Evening star., 1926-11-10
Politics at Large
By G.. Could Lincoln.

nor and members of the House anu
other officials, was held, for Maine
has never vet conformed to the prac-
tice Of all the other AZ states WHICH
elect the first Tuesday after the nrst
Monday in November. On NoVehper
20 Maine holds another election-to9
fill the vacancy in the Senate CAUSED
by the death of the late senator
Fernald. Republican. Ordinarily TINS
sneciar election would pass with COM
paratively little interest to the OUT
side world. But not so this year.
The makeup of the Senate in the
Seventieth Congress now stands ~
Republicans, AZ Democrats, l Farmer
Labor and l vacancy, the vacancy pe-
ing the hitherto Republican seat IN
Maine. Much hangs on the election
of a Republican or a Democrat IN the
Pine Tree State. If the Republicans
win, as there is every indication they
will, the Republicans will have exact
ly one-half the membership of the
Senate, with the probability that Sen
ator Shipstead of Minnesota, Farmer
Labor, will join with them IN matters
of organization and some legislation.
If the Democrats elect Senator IN
Maine, then they will have As Sena-
tors, and unless the Farmer-l +abor
at all times, the Democrats will be In
a position to control. With the Sen
ate evenly divided, the Vice President,
a Republican, casts the deciding vote
X X *
"As Maine goes, so goes the Ma
tion," the usual prediction dictum,
changes now to, "As Maine goes. so
goes the Senate" The Republicans
have nominated Arthur r. Gould of
Presque Isle. much to their own sur
prise, for he was opposed by former
Gov. Percival =. Baxter. Baxter was
considered the best known Republican
in the State. lie had been president
of the State Senate and twice gov
ernOr. The longer a man is in public
office the greater his crop of political
enemies, however. Mr.. Gould has
never held public office, except for a
term in the state Senate. 1921-1922.
He is a self-made business man, who
started his career as a farm laborer,
picking bugs off cabbages. and now
is rated one of the wealthiest and
most important men in the State, his
interests ranging from hydroelectric
power plants to potatoes. and includ-
ing lumber. He is 90 years old, but
without a gray hair in his head He
stands feet 3 inches tall, a long
rang" figure with powerful shoulders
a down East Yankee" His words
are few and short clipped He is "a
conservative Republican,, and plans
to follow closely in the footsteps of
the late Senator Fernald, who opposed
the League of Nations and the World
Court.
Against Mr.. Gould the Democrats
have nominated Fulton J. Redman
tedman is young, energetic, a men,
Der of a law firm in New York, though
he keeps his residence and office in
Ellsworth, Me. He was a candidate
FOR the. Senate on the Democratic
ticket two years ago against Senator
t'ernald and was defeated by F'ernald
by $1,000 votes.
Mr.. Redman IS making an active
campaign. He Is receiving assistance
from the Democratic organization
outside the State, which realizes how
much his election may mean to the
party. But Maine is Republican. For
Democrat to win there the Repuhl-
cans must be seriously divided To
date there is nothing to show that the
Republicans will fail to roll up the ma
Jor1ty needed to elect Mr.. Gould. In
deed, the personal popularity of Gould
In many parts Of the State is likely to
give him large vote. urthernore
the Republicans are by no means in.
different to the need of sending him
to the Senate. where his vote will he
greatly needed in the next Congress,
and' indeed, in the session which
opens in December.
Democrats are taking great comfort
from the senatorial elections, in which
they won seven seats held by Repub-
licans and lost none of their own.
They are inclined to give no little
credit to the Democratic senatorial
committee, headed by Senator Peter
Goelet Gerry of Rhode Island, New
England's only Democratic Senator
until the recent election of Senator
David /. Walsh in Massachusetts.
This committee labored quietly, but
effectively. 1t sent funds into some
of the hotly contested States in
greater amount than has usually been
the case, although not in proportions
which would lead to charges of cor
ruption. The report filed by the treas.
urer Of the senatorial committee, Sem
ator Thomas y. Bayard of Delaware,
shows that the contributions were
generous. Instead of using the funds
in the national headquarters they
were sent into the States where they
would do the most good The func-
ton Of the committee, other than as
sisting in strategy of the political bat.
ties in several States, was to furnish
detailed voting records of all Of the
sitting Republican members who were
up for reelection, and the vote of a
Senator is now considered the acid
nP hiS yonIitiool ;aI
ord. The committee prepared and
broadcast thousands of copies of the
Democratic Book Of Facts" The com.
mittee broadcast also thousands of
copies of pamphlet extracts of the
Congressional Record. and kept a
small Office force in Washington to
answer hundreds of queries propound
| ed by the various candidates. The
| Democratic committee depended large
| ly upon the spoken word carried by
the party speakers into the contested
States, under the direction of Senator
! Claude A. Swanson of Virginia, chair
man of the Democratic senatorial
speakers bureau. Col. +. A. Halsey of
| the Senate staff was the acting secre
tary of the Democratic senatorial
committee.
The Democrats are especial
| pleased with the victories of theil
senatorial candidates in Massachu
setts and New York. regarded as
pivotal States. The dry half of the
Democratic party is not saying much
about the part that the prohibition
| issue played in the election of Wagner
| in New York and Walsh in Massa
chusetts, although the wet half /.
| pointing with pride to those victories
Of anttprohibition candidates for tn,
| Senate.
Although Senator Walsh has beer
| elected to flll the unexpired term o.
the late Senator Lodge of Massa
chusetts. 1t appears sthat Senator