The Washington herald., 1920-02-08
80 MAJORITY
SEEN IN HOUSE
G. o. P. Leaders Predict
Sweeping Victory at
Polls This Fall.
FESS IS OPTIMISTIC
Believes Union Labor Will
React From Democratic
Control Before Election.

With a majority of forty-seven
votes in the House Republican leaders
who are keeping their fingers on the
nations political pulse predict that
the next session of Congress will see
the Republicans in control Of the
House by a majority of at least
ninety.
Representative Fess. of Ohio, states
that chances appear to be very good
for the Republicans carrying at least
one congressional district in Massa-
chusetts, three in New York, three
IN New Jersey, four in Pennsylvania
Two in Ohio, two in Missouri. one IL
Kansas, one in South Dakota. one an
Nevada, two in Utah and two in Cali
fornia- Representative Fess. who is
Chairman Of the Republican Congress
sional Committee. believes that Re
publicans also have a fighting chance
OF winning an additional member in
Alabama North Carolina, Tennessee.
Oklahoma. Missouri. Arizona, Ken
lucky. West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio.
Michigan and Massachusetts.
Need "a Votes.
A change of twenty-four votes in
the next election from the Republican
to the Democratic column would give
the Democrats control OF the House
by one vote. assuming that in6e-
pendents who have been voting with
The Republicans remain in Congress
and continue their present affiliation.
There are As members in the House,
Of which 24o are Republicans and 1872
are Democrats. leaving three inde-
pendents, Representatives Randall. of
California; Carss, of Minnesota, and
Keller. of Minnesota Keller has been
voting with the Republicans.
The Democrats in the coming
campaign will start with los menu
bers from the solid South. not in
eluding Kentucky. Maryland and
Missouri. Last year the Repub-
licans broke loose in Maryland and
sent as many Republicans as DEM
ocrats to Congress. Five of Mis-
souri's sixteen, districts went Re-
publican and in Kentucky a Re-
publican governor was elected by
a 10000 majority and seven of the
eleven Congressional districts re-
turned Republicans.
Although Indiana at the last cleo
tion not only. retained the Repub-
lican members of Congress in Of
tce- but defeated the Democratic
candidates I'm all the remaining dis
tricts. Republican leaders admit
that they will have to fight hard
to keep Indiana solidly in the Re-
publican column. The situation in
Indiana is practically the same in
Kansas. Nebraska, Missouri and
West Virginia.
Must Figure Berger.
According to Republican leaders
who have made a close study of the
political situation in the Northwest,
the activities of the Nonpartisan
League have had a tendency to-
ward unsettled conditions in Min
nesota, the Dakotas and other por-
tions of the West. while the Ber-
ger agitation is a factor in Wis
consin.
The Republican record on the
liquor and suffrage questions is a
distinct advantage to the Repub-
licans." according to Representative
Fess. The play of the present ad-
ministration." he says, ito purchase
by special favor the radical union
labor vote will have a decided re-
action"
Republicans feel that they have a
better chance of winning twenty-four
seats now occupied by Democrats
than of losing seventeen in which
Democrats claim advantage. I'VE
have an equal chance in at least
twelve other districts to offset their
chance in an equal number on which
they are depending" says Mr.. Fess.
32 Elections I'm Fall.
Thirty-two States will elect Sena-
tors this autumn. Eight of them are
now Democratic and will probably re-
main so. Florida, louisiana, Okla