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GARY EICHTEN: It's unlikely that the BWCA debate this year will match 1978 for raw intensity. We were rummaging through our archives and came up with some tape from our convention coverage in 1978. Now to set the stage, then Congressman Don Fraser from Minneapolis was in line to win party endorsement for the US Senate.

And after three ballots, Fraser won endorsement, defeating State Senator Doug Johnson. But the next day, six busloads of Northern Minnesota protesters armed with signs and whistles arrived in the Twin Cities to protest Fraser and Fraser's support for the BWCA Wilderness bill. Our convention anchors, Dick Daly and Bob Potter, describe the scene.

DICK DALEY: Things are definitely developing here on the floor. Here comes the vice president. Lots of placards in the air. Lots of No Fraser placards. Lots of booing going on, as you perhaps can tell. Very noisy here in the convention hall at this point.

BOB POTTER: And the booing and the shouting is all in response to Don Fraser stepping out onto the platform. All of the candidates are there, including those for the congressional districts. And the whole DFL team candidates are standing up on the platform minus, of course, the auditor candidates. And the demonstration here continues against the candidacy of Don Fraser for the US Senate seat.

DICK DALEY: There are clearly some open wounds here, Bob. Don Fraser may ultimately, after those three ballots last night, have gotten enough votes to get the endorsement. But these people are very, very unhappy. We've just had to physically eject two of them from our broadcast platform. They were standing behind us. You didn't realize it-- waving placards in the air, trying to use our height advantage here.

GARY EICHTEN: Well, Fraser eventually made it to the microphone, but the demonstration continued. Fraser couldn't speak.

[CROWD SHOUTING]

BOB POTTER: You can hear the shouts of no, no, no. All of that, of course, meaning no Fraser. They don't want Congressman Fraser to be the Senate candidate.

DICK DALEY: You can imagine that the Secret Service people here guarding Vice President Mondale, who was at the podium and is clapping vigorously and smiling at the crowd, trying to use his influence to calm them a bit-- the Secret Service people are obviously not very happy to have the vice president exposed to this kind of a situation. He's only a few feet from the crowd. Not that there's any indication of problem at all, but they get a little nervous in this kind of a situation.

Several more of them have moved close to the head table and are circled around and are looking, I'd say, a bit concerned. And Congressman Fraser is at the podium. He's been there, what? Fully a minute, a minute and a half, Bob?

BOB POTTER: A minute and a half already, Dick. Yeah.

DICK DALEY: He just stands there smiling at the crowd and waiting until this all subsides so he can begin the acceptance speech.

BOB POTTER: It was calming down there for just a couple of seconds, but now the shouting--

GARY EICHTEN: The demonstration went on and on and on until Eighth District congressman, Jim Oberstar, who opposed Fraser on the BWCA, spoke to the crowd.

JIM OBERSTAR: To my friends in the Eighth District and from elsewhere, let me just say a couple of words, that in the spirit of Voltaire, I think your message has gotten across to the people of the state of Minnesota and probably to the nation as well. But in the spirit of Voltaire, though you may disagree with Don Fraser, I think we should defend his right. I think we should defend his right to speak.

[CHEERS, APPLAUSE]

DICK DALEY: James Oberstar, as most listeners probably know, is the congressman from the Eighth District, from Northeastern Minnesota, where the discontent over the Boundary Waters legislation, all the anti-war sentiment--

JIM OBERSTAR: I thank you for your support, my friends.

DICK DALEY: Fraser sentiment resides.

JIM OBERSTAR: But I do ask you to give him the privilege, which is his, to address this convention. Thank you.

SPEAKER: Thank you, Jim.

BOB POTTER: The admonition by Congressman Oberstar makes much difference. Sounds like it's not going to have a whole lot of impact, at least immediately. People are still shouting no, no, no. But at least at this point, the ones on the floor, the delegates are in their seats.

GARY EICHTEN: Well, in fact, many of the demonstrators left the hall after Oberstar's intervention, and Don Fraser finally had a chance to begin his speech.

DON FRASER: I once heard that it was good to be in hot water now and then. It keeps you clean. At least I hope that's true.

[APPLAUSE]

I want to thank Jim Oberstar and Mr. Voltaire. They came in very handy. I thought it was a very nice statement.

GARY EICHTEN: 1978 US Senate candidate Don Fraser at the 1978 DFL State Convention. Opponents, those left in the hall, eventually allowed Fraser to finish his speech, but the fight wasn't over. Businessman Bob Short challenged Fraser in the September primary and with the strong support of Eighth District DFLers won the party's nomination. Short went on to lose in November. Fraser eventually went on to become mayor of Minneapolis. And the DFL's intraparty split over the BWCA? It apparently continues to this day. For Minnesota Public Radio, this is Gary Eichten.