East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1922-11-07
Harding Administration is
Issue in Most Contests
for Congressional Seats.
IS STATES BALLOT
FOR A GOVERNOR
Wet and Dry Question Has
Spotlight in Several
States in the East.

RvIAWRENCE MARTIN


WASHINGTON, Nov. I,-tun!ted
Press )--The American people went 10
the polls today to record thelr opih-
ion of the Harding administration
record and to elect new congress.
The result of todays balloting Will
be construed as reflecting the popular
appraisal of the work of president
Harding, his cabinet and the repuoll-
can congress that went into office with
him on March 4, 1921.
This is true because the chief ma
tional issue in the campaign was the
record of the eth congress. For that
congress the republicans, who con-
trolled it, claimed great achievements,
while the democrats charged it with
inefficiency and futility, branding it a
"do-nothing congress"
The entire membership of the house
of representatives, 4S5, will be elected
today, and 80 members of the senate.
Ordinarily, but 80 senators are chosen.
This year Pennsylvania elects to IN
stead of one, because her present SEN
ators are filling uneXpired terms of
Senators Penrose and Grow, who ed.
Georgia was called on to choose sue
cessor to the late Thomas E. Watson,
and Iowa will elect senate. to fill out
the unexIaired term OF ex-senator KEN
yon, now on the federal bench.
In addition numerous states vote to
day for complete state tickets, and
many county and municipal elections
were being held. Thirty-five COVER
nors will be elected.
Hha ai NHbi
opening of the polls today was preced-
ed in many states by particularly
sharp primary contests, in which the
electorate showed keen interest and In
some cases surprising independence.
This gives rise to the belief that the
congressional campaign itself would
be one of the most spectacular III
many years.
The contrary was true, for while
both republican and democratic par
ties organized intensively, there was
little popular enthusiasm over ctndi-
dates or interest in issues except in
isolated cases.
The Rival Claims.
For this reason some political pro-
phets were exceedingly reticent about
predicting the outcome of today's con-
test. Republican leaders, as a matter
of course, claimed they would retain
their present large majorities in both
houses. Democrats also, as everyone
expected of them, claimed they would
sharply reduce the republican house
gnajority and capture several seats in
the senate.
But the public. in whose hands the
result lay, was for the most part silent
and in many states too Indifferent to
register and thus qualify to vote today.
4 The republicans conducted 4 far
more extensive and well organized
campaign than the democrats. Both
parties claimed to be hampered by
lack of money. With the Newberry
case fresh in the public mind, candi-
dates and parties were careful not to
spend money lavishly. 1t was also
claimed that former sources of reye-
nue. dried up this year, because of dis
satisfaction.
President Harding and his cabinet
took the lead in urging the country to
continue the republicans in control of
congress as a means of enabling the
administration to complete its pro-
gram. Mr.. Harding, in a letter to
Representative Hondell Wyoming;
who is seeking the senatorship now
held by Senator Kendrick, virtually
appealed to the country for election of
a republican congress. All members
of the cabinet actively joined in the
campaign. most of them visiting a
number OF states on stumping tours.
The Republican C5aims.
The republicans depended in the
main upon an exposition OF the admin
istration's record. a citation of It's
achievements and of the benefits ac-
cruing therefrom. They stressed
these items in the Harding program
as emitting them to continued conf
dence.
Ending OF the war with Germany
negotiation Of the rour-power treaty
the naval disarmament treaty and III
other pacts evolved By the Washing
ton arms Limitation conference: tn
tax bill. aholishing the excess prof,
aN: the emergency tariff bill. to insr1r
farmers and live stock producers bet
ter prices for their products. the per
uanent tariff bill. which they elaine
insured the countrs's industries prc
lection from fofeign competition