The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-10-05
PARTIES lining
Up FOR Fight
Congressional Campaign of
Next Year Already Is At
tracing Attention.
SENATE ALSO CONCERNED
Constitutional Amendment Also Com
peIs Members of Upper Branch
TO Face Voters.

1914 campaign, which is going 10 DE d
unique and bitter contest for the cohrol
of the legislative branch of the govern
mept. Republicans and Democrats nave
named their Congressional campaign
committees, the Bull Moosers are
STRENGTHENING their lines here and there
with encouraging words given by the
colonel before his departure for Brazil
and there is general feeling OF old-'ime
political fighting in the air.
The 1914 Congressional campaign will be
bitter because the Democrats, for the nrs'
time i'll more than sixteen years, are III
complete control OF the government and
SO far are united. The struggle will be
unique because the first wholesale eHeci
OF the direct-eleCtiOn law for the United
States Senators will be felt at the polls
next summer.
GOn-Year" Campaign.
In on years" heretofore members of
Congress have had to think mainly OF
controlling the House of Representatives
as the State Legislatures elected the Sen
ators. and in A majority or instances il
was foregone conclusion that this Leg
islature would elect Republican and
another Legislature Democrat
Now the digni1ied members of the upper
branch of Congress have to go before the
"peepul'' just as do the House members
and the campaign committee must wage
a dOuble-jOinted fight.
Thirty-two Senators are to be named III
the 1914 campaign, the terms OF this num-
Der expiring on March .. 1919
The death of Senator Johnston of
Alabama reduced the Democratic ma
jOrity in the Senate to six. with one
or two Democrats declining TO stand
htched to all party questions. The Re
publicans number fOrty-fOur, the Dem
ocrats fifty. the PrOgressives one, and
there is one vacancy.
From the Democratic viewpoint these
figures are entirely too close for party
comfort. while they are encouraging
TO the Republicans. who may gain
control of the Upper BranCh of Con
Eress by winning less than half duz-
en- seats from the Democrats, switch
ing the majority to the other side.
The Democratic majority in the
House of course. is tOp-hcaVN, and
there is little danger of it being over
turned, but the party doeSn'; want TO
lose ground because of the effect It
might have in the quadrennial cleo
ton Of 1916, when a President is to be
elected.
Members of the House come up for
election every two years, and are al
ways in hot water and envious of the
Senators. with nothing to worry about
except six-year terms. This condition
keeps the House in a political uproar
all the time, and campaign is VIZ
tually in progress month in and mont
out. The 1914 campaign will be the
same old contest from the House
viewpoint. but the direct elections
law and the possibility of seeing the
Senate go Republican is one that COM
plicates the situation and worries the
democratic campaign managers
Orators TO Mount stump.
Both parties are planning to use
their heaviest artillery in tn" l9l
fight The administration is expected
TO take a hand in the Democratic
struggle. and all the old Republican
warehouses; will be put into harness
again under the present plans.
Tic Republican Congressional Cam
raicn Committee is headed by Represent
alive Frank p. Woods OF Iowa. who Is
To have the aid Of trusted lieutenants-
members of the Senate and HOuSe-Who
are given the title of vice chairman.
The Democratic war hosts will be led 10y
Representative Frank +. Doremus, OF
Michigan who likewise Will have an able
corps of lieutenants and will have the
further advantage Of conference with an
executive committee named by the Ma
tional Democratic Committee
This executive committee of the Ma
tional Committee is presumed to look
after the Sinews of war. 1t has been
rather difficult heretofore for the Demo-
ratio Congressional Committee to get
all the funds il needs and a few alert
gentlemen from the National Committee
nav help out appreciably along this line.
In preparation for the coming strug-
Gle. members OF the Senate and House
rlready are repairing their political
rcnces. The debates are replete with
home consumption" speeches. which
NAV be encircIed in frank enevlopes TO
ouost the party in whose behalf they
were delivered and TO embarrass the
opposition. The two campaign commit
tees are going through the Congressional
Record in search Of campaign material
and soon dozens of clerks will be-
gin to flood the country with literature
Tor the Intelligent voter"
Mail Matter Used.
During the next twelve months millions
of letters and pamphlets will be sent
through the mail to every Congressional
district in the United States. The pri-
maries will come along in the spring
and summer and then next year the gen.
eral elections will be held and the issue
will be clear cut between the parties.
The Democrats are not so uneasy about
the House; nothing but a landslide could
overturn the majority there. But that
slim Senate majority is bothersome, and
there also is the additional danger that
the House majority may be materially
reduced. If this were to occur it would
give the opposition fresh courage for
1916, and might cause the voters to think
The Democracy was on the down grade
again.
There are now in the House 2S6 Demo-
Gratis, with four vacancies. There are 127
Republicans and IS who style themselves
Progressives, Progressive Republicans,
and independents. The Democratic ma
iority is consequently so large that it is
cumbersome but no party leader wants
to see it reduced and the campaign COM
mittee and individual candidates will
fight Just as hard next year as though
only a dozen votes separated the parties.
The G. o. p. managers have little hOpe
of overturning the Democratic majority,
but they are going to wage a mighty bat
tie to cut il down considerably, and If
the tariff and currency bills do not pan
cut for the best the Republicans really
believe they have a look in"
Neither side is losing any time in get
ting down to business, and the campaign