Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-12
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Although the Republicans have car
ried the Maine State election by a
record breaking majority. there is one
feature of 1t that Is probably disquieting
to them. as we'll as to the Democrats
namely, that the total vote is consider
ably smaller than that of 1924. In that
presidential year. Brewster. Republican.
end Pattangan. Democrat. pollcd be-
tween them 253,907 votes for governor.
Incomplete returns indicate that in this
weeks election only 100000 Maine men
and women went to the polls--a slump
of 43,O0O-odd from four years ago. De-
spite the prOdigious G.. o. P. effort, just
about the same number of Republicans
voted for Gardiner on September 10 as
voted for Gov. Brewster in 1924. some
$4,000 fewer Democrats voted for their
gubernatorial candidate, Moran, this
time than voted for Pattangall In the
previous presidential year.
* y
There are two distinct angles to the
Maine results apart from the over
wheiming G. O. P victory. One Is tnat
the get-out-the-vote campaign. though
prosecuted with unprecedented v12or,
does not appear to have achieved much
of ANYTHING. Hoover managers made no
secret of their desire to roll up An un-
narallele6 In order that CORE
spending disbursement might over
take the Smith camp in its designs on
New England. Yet Gardiner, victorious
Republican candidate for governor,
with 80,000-odd majority. is roundly
5000 behind Coolidge's presidential ma
lority in Maine in 1924. The other
angle is that Pine Tree State Democrats
nominated dry for governor this year.
The alibi is likely to be put forth that
when Smith is voted for 10 weeks hence,
Maine may give different and Wettcr
account of itself. The national popular
vote for President the Coolloge-DaVis.
La Toilette contest reached the record
total of 29O99131, an increase OF q
424.96O over 1920. 1t was the largest
four-year gain ever attained. With Wom-
en- voting. the normal four-year gain
expectation is |, 800 900. When men only
voted. it was 100000 The returns
from Maine make politicians wonder Just
how effective the 1923 get-out-the- vote
drive against political apathy is going
to be.
President Coolidge enters upon the
last six months of his administration
with his return to the White House
from the Summer vacation In Wlscon-
sin. Politicians. the business world ana
foreign governments would give 5000
deal to know whether the Vermonter
intends resting on his laurels or cruSad-
ing in some direction that will add TO
them. will Coolidge press for important
new legislation during the expiring
weeks of the SEVENTEEN Congress? VIII
he aspire to leave Office acclaimed by
agriculture and put through between
now and March>4. 1929. some genuine
form of farm relief? Will he advocate
big naval program as the American
answer to the Anglo-French agreement?
Has he up his sleeve some scheme de-
signed to make the country remember
Coolidge economy more wildly than
ever? Time will tell.
Elihu Roots canny refusal TO say
whether mes for Hoover or Smith, on
the ground that he's "out of politics.
arouses speculation as to where his
sympathies really lie. The nestor OF
the G.. 0. p. is generally accounted A
wet. His argument against the nnccn-
stitutionality Of the eighteenth amend
ment before the United States Supreme
Court is well remembered. That was
the time-l0 wears ago. more or less
when. paraphrasing a popular Gdyertis-
ing slogan. New York newspaper
headlined a front page story, Beer
Hires Root" This observer heard in
Washington this week, on what p,lr-
ported to be authority. that Root wrote,
or advised. the prohibition amendment
paragraphs of Gov. Smiths acceptance
speech.
One of the welcome recruits to the
Smith cause is William B. Wilson of
Pennsylvania. former Secretary of Labor
and irrepressible contestant for the Ware
senatorial seat. Uncle Billy" Is
dyed-in- the-wool dry. but evidently
thinks that party loyalty is more i'm
portant than prohibition. The former
Wilson cabinet oficer has no thought
OF dropping his fight for the pennsyl-
vania snnatorshio He Ia orohahlV