CONTENTS Politics 1- 4 Commentary 5-7 FORUM Duly Noted 7-8 JUNE 15, 1974 Vol. X, No. 12 50 CENTS POLITICS: REPORTS will oppose 30-year-old former State 20th ballot. After that defeat, Erdahl Rep. Rick Nolan. The Democratic announced he would seek reelection businessman came within 5,000 votes . and Stenvig bowed out .of the rac; of unseating Zwach in 1972. U.S. Reps. Albert Quie (R-lst), In Minnesota, the Perpich family is for secretary of state. The GOP has its chance to win one Joseph E. Karth (D-4th), Donald a po~erful political institution. Just of Minnesota's three open seats in the M. Fraser (D-5th), and Bob Bergland how powerful was discovered by U.S. ( D-7th) should be able to win re­ Rep. Joseph Blatnik (D-8th) when he 2nd CD. The odds are against the Republicans in 30-year-old Jon Grun­ election, but U.S. Rep. William Fren­ tried to assist his administrative as­ zel may have trouble. sistant, James Oberstar, in the pursuit seth's effort to succeed u.s. Rep. John of ·the Democratic nomination to suc­ Zwach (R) in the 6th CD. Grunseth Part of Frenzel's difficulties result ceed him. Oberstar's backing, however, never matched Minnesota's most powerful trio of dentists: State Sen. A.J. "Tony" Perpich, Lt. Gov. Rudy Perpich, and State Sen. George Perpich. Winning the 8th CD. nomination for Tony may have been harder than pulling teeth; it took 30 ballots and the with­ drawal of three other candidates to nominate Perpich. (There is one Per­ pich brother who is a lawyer, but ~ony's wife is a nonpracticing physi­ Cian.) Oberstar has yet to decide whether he will contest Perpich in a primary. Perpich will probably face the dis­ trict Republican chairman, Jerry Ar­ nold, whose ideology is slanted in the same direction as ·that of fonner Min­ neapolis Mayor Glades Stenvig. The conservative Stenvig is still looking for a post to seek. He had been recruited by the GOP to run for secretary of state earlier this year when it appeared that the incumbent Re­ publican. Aden Erdahl, would win the GOP nomination to succeed U.S. Rep. Ancher Nelsen (R-2nd). Er­ dahl was edged out of the nomina­ tion by State Rep. Thomas Hagedorn, a young conservative, in what began as a four-way race and ended on the from his failure to file a 1973 in­ tions to GOP coffers have largely dried ison in 1973 by a .former student, has come tax return. Frenzel had applied up. Brown and State Rep. Ernest Lind­ a brilliant, evangelical speaking style for an extension, and indeed. was owed strom have attempted to destroy the which helped eclipse Devitt. about $10,000 by the government, but business-oriented GOod Government Citing money, Watergate, and par­ his' oversight will not aid an other­ Committee as a force within the par­ ty unity,. Devitt announced June 5 that wise tough campaign. Earlier it had ty. Brown tried to get ,.indstrom to he would not contest the convention appeared that State Sen.· Hubert Hum­ run for governor. Lindstrom instead endorsement in a primary - despite phrey III might oppose Frenzel, but is quitting even his legislative seat. some feeling among GOP observers the freshman legislator backed away GOP progressives have even worse that Devitt might well win such a pri­ from the race. Frenzel will be opposed problems. They must face not only mary. by Golden Valley Mayor Bob Riggs, the party's dilemmas but their own A slate of candidates put together a University of Minnesota professor. exile from the party's leadership posi­ by Devitt for statewide offices was de­ The gubernatorial situation for the tions. • feated in all but two races. Mrs. Nina Republicans is bleak. Lack of money, Weir, a housewife, was unopposed for the popularity of incumbent Gov. designation as the nominee for state Wendell R. Anderson CD), and the treasurer, and State Sen. Gerald Lorge insistence of the state party leadership WISCONSIN defeated a controversial district attor­ on true conservative candidacies has ney for the attorney general nomin~­ discouraged several Republicans from tiDn. In other races, candidates pushed entering the race. The only two an­ Wisconsin Republicans are headed by the Young Republicans were suc­ nounced GOP candidates are State for a September gubernatorial primary cessful. A 24-year-old Marquette Uni­ Rep. John W. Johnson, a former Min­ after their May endorsement of for­ versity law student, Kent C. Jones, neapolis alderman, and businessman mer Madison Mayor William Dyke was nominated for secretary of state. Jim Hill, who unsuccessfully sought over State Sen. James Devitt. The GOP also unanimously nomi­ the 1972 Senate endorsement. Dyke won a surprisingly easy con­ nated 33-year-old State Sen. Thomas vention endorsement. vote behind the Petri to run against Sen. Gaylord Nel­ One candidate the GOP sought to tacit endorsement of State GOP Chair­ son. Petri, a former executive direc­ recruit decided to run instead as an in­ man David Sullivan and other party tor of the Ripon Society and a former dependent; James c. Mills,Ai 52-year­ leaders. Although Dyke was consider­ director of crime studies for the Pres­ old engineer-la wyer-businessman-f arm­ ed the more conservative candidate, ident's National Advisory Council on er, was a vice president and founder support for both Devitt and Dyke Executive Organization, expects to en­ of Control Data Corporation. crossed ideological lines. Devitt's.dose gage Nelson in a series of debates. The wretched position of Minne­ ties to labor and aspersions on his per­ Nelson, who has acknowledged Petri sota Republicans is compounded by sonal life were used to defeat him in as "a bright young man," has agreed the GOP's financial difficulties. GOP the convention, but Dyke might well to debate in principle. The GOP cam­ State Chairman Robert Brown has have a tougher time winning a pri­ paign is expected to stress inflation, strained relations with the Minnesota mary endorsement. Dyke, who was de­ unchecked government grDwth, and corporate conununity, whose contribu- feated for reelection as mayor of Mad- welfare reform. • resentative of a long-standing party practice to elimi­ POLITICS: PEOPLE nate "carry-over debts." Sandman's primary defeat of former Gov. William Cahill (R) badly divided the state GOP - as had the debt controversy. • The decision of the New Jersey State Republi­ can Committee to assume the $247,000 gubernatorial • Attorney Douglas S. Harlan (R) will face busi­ campaign debt of U.S. Rep. Charres Sandman (R) was nessman Robert Krueger (D) in the open 21st C.D. race part of a "unity" effort, according to GOP State Exec­ in Texas. In 1972 Harlan compiled a respectable 43 utive Director Conover Spencer. The decision reversed percent of the vote against the retiring U.S. Rep. earlier assumptions that the party would not assume O.C. Fisher (0) and the 30-year-old Republican is the Sandman debt but, according to Spencer, was rep- given a good shot this year. Krueger won a Demo- Is a Republican research cmd SUBSCRIPTION RATES are $15 a year, $7.50 for studenls, serv­ THE RIPON SOC-fETY, '.' INC policy organlzation whose Icemen, and for Peace Corps, Vista and other volunteers. Overseas members are young business, academic and professional men and air mail, $3 extra. Adll'ertlsing rates on request. Please allow women. It has national headquarters In DIstrict· of Columbia. five weeks for addresll· changes. chapters In flfteen cities. Natfollal AssocIate members throughout the fI~ states. cmd several affiliated groups of subchapter status. Editorl Dick Bahn The SOcIety Is SUPP9rted by chapter dues. Individual contribu­ Editorial Board: tions and revenues from Its publications cmd contract work. Robert D. Behn. Chairman Tanya Mellch THE RIPON FORUM Is published semi-monthl-Y' by the Robert H. Donaldson Robert G. Stewart , RiPQl1 SocIety. Inc., 509 C Street N.E.. lames Manahan Ralph Thayer Washington, D.C. 20002. Second class postage rates paid at Wash­ ington, -D.C. and other mailing houses. Contents are copyrighted Contributing Editors. CllHord Brown.. Glenn Gerstell, W1lliam A. @ 1974 by the Ripon Society. Inc. Correspondence addressed to the Kc.slsch, Daniel J. Swtllfnger, Josic1h &.ee AUBPftz, RIchard W. Balm, E'dltor Is welcomed. John A. RehfuSB, Thomas A. Sargent, Richard Cleveland, Mark In publishing this magazine the Ripon Society Beeks to provide Frazier, Peter Berg, and William K. Woods. a forum for fresh Ideas. well-researched proposcils and for a spirit of criticism. innovation. cmd Independent tliinJdng within the Re­ 'lec:ludcal -EditOr! Evelyn LaBan publican Party. Articles do not n8cessar!ly ~t the oplzliozl Art: Leslie Morrill and Annie Greene of the NatfonCd Governing Board or the Editorial Board of the Ripon SocIety. unless .they are explicitly so labelled. Stall Aaafslanll Nelson Mfllet 2 cratic runoff after a five-man primary, while Harlan • The retirement announcement of Massachusett's defeated three other Republicans with 61 percent of sleeping solon, U.S. Rep. Harold D. Donahue (D-3rd), the vote. In this conservative district, who the voters may improve the campaign odds weighing against Re­ perceive as the true "conservative" .-may deterIJ:!.ine the publican State Rep.. David Lionett's uphill congressio~l outcome of the election. The campaign may 'be the bid. Donahue and former Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Phil "smartest" in the country; both candidates have doc­ Philbin are remembered as the House's slumbering seat­ torates. mates. Donahue regularly enters the House chamber early in the morning and proceeds to sleep soundly • The primary nomination of Nebraska Gov. John through the session; indeed, New Times honored Dona­ J.