Evening star., 1922-10-22
APATHY WORRIES
C. 0. 0.P.LEADERS
Spirit of Indifference Regard
ing Election Manifest in
Washington State.
Special Dispa tch to The Star,

| is general throughout the state. 1t !:
| particularly noticeable in the rank:
of the republicans, and this Is due t.
a large extent to the fact that the
| republicans, rank and file. with few
! exceptions, are oVerconfident.
Recently at Seattle State Chairman
Charles Hebberd of Spokane attempt
ed to impress upon the members OF
the Young Mems Republican Club OF
King County that this overconfidenct
| might spell defeat if not overcome
during the next few weeks
Republicans are centering theiI
efforts toward the reelection ol
Senator Miles Poindexter. All of the
heavy artillery in the G. o. p. which
is being imported into the state roI
the campaign is directing lis fire upor
| the senatorial situation. The t1Vt
representatives, while carrying on theil
own campaigns. are devoung muci
situation. This is because the sena'
torial campaign is the only one which
is holding any attention Of the gen
erai electorate.
DemOcrat- Labor Merger in View.
Efforts on the part of the demo
Gratis to concentrate and center moi
only their senatorial fight but theD
congressional campaigns upon Il
merging of the democratic ticket witch
the farmer-laborites are making con-
siderable headway. In three of the
larger counties in the state. King,
Pierce and Spokane, there have been
mergers. In Pierce county the
farmer-labor county ticke, has mers
ed with the democrats and this wIl
carry great many voters of the
third party into the democratic sena-
torial fight. giving votes for the
democratic nominee, c. c. Dill of Spo-
kane. The same is true in King
county, despite the fact that the
tarmer-labor nominee for the Senate.
James A. Duncan, is a King county
man.
W hile the republican party feels
confident that Poindexters election
is assured. the headway which Dill
has been making in lining up tn.
Gus political ills. unrest, discomfort,
radicalism and overdose of propa-
ganda is causing some of the repub-
ilcan leaders to feel somewhat un-
easy. Attempts to inject into the
campaign some kind of an issue
which will bring out discussion
crossroads and kitchen-have proven
futile. The people generally don't
care to discuss politics.
Registration Urged by G. o. p.
The republican organization has
pa!gn TO get the voters registered for
the election. This is meeting with
considerable success, as there are a
number OF constitutional amenments,
initiative and referendum measures.
on the top of the ballot. One of
these, the so-called 30-lo school tax
alton plan, having received the IN
dorsement of the State Educational
Association and at the same time the
Parent-Teachers' and Mothers Con-
greSs. has the woman workers busy
getting votes qualified to be cast upon
this one measure. But in getting out
the 1910 plan support the women
are carefully avoiding partisan poll
tics in fear of losing votes. Hence
the unusual woman organizations
which in ne past could be counted
upon as stanch republican voters are
not so active in partisan politics this
by-election as two years ago.
Emma Smith De Voc, the mother of
woman suffrage in the state and for
years an ardent worker for woman
legislation, has been named as vice
chairman of the republican state CEN
trail committee and is doing consid-
cradle organization work in the vari-
Gus counties among the women.
However. Mrs. De Voc Is finding tha;
her women organizations are much
more interested in their OWE party
county fights than in the senatorial
or congressional fights.
Scan Dimx Anti-war Record.
Dilrs anti-war record is being care
fully scrutinized and overhauled by
the republican capaigners. espe-
cIally by those representatives who
served with Dill during the time ne
was in Congress. In meeting direct
attacks upon the democratic nominee
he has counterattacked. charging
tl,a yur,Il
show that the republican stump
speakers are mistaken in their con-
tentions and that this record will so
prove. This has started a warm con-
troversy as to what the record actu-
ally shows. For the first time in the
sional Record at the public libraries
is being asked for. as both G. Q. +.
and democratic orators are seeking
political thunder.
Where there is money available
neither faction feels like making
much of display because of the
Newberry case. Money-spending for
advertising. electioneering and pub
licity for party candidates is far from
popular these days in this state.
Leaders in politics are afraid of re-
action if any display of wealth is
made.
Senator Poindexter has been maxi
ing vigorous drive for votes IN
practically every county in the state.
His trail has crossed and recrossed
that of Dill and both men have talked
to and reached about the same num-
ber of voters.
$4,000 Predicted for Poindexter.
careful check over the state would
indicate that Poindexter would carry
the state by not less than $4,000 ma
joritW if the election was to be held
within the next two weeks. There
are many politicians who have been
watching the situation, however, who
predict that Dill, through his gum
shoe tactics. will be able to carve
down this majority: Reports re-
ceived in this city from practically
every county seat in the state inti-
cate that Poindexter's strength as
shown at the primaries will not be
affected much by Dill and that he
will roll up considerably more than
so 900 majority unless Duncan with
draws from the race within the next
two weeks and throws his entire fol-
lowing into the democratic fold
Even then Duncan's advent into the
democratic fold will tend to frighten
away many of the old-line conserva-
tive democrats.
There is another feature of the
this year which Is affecting
political rallies more than ever be-
fore. campaign speakers unite In as
serting. This is the automobile. In
stead of being a vehicle to get the
voters out, the auto is one of the big
factors in preventing large. enthu-
siastic rallies. The average citizen
prefers to spend his even
ing either jOy-riding or taking the