The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-04-30
THE CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS
NEXT FALL.

for the first time since the presi-
dental struggle of 1912, measure
their strength in a great pitched bat
tie or a national scale. We used the
word congressional" in it's broadcast
sense. 1t relates not only to the
election of four hundred and thirty
five representatives in congress, from
that number of congressional dis
tricts throughout the United States,
but it means the election OF thirty
two United States senators, that is,
one-third of the senate.
Democratic senators whose terms
expire in 1915, are Senators Stone of
Missouri, Hoke Smith of Georgia,
Snively of Indiana, Chamberlain of
Oregon, Overman of North Carolina,
Gore of Oklahoma, Thornton of
Louisiana, Smith of South Carolina,
Smith of Arizona, Smith Of Mary
land, Clarke of Arkansas, Fletcher
Of Florida, Thomas of Colorado, and
Newlands of Nevada. The term of the
late Senator Johnston of Alabama,
as successor to whom the governor
designated Editor Franklin p Glass
of the Birmingham News, would
also have expired in 1915. OF the re-
|publicans senators whose terms end
next year, there are Root of New
York, Gallinger of New Hampshire,
Cummins of Iowa, Bristow of Kan
sas, Perkins Of California, Brandegee
of Connecticut, Brady of Idaho,
Sherman of Illinois. Bradley of Ken
lucky, Gronna of North Dakota, Bur-
ton of Ohio, Penrose of Pennsylvan-
ia, Crawford of South Dakota, Dill
| ingham of Vermont, Stephenson of
Wisconsin, Jones of Washington and
Smoot of Utah.
The senators who are to be elect
ed this year, will be chosen under
the Seventeenth Amendment of the
Constitution, providing for election
of United States senators by direct
vote of the people.
The house of representatives of the
present congress is composed of 200
democrats, 1877 republicans and IS
progressives. The senate consists of
81 democrats and As republicans.
The republican party will in the
election next November and the cam
paign preceding it, unquestionably
make desperate effort to transfer
the voting preponderance in both
houses of congress, to the republican
side of the enclosure. The republi-
cans are fighting in the last ditch.
They are in position where they
have little to lose The very despair
of the adversary is one of the strong
est of reasons why democrats in ev-
cry congressional district and in ev-
cry state which is to elect senators
this year, should be thoroughly on
the alert, and unsparing of vigor
and effort
To affirm and ratify, by an over
whelmingly popular vote, the magni-
ticent achievements of the Wilson ad-
ministratiOn, to see to it that that
administration shall have throughout
its entire course, congress demo-
cratic in both branches, to complete
the work SO grandly begun. is the
task which is before the democracy
the coming fall. To name good can
didates, and then to take care of
them, to muster the entire strength
of the democracy first in the cam
paign, and then at the polls, is the
business comprising the militant
duty of the democratic party, from
now until the election is over, next
November.
The earlier the better. That is
maxim that cannot be too earnestly
impressed on the party, in regard to
the details of preparation. When the
battle lines are joined, let ours be the
array which shall by its order. it's CO.
hesion, its positiveness of purpose,
it's militancy of action, it's definite
conception of the goal to be attained.
and it's determination to reach that
goal, make victory certainty.
| = 49,
their battles before shot is fired.
So let it be with the democracy in
the congressional and senatorial bat
tie Of 1914. We are about to engage
in a conflict of the broadcast national
significance. The issue is the per-
petuation, in each and both of the
legislative branches of the govern
ment of the policies which have
! given the nation tariff reform, the in
corla tax, the currency law, the first
alignment Of great business to meet
the requirements of the law this ma
ton has ever had, and the accom-
plished solution of problems which
had never been solved till now.
The tariff question had baffled gen.
GRAFTON after generation OF statesmen
for more than hundred years The
currency and banking questions had
been mooted issues for fifty years
Equity of taxation, represented by
the income tax, and the right collec-
ton and apportionment of revenue,
| by adjusting the tariff to a revenue
basis, at the same time opening a
new field of government resources,
| by virtue of the income tax, were is
sues which for twenty years had
waited to be put in operation. The
finding of ground upon which bust
ness could be conserved and pros
perity expanded, yet both be made
subordinate to the majesty of the
law, was a goal which had been
sought in vain, ever since the era of
the modern growth of trusts and
monopolistic combinations has it's
inception in the last years of the pre-
ceding century, and the first years of
| this.
All these necessities have now
been met All these problems have
been solved The Wilson administra-
ton inaugurated new epoch-the