Evening star., 1926-11-03
The Elections.

In the only nation wide contest OF
party was victorious. the return of
the national House Of Representatives.
It provides s. yardstick by which
political sentiment the country over
can be measured at this time. Elk
pected Republican losses to the Demo
Gratis in the Senate elections have hap
pened. These losses were in large
part due to factional strife among the
Republicans themselves or to a swing
back to more normal conditions of
party division in States which or
dinarily vote Democratic.
New York is an example. The di.
vision of the Republican party over
the wet and dry issue upset the
chances Of Senator James W. Wads-
worth. Jr. With a bone-dry candi-
date, Cristman, running as an inde.
pendent Republican. it was we'll nigh
q foregone conclusion that the Demo
crat, aided by the Al Smith strength,
would be elected. In Massachusetts,
too, the senatorial contest was great.
~ complicated by the injection of the
wet and dry issue. many wet Re-
publicans favoring Walsh against But
ler.
Democratic victories for Senator in
Oklahoma. Missouri. Maryland and
Kentucky represent merely a swing
back to "normalcy," from which those
States were swept by the Harding
and Coolidge tidal waves in 1920 and
1924. While the Democratic party is
entitled to full credit for its sena-
torial trtumphs in yesterdays elec.
tions. it must not be forgotten that
only one-third Of the Senate mem
bership was at issue. Had the entire
Senate been up for election, several
seats held by Democrats in States that
are normally Republican, Michigan
and Washington, for example, prob.
ably would have been lost by the
Democrats.
The swing Of the political pendulum
In an "off year." the middle Of a
presidential term, almost invariably
results in gains for the party out Of
power. 1t has become automatic to
say that the party in power suffers
losses at these elections. In the midst
Of war. President Wilson and his
party suffered far more severe re.
verses than were experienced by the
Republicans yesterday, in a mid-term
congressional election.
The defeat Of Senator William NJ,
Butler by former Senator David I.
Walsh in Massachusetts retires from
public office the chairman of the Re.
publican national committee. a warm
personal friend Of President Coolidge.
II comes in the face Of an earnest
appeal by the President himself that
Butler be reelected. His defeat
comes nearer to being q reputation
Of the President than any other Re.
publican loss yesterday. It will be
SO interpreted in Democratic quar-
ters. Yet such a claim, when the
situation is analysed, falls to the
ground. Senator Walsh made no
anti-Coolidge campaign in Massachu.
setts. Indeed, when Gov. Ritchie of
Maryland and former Senator Stan
ley OF Kentucky. early in the Massa-
chusetts senatorial campaign, de.
clared in political speeches for Walsh
that this was an opportunity to de-
feat Coolidge" they threw Senator
Walsh and his Massachusetts sup.
porters into cold sweat. The last
thing they wished to make Of the
campaign was a fight against Cool.
tdge. What they desired was to con-
fine the contest to Senator Butler on
personal grounds so far as possible.
Senator Walsh. IN the language of
the street. has pulled an Al Smith"
in Massachusetts,. He has run 122,-
600 ahead Of his ticket. He has de-
feated his Republican opponent for
the Senate by $4,000, while a Repub-
lican governor was winning by up
ward OF 100000 votes. 1t Is a tribute
to the personal popularity of Walsh.
In considering the effect of the Massa.
chusetts elections on the political
fortunes of the President, 1t must be
recalled that the President made as
strong an appeal for the election Of
Gov. Fuller as he did for that Of
Senator Butler. and that Fuller won
handsomely.