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Jockeying. Around Happy and his wife in the State government at Frankfort are a hard-hitting group of officials of their own age. Lieutenant Governor (next year's candidate for Governor) is Keen Johnson, 41, former newshawk and writer for Happy's campaigns. Judge Brady Stewart of Paducah is Happy's official manager, but Johnson, State Finance Director Dan Talbott and State Highway Commissioner Bob Humphreys are the active jockeys. Knowing well that behind Barkley would be all the power of Federal patronage, they organized the State's 7,500 jobholders into an efficient Chandler machine. Campaign contributions of 2% salary (as in the Townsend-McNutt machine over in Indiana) are expected. To compete with the enormous WPA and AAA influences for Barkley, a rural State road program this year provided jobs for 3,000 additional Chandler workers. Chandler supporters are this month distributing Old Age Benefit payments by hand instead of mail. To sellers of liquor and beer Happy has given a 40-day extension of their licenses, just beyond primary day. If a lot of free drinks are not served on his behalf it will be a great shame.
Behind the opposing Barkley campaign is the Louisville Triumvirate—supposed to be the decisive force in any Democratic contest in Kentucky. This extraordinary political team is composed of Lawyer Shackleford Miller Jr.; Michael ("Mickey" j Brennan, 61, red-headed one-time saloonkeeper; and "Miz" Lennie Lee McLaughlin, 34, who looks like the Duchess of Windsor and lives in style at the Kentucky Hotel. A country belle from Breckenridge County, she got into politics via a typing job at Alben Barkley's headquarters when he ran for Governor in 1923. She runs the office of the Jefferson County Democratic executive committee. Mickey Brennan handles the people. Lawyer Miller watches the law. They were careful to get all the Barkley men they could on the Chandler-dominated election boards this year. Boss Brennan says: "Conservatively, Barkley will win by 60,000." "Miz Lennie" says 100,000.
In Action. Mr. Barkley, while traveling 1,500 miles a week and speaking five or six times a day, mostly keeps his coat on, preserves his dignity, discusses his record (99% perfect) as a Roosevelt supporter, reiterates Franklin Roosevelt's appeal for his return. His meetings open with "America." His introducers refer to him as "the next President of the United States." From the platform, Almighty God is frequently invoked in his behalf. A typical Barkley exhortation:
"To all of you, black and white, Catholic, Baptist or Episcopal, the New Deal has revived the Christian spirit of America. The man who today sits in the White House is a great Christian. He has chosen me as his first assistant. Now, are you going to let that man down? If there is a God in Heaven your vote will be no! . . . God bless each and every one of you."