Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-10-29
Election
a-s--s---a-7--ss-s-a--
BY Frederic J. Haskin
In the members restaurant Of the House

of Representatives, Republican Con-
gresham from Pennsylvania and a
Democratic Congressman from Illinois
sat facing each other over coffee and
cigars. "Well, il will be all over with you
fellows in a few weeks" the Republican
/, said "You ought to be making the best Of
it while it lasts"
BEST Of WHAT" asked the Democrat.
"Why, the last Democratic Congress.
You won't have more than a handful in
| the sixty-sixtb.'
piciousy. Have you been making any
trips to Baltimore, lately? In the sixty
sixth, we'll have a working majority of
| 80 in the House and l5 in the Senate. :"
EVERYTHING IN SIGHT.
| This conversation serves very aptly TO
| illustrate the surface attitude of the lead
ers of both parties regarding the elections
which will take place in a few days. Both
| Republicans and Democrats claim every
| thing on the map The Republicans seem
confident Of victory everywhere, save in
| the solid SOUTH and their opponents
| concedc nothing but Maine, where the
| election has already taken place
| Though IL has been much overshadowed
| bv the war issue, the election this year IS
| oi extreme importance Leaders on both
] sides know this and are trying with shift
| ing success To bring IT home 20 the voters.
| The Sixty-sixth Congress will undoubted-
| ~ be peace congress, and congress OF
reconstruction, and Republicans and
| Democrats differ widely in their recon
| struction aims.
! For the first time in many years, the
! two parties really represent radically
| different theories Of government. II the
! Republicans dominate reconstruction, 1t
may be safely predicted that all OF the
/ experiments in government control and
ownership. government protection OF
| labor and regulation of price, which the
war has brought forth, will be brought 20
an end. and the state of things before the
war will bc restored as nearly as possible
| If the Democrats win. the tendency
| toward the ownership OF public utilities
| bv the people through the government,
| rather than bv private individuals, will he
strengthened The Republicans also
stand pretty generally for intense nation
| alisf, and for the offensive and defensive
alliance with one or more European ma
| tions while the Democrats stand for q
league of all civilized nations to preserve
tho peace.
RIAL NV ISSUES.
Here, then. arc really great ard funda-
mental issues The old ones are gone. The
| tariff IL as dead as free silver But the
very character and tendency Of our ma
| tiOnal existence will be determined by
| this election and the one in 1920 And the
result Of this one will be an auelIry Of the
! final result
| In the senate, of thc present Congrees
arc - Democrats and 81 Republicans
| In the House 81 Representatives there
are pa Democrats against 10 Rcpub-
| llcans The Democrats expect ~ increase
| their lead in the next House 10 50 and IN
| the senate Ia 10 or - Tho Republicans
expect tu gain control Of both Houses by
maiorItles OF from 10 TO 20
Woman suffrage II als9 a 1--we lssne in
/ this election In New Jersey Senatorial
contest is being fought over he question.
| senator David Balrd appointed by
| Governor Edge to fill the vacancy caused
| by the death of Senator Hughes, Is a
! candidate for regular election TO the seat.
! Before the Senate vote on suffrage, Presl-
1 dent Wilson wrote TO Mr. Baird asking
/ his vote Tor he amendment Baird re-
! fused and east II against suffrage Now,
/ the women Of his State are making an
! energetic campaign for his Democratic
/ opponent. G O. Henessv. However. New
/ Jersey has defeated measure for wo
| man franchise and Just how much IN
| fucucc he suffrag sts command cannot
! be guessed
i : m. ar : st.lation holds in New Hamp-
Shire, where George II Moses a Repub-
ican, is fighting Senator John B. Jameson
for The tlncxpired term Of the late Senator
Gallingpr Moses has refused 70 support
suffrage and various women : organlza
tions are busy in the State, soliciting votes
for Senator jameson. The long term con
test between Eugene +. Reed. Democrat.
and Henry " Keys Will very likely 60 10
the latter, thus ousting the Democrats
from one seat IN the Senate
ILLINOIS GREAT SCRAP.
The greatest interest attends the cam
paign IN Illinois Both contestants, Sena-
tor James Hamilton Lewis of the pink
whiskers and Medlll Mccormick, SON
ln-law of the late Mare Hanna, are well
known national figures. Both possess
considerable popularity IN the State, and
both are adroit and capable politicians.
The President has many times expressed
fiatterlng approval of Senator Lewis,
while McC Cormiek IS gwen strenuous
Endorsement by Theodore Roosevelt and
what is left of the Progressive organiza-
ton At the present time Congressman
Mccormick seems to have slightly the
better of it, but some Republican ele-
ments are reported to be dissatisfied with
his candidacy and are prepared, so it is
said, to knife him at the polls
Watched with almost equal interest
is the fight in Michigan. Henry Ford
was defeated in the Republican Sena-
torial primaries by Truman IL. New
Terry; but was nominated by the Demo
Gratis. A computation of primary returns
shows Newberry to have a considerable
lead, but since that time Newberry's
name has been mixed with scandal
concerning illegal campaign expenditures,
which fact may lead to shift of senti-
ment toward Ford There is no doubling
Ford's popularity with the labor element
OF Michigan. He has, moreover, been
warmly indorsed by the President In
any event, the election in Michigan will
be close.
ToGA OR PIE PLUM
A curious situation has arisen in
Nevada Anne Martin, the suffrage
leader, is running Independently for the
Senate against Senator Henderson, Demo-
crat, and +. t. Roberts, Republican, and
is thought by many to have good chance
of winning out Nevada is normally
Democratic but the Republicans feel
that most of Miss Martins votes will