Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-11-04
LANDSLIDE NEEDED
TO CHANGE SENATE
Democratic Candidates Rely on
President Wilson'S Prestige
to Elect Them.
KTCHlN AND DENT HANDICAP
Four of Six Vacancies in House
Are in Republican
Districts.
KITCHIN AND DENT HANDICAP
Especial to The Times-Dispa,ch.

10 assume control OF the next House OF
Representatives. but nothing short OF a
landslide OF the old-fashioned. prewar.
oack- breaking sort will deliver the
United States Senate into their hands.
And not even the hungriest or the
,reediest Of Republican partisans can
Joint to anything in this campaign that
looks like landslide In either d.
rection.
On The contrary. leaders in both
9;anmps arc foreseeing tight situation.
pretty closely drawn where there are
stIaisht-ont party contests but with
n" strategic advantages largely on
Democratic candidate Tor example. has
an asset In the President himself. and
has In that oihcial an advocate with a
cratic candidate has measure. OF pres
ti2e as the representative OF an ad :
inlnistration tha, has Tough; u sue
ecessful war. and every such candidate
has, moreover. that purely sentimental
support which Will come from the
me theirs and fathers of the men In
boys commander-in in chief.
But this may not save the House
70 the Democrats. That, party. has
,ages TO exploit. 1t has it's liabilities
a. we'll as It's assets. !, has its Kit
=,
az well as us war reccru 10 capital
izc. And II has no margin OF safety
IL the House, AS in the Senate. to fall
and make some gains II II is to main
tain It's control OF the House organi-
cation
Thcr" !s a; this time II Democratic
majority ot one in the lower body. but
that majority is due TO the fact that
there are SIX vacancies. ut least tour
OF which are n Rcpubllcan districts.
o! 4s5. There are on the. rolls .l5
democrats or three snort OF an actual
majority. There is n total Of 269 Re
publicans on tho roll At the present
penuent. one proaibitionist and one
Socialist. The districts in which there
sey. Fourteenth Ohio. sixth and Eiev-
Tenth Missouri
j, Is not impossible, OF course. tor
the Democrats 10 stand pat on their
present slight plurality Of the House
membership: and. by dealing success
attiliated mem bers, organize the next
House. but the situation would be pre-
carious just as K was when the pres
eqa,a 0lsf ef IN on
rather than u strict party basis. II
the President IL TO have the kind OF
Sup1SFt Which ne has tST
majority with 4 few extra votes thrown
In for emergencies.
LITTLE OR NO DOUBT
ABOUT SENATE CONTESTS
The fight for the control OF the nex,
Senate, while not Tnre a"sorbing. is
moro easily analysed. II Is more con
crete. There il only s,Il,, given nun number
ing most OF the contests there is little
or no doubt. In, perhaps. third OF
the States where there are fights there
T.. Inn n snGr h,-r nj
Tuesdays voting.
Every TWO years one-third o: the
seats in the United States Senate be
come vacant There are thirty-two
but because OF an extraordinary series
OF deaths among Senator's. short terms
are TO be filed in live States, making
total OF thirty seven, instead OF thir-
ty-two contests, number almost un-
precedented in the history OF the coun.
try.
DEMOCRATS HOLD MAJORITY
OF SEATS To DE FILLED
or the thirty-seven seats to which
members will be elected on Tuesday.
twenty-one are now held bv Demoerats
twenty-one Democratic constituencies
20 o.,:.. at least thirIeen are
safely over the line already: They in
clude Alabama. where Bankheead Is the
the candidate: Virginia, where Martin
is. the candidate; Louisiana. where
Ransdell and Cay are the candidates;
Arkansas, where Robinson is the can
didate: Colorado. where Shafroth is
the candidate: Texas. where Sheppard
is the candidate: Tennessee, where
where Owens is the candidate: North
Carolina. where Simmons is the can
didate; South carolinn. where Dial is
Harrison is the candidate.
This leaves only seven seats now
held by Democrats in the doubtfni
nois. where lanes Hamilton Lewis is
the party candidate against Medill Me
Cormick; New lampshire. where Flu
Governor @ Hem ". Keyes to snceecd
Senator Hollis: Delaware, where Sena
TOT salisbury is opposed by Dr. |.
Tsompson 'staiar 1' IS opposed opposed % hy GoSernor sS9"
'ipper: Montana. where Senator Walsh
g running aTainsi O. II. Lanstrum: Re
pendent; Kentucky, where Governor
Stanley is running for Ollie James's
seat against Ben l.. Bruner, and Idaho.
where Senator Nugent is opposed by
The Republican seats about to become
vacant are now held by David Baird.
L. Fall. New Mexico: Bert NJ. Ternald.
Maine; Nathan Cor, West Virginia;
William $. Kenyon. Iowa; Charles l..
esota Willian Alden Smith. Michigan;
Thomas Sterling. South Dakots: Fran
Sis M.At E; Waarrsn, Msoming; Join y.
Mosos, New Hampshire
At the present time there are fifty
two Democratic members OF the Senate
and four Republican members
giving the Democrats majority OF
eight. The dominant party may lose
four seats and still contror that body
With he vote at the Vice-President.
Eu. IL it should lose five votes. and
make no gains. the Republicans would
take over, the, organization notwith-
Standing the Vice-President
The outlook is.!.however.S that both
parties Will lose a number OF seats
now held by them. Horny Ford stands
70 defeat Truman II. Newberry out in
Michigan. Powerful forces are at work
IN Ford's behalf notwithstanding the
fact that he Ia making practically no
campaign on his own part. The prl-
mary scandal involving tho eXpcndi-
turn. OF enormous sums o.. money by
Newberry's barrel brigade. VIII proba-
big cost him the election.
Then there IL George w. Norris. OF
Nebraska, one of. the pacifist Senators,