The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-12-22
DEMOCRATS TAKE HOEY'S ELECTION ].
 AS GOOD SIGN
Republicans Failed to Make Good Their Boast of
 Victory,

Washington, D. C., Dec, 22.---Un~ usual significance is attached in Washington to the election just held in the ninth district Of North Carolina where Clyde Hoey, Democrat, has been elected to Congress over John M, Morehead, Republican, Mir More head is Republican National commit teeman from the State and was re- garded as the strongest candidate available to the c. O. P
 The North Carolina election might have created little national interest but for the boast made by Republican Readers several weeks go that they would wrest the Gistrict from the Eaemocrats and break into the solid Bauth' This put Democrats on guard, 1t becoming evident that the Republi- cans were sincere in their plans to capture the district,
 Prior to the nomination of MT. Morehead by Tar Heel Republicans, Representative Fess. chairman of the Republican Congressional Committee, asserted in an interview that the Re publica ITS would win in the ninth dis Jrict and that some good man" would be nominated to carry the c. O. 2. standaT1 to victory. When Mir, More head obtained the nomination, Chair man Fess was pleased and became
 
 would go Republican,
 MT. MoTehead is one of the wealthy men of North Carolina, A number of years ago he came to the House Of Representative from that State A statewide acquaintance and his posi- ton as national committeeman made hIm the most formidable candidate the Repu ubl1cans might put forward.
 The Morehea5 organization already was in good shape because he made the race only last year for the Senate, being defeated by Senator F. M Sim mons
 Both parties thoroughly conDbed the ninth district and Republican orators, with the aid of literature from Wash &ngton, made the Leage of Nations one of the national issues of the cam paign- The challenge was accepted by the Democrats and the contest took on national signiflcance-
 4 special investig gator representing the Republican Congressional Cam paign CZonlrnittee v0s sent into the district some days before the election. He made q favorable report to party chiefs in Washington and gave ad- vice concerning ways in which the Washington G. O. P headquarters might be of assistance For fear the presence of outside speakers from Northern Stat~~ n1ight be resented, the Republicans decided not to send out orators from WashingtOn---whic was done when the party attempted to invade Ala oa12la. in the Burnett dis tTict election Instead the committee in Washington tlombarded lhe voters of the Ninth with literature attacking the Dem administration, the League Of Nations and the President.
 Chairman FesS predictions of Re publican victory in North Carolina came on the heels of 6 more general statement by Chairman Will Hays, of the Republican National Committee outlining the plans of his party for & general movement to enter the South and break its solidarity.
 The Ninth district in North Caro- lima was regarded as debatabl grounds because of the personal fol- lowing of Morehead in Aecklenburg county and also because Meck1enburg Democrats were alleged to be dis pleased over the result of the Demo cratic primary, which went against that county's candidate. Republican appeals were made to the Democrats to knife the ticket, but Meck1enburg again went in the Democratic column and gave Hoey a handsome ma jority.
 Another claim was that the cleo ton heretofore of Representative E. Y. Webb, Democrat who Is now on the Federal bench, was due largely to his popularity and that the dis trict would go Republican with Webb out of the way. The result, however, was just the opposite Despite the unprecedented efforts of the Re publicans to win the district, the Democratic nominee was elected by a substantial majority over the strong est Republican candidate that party could find.