The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-10-31

cratic boilers to outnumber the Repub-
ican insurgents who will combine with
the regular Democratic vote. The coun-
try districts usually give a Republican
a fair-sized lead and then the city of
Baltimore, which is strongly Demo-
cratic, overcomes the majority secured
elsewhere in the state. The estimates
this year would seem to indicate that
Senator France will come to the Balti-
more line either even with his opponent
or a little behind. Senator France will
get a heavy vote in Baltimore in the
districts where foreign born or their
children are voting. Mr.. France has
made a special appeal to this class of
voter. But the business and professional
men and their wives who will vote in
Baltimore and who are normally Repub-
lican will tend to offset the Democratic
should be a Democratic victory by vote
OF at least 10000.
The Republican registration is much
smaller than usual. The Democrats
have a registered vote of about $1,000
more than the Republicans. The reason
for this is partly the lack of Republi-
can organization and to a large extent
the deep-seated opposition TO Senator
France as Il representative of Republi-
canism. The regular Republican con-
tributors have been Indifferent about
Mr. Frances campaign. Many of those
WHO supported Jonu w. GtTIeI III tue
Republican primary race for United
States senator will throw their support
to Mr.. Bruce.
France Working Government.
Senator France is making an unusual
campaign. He is flooding the state with
literature, most of which is sent out
from Washington under his free mail
ing privilege as a United States senator.
Tons and tons of government books and
III.
what not are being sent by mail to the
individual voters. Mr.. France is count
ing a good deal on the effect of this
kind of craftsmanship. But for the, most
part he is confident that the states wet
vote will help him. This is a wet state
in the sense that Baltimore, which is the
most populous part of it, is rather moist
strength has always been its wetness.
Mr.. Bruce, who is by no means bone
dry, should be able, however, to retain
the wet vote of the Democratic party
despite Mr.. Frances championship of
the wet cause Senator France is said
to believe that this is merely his pre-
lininary fight and that some day he is
destined to make the race for the preSi-
dency on the repeal of the 18th amend
ment.
No Party Lines.
SO far as party lines go, there is no
such thing in the campaign of Senator
France. He favors about everything
that any group of voters, fOreign-born
or American-born, seem to want. His
friendship for Sovietism is naturally
held against him by the conservatives
and altogether he has about as much
business running on the Republican
ticket. considering what that means ira
ditiOnally, as Mr.. Brookhart of Iowa or
| the Non-Partisan leaguers of North
Dakota, Mr.. France is another exhibit
of what the primary system can do when
the political organizations sit indiffer-
emily by and let their party machinery
be taken over, boOtstraps and all, by
smooth-voiced orators with political leg
! erdemain.
There is incidentally a reaction here
against the Harding administration. The
! President swept this state by more than
10000. Last year the Democrats turned
the tidal wave the other way and won
nearly four-fifths of the legislature. If
the vote for Mr.. Bruce should be higher
than 10000 it will be unquestioned evil
dence also of change of mind on the
part of many Democrats who made a
| 1920 excursion into the Republican
! party. Otherwise the result would seem
| to be explained almost entirely on the
ground that the Republican candidate
| lost the united support of his party.