New-York tribune., 1922-11-09
The 1922 Reaction

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The striking thing about the po-
litical reaction of Tuesday WIS it's
spottiness. 1t went the whole way
in New York. half way in other
states and registered not at all in
others. Taking the country as a
whole, it was far from a full-swing
reaction.
The reason for this confusion was
the fact that the campaign was con-
Quoted not ON one clear, single issue,
but upon a dozen or more state or
regional issues, most of them cutting
across party lines. Very possibly
the Republicans can thank this con-
fusion for limiting their losses and
preventing an old-fashioned land
slide.
Some reaction from the extreme
of 1920 was inevitable. 1t is almost
the customary thing for party
electing a President to be hard
pushed to elect House of Repre-
sentatives two years later. There is
always back swing--often, under
normal conditions, swing which in
wolves dramatic shifting of party
control.
This has been political fact of
common knowledge. Yet a party in
power In Congress has seldom shown
the slightest trepidation in running
foul of it. Faults Of political leader
ship--such as must be laid abun-
dainty at the door Of the present
House--usually lend valiant aid to
the opposition party.
The Republicans, for example,
won the House in 1883, when they
elected Benjamin Harrison Presi-
dent. They lost it amazingly in
1890, after the passage of the Nc
Kinley tariff. Here was an un-
equivocal national reaction. The Re-
publicans elected only 8S members
and were left in minority of 14S.
The same phenomenon occurred in
1894, two years after Mr.. Cleve-
lands second election. There was a
Democratic majority of 81. 1t was
converted into a Republican major
ity Of 140. In those two contests
there were no local or side issues.
Mr.. Bryan split the Democratic
party in 1895, but it came back
strong In 1898 and cut the Repub-
lican majority in the House from IS
to IS. The Bryan leadership, how
ever, prevented a recapture of the
lower branch either in 1902 or 1906.
In 1910, the second year of the Taft
Administration, the Republican grip
was broken. The Republican split of
1912 then intervened and the united
Republican party had no off-year
chance to take the House away from
President Wilson until 1918. This
year, although the excessive Repub-
lican majority of 1920 has melted
away, there has been no ponderable
Democratic majority created. The
reaction was not one Of the old-fash-
Toned, carry through kind.
AS matter of political probabil
ity the Democrats were due to win,
or nearly win, the House this fall.
When it came to finding reasons for
a victory they could not agree among
themselves, and they accordingly
made an extraordinarily varied and
decentralized campaign. They were
all things to all men---different
things in different states. A sep
arate reason must be given for the
success of nearly every Democratic
Senator chosen or defeated. And
the same thing applies to the great
majority of the Democratic candi-
dates for the House.
The Republicans were in for a Sc
we're setback. Only Providence,
turning kindly eye on hide-bound
Republican leadership in both House
and Senate, kept the slaughter from
being worse.
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