The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-10-27
Republican Majority Will Be
Seriously reduced In
That State
DEMOCRATS PICK
UP LABOR VOTE
Beveridge Urges Repeal of Adamson Law
and Reduction of Railroad Wages -
Senator New Not Ardent Supporter OF
Man Who Beat Him In Primary.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
| Especial Despatch to The Reformer.)
Copyright 1922.
INDIANAPOLIS. Ind, Oct 27.-In-
diana is shifting Early this year it
would have been safe to predict the cleo
ton of former Senator Beveridge, Re
publican, by an overwhelming ma jority
Today the race is closer. The Republi-
cans themselves who carried the state
for Harding by 10000 two years ago,
are claiming it by only $4,000 now.
Something has happened to reduce the
theoretical strength of the Republicans.
Mostly it is the activity of the Demo-
Gratis who have taken advantage of every
state and national issue. For example,
Mr. Beveridge in his attempt to get the
farmer vote by explaining that freight
rates must come down, urges publicly
that the Adamson eight hour law be re-
pealed and railroad wages reduced.
It's a new thing for candidate to
boldly advocate lower wages but Mr..
Beyeridge is not timid. He played to
the discontented elements in the primary
and caught the radicals then-enough to
win the nomination. Now he is corral
ling the conservatives and farmers.
Naturally the Democrats do not hest
tate to come in behind Mr.. Beveridge
Z
ston. the Democratic nominee for United
States senator, made good record as
governor and is fighting hard. His cam
paign managers have assumed in the last
few days a mystifying confidence. They
expected to win and one of the managers
who is not usually given to extravagant
statements thinks Ralston will triumph
by $4,000.
Signs of This Contest.
+yr- c+a+o frny, 7aE n0n
lican to $4,000 Democratic requires an
upheaval that can be seen with the naked
eye Manifestations of discomfort are
| here in plenty but no signs of an earth
quake. If Mr.. RalstOn beats Mr.. Bever-
| idge il will be the surprise of a century.
/ The fact that the race is close viii in
i itself be unexpected to many who have
/ watched it develop. Some of the uncer-
! tainty arises, of course, from the fact
/ that the primary fight between Senator
| New and former Senator Beverage for
/ the Republican nomination was bitter.
/ Mr.. New hasn't been going around the
/ state eXhOrting his followers to forget
what happened and stick to the grand
old party. He Is TO make one speech
| it is what is called preserving regular.
| ity" but the average voter isn't enthused
by these maneuvers of political for
mality.
Thes rift is there-it will gain votes
for RAlSton, but it will not be enough
i'm itself to overthrow Beveridge. The
detection of the labor vote will not bC
sufficient. The protest votes must come
from other and more numerous sources
Anti-AdministratiOn Feeling.
There is unquestfonably here n decided
anti-administratiOn sentiment. Not al
of it was emitted in the Beyeridge- New
primary in which Mr.. New was known
to be pleading for support on the ground
of his intimacy with the Harding adj
ministratiOn. There are those who think
the enforcement of prohibition has pro-
duced one kind of reaction and that lack
of enforcement has in some instances
brought dissatisfaction with the national
administration.
Il Whatever it is. whether clumsy inter
ference by the federal government or the
growth of ''bootlegging" the signs of po-
litical ferment are noticeable and the
only question is whether the negative
feeling cuts deep enough to hurt the Re-
publican ticket. State issues will have
much to do with the result. Taxation
is a sore point here as elsewhere. The
party in power always gets the brunt
/ of that kind of criticism.
Indiana always gets more excited in
the last 10 days about politics than other
states The party organizations here
| usually do their intensive work Mt the
last minute. The shifting of political
| tides makes both sides uncertain but Il
fair conclusion at this writing is that
Beveridge will win.
A common question used to be who 5