The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1920-11-05
Friday, November 5, 1920
REPUBLICANS MAKE CLEAN
SWEEP

Returns from nearly all parts
of the country show that in the
largest vote ever polled in a
presidential contest in this coun-
try, the Republican party achiev-
ed on Tuesday and unprecedent-
ed victory, electing Warren G.
Harding and Calvin Coolidge,
their nominee for President and
Vice President.
The sweep carried into both
houses Of Congress many Repub-
lican candidates whose election
had been regarded as doubtful.
The present Senate has 4S Re
publicans, 46 Democrats and one
independent Zone vacancy.
The ne7 one according to latest
r--s, will have 50 Republicans
43 Democrats and one Independ-
ent.
The House of Representatives,
now having 236 Republicans.
100 Democrats four Independ-
ents and five vacancies, Re
publican majority of 81, propab-
ly will have next year a Republl-
can majority of 70 members.
Harding carried the State by a
plurality of about 52,5l6.
Senator Smiths run for re-
election, in the light of the Hard
ing tide was wonderful Nearly
6O.OOOof those who voted for.
Harding or Cox did not vote for
Smith or Weller, and, Of course
that necessarily decreased the
probable plurality either way IN
the Senatorial fight. But allow
ing for the smaller vote for Sen
ator, the bald figures tell a tale
of one of the stiffest fights ever
made against a sweep. AS
against Senator Harding's plura-
lity of 81, 079 in the State, MIR.
Weller, with few precincts
missing has 16 OS4-less than
one-third.
What is more significant is the
fact the counties, usually Re-
publican, gave Senator Smith a
plurality that would have been
very respectable in ordinary ell
ections. Mr.. Weller, carrying
the city by 1S, suffered a de-
feat of 2, 827 in the counties. 1t
will be remembered that year
ago, Governor Ritchie lost the
counties by about 1000. Senator
Smith carried IL of the counties
of the State-one more than a
majority of them. Of the nine
counties on the Eastern Shore
he lost only Somerset, and there
he reduced the normal heavy
Republican majority to about:250.
He carried Baltimore county by
nearly /, 800 plurality although
it went tor Harding upward OF
5000. He carried Washington
county, although it gave Hard
ing nearly 1000 and he greatly
reduced the tremendous Hard
ing pluralities in Frederick and
Carroll.
His showing, it is fair to be-
lieve, was good as any Democrat
could have made in the race for
Senator. On the face of the
figu~e= George D. Iverson, Dem
ocratic wet candidate polled a
vote larger than Mr.. Weller's
plurality. AS against Mr.. We'll
lers's plurality of Is, 337, liver
son was given Is, 1929. At first
hand, it may thought that vir-
tually all of Iverson strength
came from wet Democrats, and
if they had stood by Senator
Smith, he would won reelection.
But the fact is that the wet can
didacy of Mr.. Weller, and the
active drive against Senator
Smith by wet Democrats,
brought to the Senator many. dry
Republicans. 1t is quite possible
that he was the gamer by the
introduction of the liquor issue
into the fight. Look at the vote
gived him all the over shore, and
in Baltimore, Hartford, Carroll,
Frederick and Washington
counties, in which district the
drys went actively to work for
him.
1t is fair to assume the liquor
question may be elimin ated as
affecting the result in the Sena-
torial fight. Add, then to Mr..
Weller's plurality Of Is, 337 the
vote lost by him through Haw-
kins, colored. Hawkins got
4, ,757 svotes. That would have
made Mr.. Weller's plurality 20, =
900, if there had been no COM
plication in the Senatorial fight.
And that figure is more than