Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-05

North Carolina. ......,.... Q
81
Can the democrats carry the next Con-
gress? VIII they have control of the lower
House Of the Sixtieth Congress to be elect
ed next November? At the first glance it
would seem to be impossible. for. to over
come the present republican majority and
secure control of the next House of Rep
resentatives they must gain f1fty-six seats
and carry fifty-six districts now held by
republicans the present republican major
ity being upward of 112, one of, If not the
largest ever held by a party in the Ameri
can Congress.
But nothing is impossible in politics, and
many democratic leaders believe they have
a fair chance of wrestling control of the
next House from the G. o. p.
They at least are taking most hopeful
view of the situation. and declare their
purpose to capture many republican dis
tricts for their party The more conserva-
tive among them claim that they will make
heavy gains by having the country return
10 conditions that were regarded as
NAL prior to 1904.
But while democratic hope runs high in
that regard there is Ro tendency on the part
of republican managers to concede their
claims The republicans declare that the
record of the present republican Congress
must satisfy the bulk of the people, demo
cratic and republican. and the prosperous
industrial conditions are looked upon as
being a strong influence in favor of republic
can success
Great Britain's Election.
The last election for the present British
house of commons. the democrats declare,
is an illustration of how an immense party
majority can be overcome and replaced by
an even larger majority of the opposition
party. The conservative or tory majority
in the parliament preceding the present one
was enormous. but when the voters went
10 the polls last year ii disappeared and
was reSlaced by one Of the biggest liberal
maiOrties ever known.
Indeed, there are only about $50 conserva-
tives in the present house of commons out
of GOO members.
The labor, or working men. ran candi-
dates for the first time, and elected to
every ones surprise. over fifty members in
old conservative England.
So democratic majority in the coming
House of Representatives can not be con-
sidered an impossibility, though it is an i'm
probability
careful survey of the field. considered
by sections and states and based on past
conditions, and eliminating landslides and
tidal waves. indicates, TO the minds OF some
democrats. a democratic gain of at least
thirty-seven, which would cut the republi-
can majority down from present figures to
forty. but leave them a safe working ma
jority
The democrats are entitled to this gain,
they claim, for the election Of 1904. at which
the present House was elected. was not a
fair test of the strength of the two parties
In the country. The tremendous personal
popularity of President Roosevelt entered
into the fight and insured the success of
almost every candidate labeled republican
except In the southern states.
Districts never before known 10 elect a
republican congressman went with the land
~ a FFrF her n hfa a. a,Ff,,r
large delegations only one democratic rep
resentative was returned. Among these
were Illinois, ohio. Pennsylvania, New Jer-
sey and Wisconsin. Other states like Cali
fCruia, Nebraska, Kansas and Michigan did
not elect single democrat These results
were not II will be conceded, normal. and
are not likely TO be repeated.
In addition to the Roosevelt popularity il
has been shown by the insurance revela-
Uons that large sums OF corporation money
were disbursed by the republican managers
60 insure the success of their ticket and
this fact did not tend to diminish republic
can majuritles.
The following democratic gains are pre-
dicted by conservative democrats, and they
say they are more likely to be exceeded
than TO diminish
In New England the democrats have lit
tie to hope for. They now have three MEM
bers from Boston, which they usually elect
and probably will continue to hold They
also have one Of the two Rhode Island
representa- tives, the member from the city
Of Providence, and expect 10 hold the seat
this year
In Maine New Hampshire. Vermont and
Connecticut they have no members in the
present Congress and can not figure on
any In the coming House. Judging by the
political history OF those states at the more
recent elections.
New York's Possible Change.
When New York is reached the situation
changes The democrats have not their
usual quota from New York In the present
House. They only have eleven out of the
thirty-seven representatives TO which the
state is entitled. This is by no means
their usual proper proportion They should
have at least sixteen OF the thirty-seven.
so a gain OF five for their party may be
predicted at the coming election. The demo-
Gratis get their members from the Greater
New York city, not recently electlng any
from the stat outside OF the city except
IN one of the Buffalo districts
At the election OF 1904 the republicans
elected seven OF the seventeen 10 which New
York city is entitled, an extraordinary oc-
curreuce and not likely TO be repeated,
The democrats can rely upon regaining
most of these seats with any sort of union
and organization And when they do they
are only getting back their own, not ac-
tually gaining from the republican party.
In 1902 the republicans only carried two
OF the greater city districts and that is
about all they arc entitled TO on the &C
tual political proelivities of the voters.
In New Jersey the democrats should gain
two districts They only have one in the
present Congress. the Jersey City district.
Out OF the ten members the state ba 5
they are entitled to three and seldom fail
below that proportion OF the delegation
Pennsylvania is field In which the
democrats may score. They now have only
one out OF the thirty-two representatives.
The republicans. however. are somewhat
divided by the recent dlssenslons growing
Antf-maCnfQe movement
state, notably in Philadelphia. The demo
Gratis are supporting the independent re-
publican candidate for governor. the Lin
coin candidate. and have divided the state
ticket with that faction. They should res
lister a gain of say two representatives
out of the large delegation which the state
has In Congress, which would only give
three our OF thirty-two IN the next House,
Furthermore the Federation of Lao.'r Il
going to run candidates for Congress ~
the coming election in labor leenters. ard