Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-11-05
REPUBLICANS ON
EVE OF ELECTION
ARE JUb|LANT
National Chairman Hays De.
Clares Party Will Carry
Senate and House; East
ern Contests Bitter.

NSW 1Olk, NOV. f.-( SpeCldi
Telegram. )-Chairman Will H.
Hays, of the republican national
committee, tonight issued the fol-
lowing statement:
Last minute reports, received to-
night from every contested state,
confirm our advices of yesterday
that the republicans will carry both
the senate and the house.
ITO equal the democratic vote in
the senate the republicans need to
gain four votes. We will gain at
least seven.
ITO equal the democratic vote in
the house the republicans need to
gain only five votes. We will gain
at least e."
This statement was made after
Mr.. Hays had gone over all the re-
ports with Frank H. Hitchcock,
Charles D. Hilles and William R.
Wilcox, former national chairman,
and many other republican leaders
a. the republican headquarters. -
The republicans were all jubilant.
By Associated Press.
New York, Nov. 4.-Final
speeches and statements by candi-
dates and party managers brought
the campaign to close in the east
ern states tonight. Both democratic
ard republican leaders professed
confidence that their candidates
would win at the polls tomorrow.
The campaign, which began in
apathy, developed in its closing days
in most states into one of the most
bitterly contested in years. The
chief issue has been the election
o. United States senators and re-
presentatives. The appeal of Pres
ident Wilson for the return of a
democratic congress has bee. the
storm center of attack and counter
attack.
Expect Close Race.
Democrats and republicans were
claiming tonight they would gain
seats in congress, but indications
were the result would be close ex-
cept in districts where one party
normally has overwhelming major
ity.
In New York party leaders are
"up in the air" because women will
vote the first time and there is no
way of knowing how they will di-
vide politically. The republican
state chairman predicted Governor
Whitman would be reelected by at
least 100000, but democrats were
equally insistent that Alfred E.
Smith, president of the New York
City boarL of aldermen, would be
the victor, but they did not claim
so large margin.
Contests for seats in the sena e
have occupied the voters in Massa-
chusetts, Rhode Island, New Hamp-
shire, Delaware, New Jersey and
West Virginia. While two senators
will be elected by New Hampshire,
the democrats in that state have
centered their energies upon the
election of John B. Jameson fo" the
two years unexpired term of the late
Senator Gallinger. In New Jersey
which also will elect a "long" and
a short" term senator, women suf-
fragists, although they cannot vote,
have joined forces with the demo-
Gratis to defeat David Baird, who
seeks tn. short" terms.
Prohibition Up.
Massachusetts democrats profess
to be hopeful of electing former
Governor David I. Walsh. as. Sue
cessor to Senator Weeks up for
another term. The contest in
West Virginia between c. w. Wat
son, former United States senator.
and Major Davis Elkins, jr., son of
a former senator, is expected to be
close.
Prohibition is the chief issue Of
the state campaigns in Pennsylvania
and Vermont. In the former state
William c. Sproul, republican can
didate for governor, is running on a
dry platform, while Eugene c. Bon
niwell. the democratic nominee, has
been repudiated by some of the
party leaders on the ground that he
represents the liquor interests. The
democratic candidate for governor
in Vermont has been endorsed by
the prohibitionists while the repub-
licans are standing by local option.
Comparatively little interest has
been shown in the campaign in Con-
necticut and Maryland. In these
states both parties have bent their
energies upon the congressional
contests.