and Louis Johnson, for both are notable men...
...Controls 10 Votes Some opponents of the federation maintained that federation sponsorship hurt La Follette, and that he would have piled up more write-in votes without its sponsorship...
...La Follette to the closely-welded political organization which the Commonwealth Federation has built up in many precincts...
...Two Federation officials, S. Stephenson Smith and David C. Epps, were elected delegates to the Democratic convention...
...One of the stalwarts of the Johnson faction...
...fell legatee to some of this support in the recent write-in campaign...
...for vice president of the United States...
...The Federation also was the official sponsor of the third term movement fur Pres...
...This obligation will be ended only if the delgates are expressly released by Mr...
...When the head of the ticket is balloted on at Chicago, the Oregon convention delegates will vote for Pres...
...built up in Oregon many years ago...
...Burton K. Wheler of Montana and Sheridan Downey of California...
...Events alone will tell...
...This also is a direct repudiation of politicians who call everyone with whom they do not agree "fifth columnists...
...Robert M. La Follette Jr...
...Mahoney Also accused the federation of being a lifth column element In the Democratic partv...
...The narrow La Follette success was in the nature of a reversal of expectations...
...He said Johnson's plans for M-day In the United Stnles were blueprints for a dictatorship over organized labor...
...In addition to the support for him and Johnson, numerous Oregon voters write in the names of Sens...
...La Follette's victory was not made known until now, because it required nearly two weeks for some of the more remote rural precincts to tabulate the write-in votes...
...Considered Binding The Oregon preferential primary is considered binding, although some lawyers contend this is a moot point Thus the delegates to the convention must vote for Mr...
...Smith an English professor at the University of Oregon, defeated A. Evans Reames, former United States senator...
...The assistant secretary of war was sponsored by prominent War Veterans and leading members of the Democratic Party, including Frank Tierney, the Democratic state chairman...
...Other onlookers attributed the greater number of votes for Sen...
...they want absolutely no participation or involvement in the war raging in Europe...
...Monroe Sweetland, executive secretary of the Commonwealth federation, denounced Johnson as a jingo and a war-monger...
...At any rate Sen...
...Roosevelt and Senator La Follette themselves...
...Hoyt described Johnson as "an outstanding patriot and conscientious, sincere supporter of the president...
...After it was evident Saturday that Sen...
...Most political observers had anticipated a triumph for Johnson...
...Aided by Peace Groups Peace groups lent their strength to Sen...
...He said a factor in the La Follette victory was unquestionably the strong following which Sen...
...said Hoyt, "that Sen...
...Amidst these angry recriminations, in this tense atmosphere, the campaign for write-in votes took place...
Vol. 10 • June 1940 • No. 23
