Pueblo chieftain., 1922-01-01
(Ry MARK sULLIvAN)

sixty out of ninety-stx senators ma
jority "a Officially tho figures are SO
Republicans, SO Democrats. and l who
Is officially DESCRIBED as Republican
and Progressive"
The one who has this bifurcated des-
igna;i Is Hiram Johnson of Californ-
la. Altho the Republicans do not COM
monty count of Senator johnson as
100 per cent dependable party man. 1t
Is "a fact that the old Progressive
party to which In part he owed his
election to the senate five years ago,
no longer has a formal existence. For
practical purposes the present senate
is to be considered as so Republicans
and 80 Democrats. In the lower house.
emitting considerations of the one So
cialist and the one vacancy the Re-
publicans have 3Ol members out of a
total 1876. giving them majority of l67,
or over two to one.
That is the Republican position at
the beginning of the year. That they
Will end the year in a weaker position.
numerically, is as certain as anything
In politics can be. The only question
is the degree of the losses they may
suffer
During the course of the year one
third OF the entire membership of the
senate, 80 in number, will be elected.
together with the entire membership
OF the house numbering 4S5. First con-
slider the possible changes in the sen,
ate: the senators whose terms end
with the present congress, and house
successors will be chosen at the pri-
maries or election. or both during the
coming months. are as follows:
Tho Republicans: Henry Cabot
Lodge. Massachusetts. Hiram W.
johnson. California: Frank b. Kellogg.
Minnesota; Robert NJ. LaFoliette. Wis
consin; Harry 5. New. Indiana; VIII
liam NJ. Calder. New York; Frederick
Hale. Maine; Porter j. McCumber,
North Dakota; William 3. Crow.
Pennsylvania; 4. Coleman DUPONT, Del
aware; Joseph |. France. Maryland,
Joseph 5. Frelinghuysen, New Jersey.
George 7. Mclean. Connecticut; Car
rol 3. Page. Vermont: Miles Poindex-
ter Washington; Howard sutherland,
West Virginia: Charles l.. Townsend,
Michigan.
The Democrats: Gilbert NJ. Hitch
cock Nebraska: Athlee Pomerene.
Ohio. James +. Reed. Missouri; John
Sharp Williams. Mississippi; Henry f.
Ashurst. Arizona; Charles A: Culber-
son, Texas; Porter O. Gerry. Rhode Is
John b. kendrick. Wyoming: William
II. King. Utah. Kenneth Mckellar.
Tennessee Henry l.. Myers, Montana:
Key Pittman. Nevada Claude \.
Swanson. Virginia: Park Trammell.
Florida
~ will be observed that of these
senatorial seats to be filed during the
coming year seventeen are now Re-
publicans. ana fifteen are now Demo-
cratic. In as much as tho present Re
publican ma aJority is twenty -four. 1t IN
clear that to win tho senate away from
the Republicans. II would be neccs-
sary FOR the Democrats In the first
place TO hold all the seats they now
have. and in the second place win
thirteen seats now hold by Republi-
cans. As to whether the Democrats
are likely to accomplish this. II is now
so early. OF course. as to make it i'm
possible to say anything having any
greater yaiur or interest than merely
the broade-t speculation. II one were
20 answer yer" or mo" to the qucs-
tion. whether tho Democrats are like
" TO win the Senate II would not be
possible at the present time to go fur
'hor thnn TO say the thing Is extremely
improbable. Perhaps " would bc more
accurate to say il Is practically i'm
possible. In fact for tho purpose or
winning control OF the senate. the De-
mocrEts are this year in rather un-
usually weak position. 70 y less de-
gree than Is commonly the case can
thcy count on the solid south. A.
mong tho fifteen seats now held by tho
Democrats. only Ave are In those de-
pendably Democratic Southern states
where the party can always count
with complete confidence on clecting
their candidates. These five are Nir-
ginil. Mississippi. Florida. Texas and
Tennessee. In truth. stating II this
way. rather gives the Democrats the
benefit OF tn. doubt. for one OF these
states. Tennessee. went so strikingiS
Republican last year that n Is n ques-
tion whether It may not from now on
ba more accurately classified with tho
states which for purposes OF political
classification are called border stetes
or doubtful states. The other ten seats
now held by Democrats are In states
which for the most part cannot by any
Ea democratic
Rhode Island. Nebraska. Wyoming.
Utah. Montana, Missouri. Nevada.
Ohio. Arizona and New Mexico are
states which. I'm one degree or another
arc rs likely to so Republican as De-
mocratic.
In fact as to few of thcHe states.
especially Wyoming. Utah and Rhode
island. II can probably be said that
their present appearance on the De-
mocratic side OF tho senate list is due
NOR to the extraordinary Wilson
strength in 1915 than to normal poll
teal conditions. Tho net of 1t is that
the Democrats cannot reasonably eS-
poet to retain all of their fifteen
seats that come up In the election this
year.
bv Republicans. which come UP In tho
elections this year, ut least six are in
states in which Democratic success in
the nast has been so rare that they
can almost be considered as the Re-
publican equivalent OF tho solid
south" 1t is not normally to be cx-
pected that the Republicans should
lose states like Vermont. Maine, Penn
sylvania. Michigan, Minnesota and
Wisconsin. 1t is barely possible for the
Republicans to lose Senatorshlps in
two OF these states. Minnesota and
wisconsin. but It Is unlikely. The
other four are always counted upon
ms "rock-ribbcd" Republican. AS to
tho eleven other sea.r now held by
Republicans. 1t would he. In one de-
gree or another. possible for the De-
mocrats to win, 1t is always a chance
whether the Republicans or the De-