The Washington times., 1922-11-07

LACKS BIC
NATIONAL
QUESTION.
SectionaIism of Issues and
Marked Apathy Of Voters
Worry Party Leaders.
BY GEORGE X. HOLMES.
Interna tiOnal News Service.

NE" IORh, NOV. 4. Ap-
proximately 3O,OOO,000 voters,
men and women are going to
the polls today to elect "a
United States Senators, 431
members of the House of Rep
resentatives, and 80 State gov
ernments, and to fill thous inds
of Offices of lesser Importance.
Great Issue Lacking. n
For the first time In years. the
voters are going to the ballot boxes
without the guiding star of a great
national issue. Where. in other
years, there was the League of
Nations, the world war, or progress
sivism to divide the electorate along
national lines, this year the issues
to be decided are conceded by Re-
publicans and Democrats alike to be
sectional rather than national, and
consequently difficult of analysis.
The sectionalism of the issues, the
marked apathy and indifference
manifested in much of the campaign
and the spirit of political revolt seen
in the summer primaries, have COM
bined to make political leaders, with
out regard to party, nervous and ap.
prehensive over today's results.
Taxation, both State and National,
the new Republican tariff law.
prohibition, ship subsidy, railroad
policies and freight rates, the
soldiers bonus. administrative
economy, labor policies of various
houses, including the living wage"
the low prices of farm products
these are but few of the vast array
OF issues injected into the campaign
by both Democratic and Republican
parties.
Weather Is Bad.
Theoretically, at least, all are
due for decision by the voters to-
day although political leaders pro-
fessed to see considerable confusion
ahead for the seekers Of the ma
tional Thought.
The weather for today's cleo
tions. always an important factor
In determining the size of the vote.
Is generally bad, according to
countrywide reports. In the West
there are severe storms in somo
regions and generally unsettled con-
ditions; while rain is prevalent over
a large section of the East.
The eleventh hour activities by
party leaders have not changed
the aspect of today's election TO
any appreciable extent. Both Re-
publicans and Democrats stood pat
on their predictions of Substantial
victory" but authoritative spokes-
men for neither party evinced any
desire to get specific as to States
and possibilities.
Democrats See Gains.
The Republicans content them.
that they would be continued in
by Substantial majorities," rang
ing from twenty.four to twenty.six
in the Senate and from forty TO
fifty in the House.
Conservative democratic spokes-
men did not dispute continued Re
publican control Of the Senate but
some foresaw the possibility Of the
Democrats gaining control Of the
lower branch Of Congress.
Generally speaking. however, the
political prophets on both SIDES
were inclined to agree that the Re.
publicans will keep what they al.
ready have in the Senate with a
possible give or take Of a few seats
either way, and that the present
Republican majority Of fss IN House
will be cut down to more normal
propoi tions OF from twenty-five TO
fifty,
Interest In Eight States.
Chief interest in tcdays bsliotiug
centers about the results IN eight
states--New York, New Jersey. and
Penn syivania, In the East. and
Ohio, Indiana, Missouri Iowa and
Nebraska In the central West. In
all these States the sens torship and
governorship fights have been cf
national interest because OF the
men or issues involved, and all are
considered sufficiently close 70 inert,
their being called doubtful" States
In New York, Governor Miller