Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1928-08-02
OUTLOOK BRIGHT
SAYS DOUGHTON
While Here Last Week, Eighth Dis
trict Congressman Said He Ex-
poets to Garry Every County in
the District by an Increased Ma
jority
By RUPERT GILLETT

L L L
"When November comes, YOU
won't be able to get Republican to
bet an even dollar that they will
carry a single district in North Car
olina."
Those were the words used by
representative r. L. Doughton here
last week when he was asked for a
comment on Senator Moses predic-
ton that Mr.. DOLghton would be de-
feated.
THE Republicans always have the
state carried in July and August"
Mr.. Doughton continued, ''and some
times as late as September, but their
confidence decreases rapidly after
that, and by November they are not
making any predictions at all. The
process has been the same in all of
the nine elections l have gone
through and Won"
Il believe, after such a record, l
am in a position to speak with au-
tohrity on this subject. Of course,
there is possibility that we would
lose if we neglected the situation,
but we are not going to neglect it.
| am in constant touch with the po-
litical leaders of the state, and par
ticularly with those in my own dis
trict, and | find them this year
more enthusiastic than they have
been in years All of them are
working hard, and that means that
the Republicans will not carry con-
gressional district in the entire
state.
This summer l have visited all
the nine counties in nv district and
have come in contact with people in
all walks OF life in those counties.
From these close observations | can
say that the Republicans will not
carry 9 county in my district-not
even Watauga.H
When it was pointed out to Mr..
Doughton thai many Republican
leaders. including Mrs. W. E. Ken
nan, national committeewoman,
were pointing to the heavy Repub-
lican vote in North Carolina in
1920 and claiming a similar large
vote this year, Nj. Doughton said:
What of it? They didn't carry
the state in 1920. That was a year
OF general dissatisfaction and reac-
was to be expected. But you will
T. IOtlCS lIlct W ACI uuUSudt SlIudIAOIkS
bring out heavy votes, Democrats
vote heavily as we'll as Republicans,
and the usual balance is maintained.
Mrs. Remnants argument that if
the Republicans had voted as heavi-
ly in 1926 as in 1920 johnson ].
Hayes would nave been elected to
the senate does not hold. The same
hypothetical situation that might
have caused heavy Republican vote
in that year would have caused a
proportionally heavy Democratic
vote, with the result tnat the Demo-
Gratis would have carried the state
as usual.
Even if, as Mrs. Kennan says,
three-fouYths of those who cast Re-
publican ballots in 1920 were born
Democrats, you can't compare year
like 1920 with 1928. The people of
North Carolina are satisfied with
Democratic state officers, and they
are not going to change. The few
times that Republicans have been in
control of state offices they have
made q complete failure. Our state
ticket this year is unusually popular,
and il has a record of fine admins
trarion behind it.
'On the whole, l see no reason to
become panicky because the Repub-
licans are following their unusual
custom of carrying the state in July
and August instead Of in Novem
ber."