Evening star., 1928-10-21
DEMOCRATS FIGHT
FOR 8 DISTRICTS
Remaining Seven Called Safe
for Party in North
Carolina.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to TIL. Star.
RALEIGH. N. c., october 2o.-North
Carolina will elect no Senator this
year, but there is more interest In the
congressional races in the 10 districts
than in any election this century.
Since 1900 the Democrats have only
lost members of Congress at rare In
tervals and since 1915 the delegation
has been solidly Democratic without an
exception. -.
Democrats claim that this year will
be no exception to the rule, and al
though it is admitted that Hoover prob
ably will carry some of the congress
sional districts, the effort Of the anti
Smith Democrats to retain their party
regularity by voting the ticket except
for President is pointed to as a con-
tributing factor. and the further fact
that the Democratic. candidates In all
contested elections are incumbents Is
expected to help.
Taking any single district and the
Democrats would appear to have the
best of it. but three districts are so
close that Republicans would seem to
have good chance OF breaking through
in one of the three.
John H. Kerr of the second district
has no Republican opponent and Is
sure OF election. Opposition to Lindsey
c. Warren in the first. G. l.. Aber-
rathv In the third, E. w. Pou in the :
fourth and J. Bayard Clark in the
sixth. the only new man among the
Democratic nominees. is nominal.
Charles NJ Steadman. "a years old,
who has represented the fifth district
since 1910. is a Confederate veteran,
and the chances of julius NJ Hardin.
successful business man. must be rated
as poor. although the district will be
close as to President. Personal pop
ularity of R. L. Doughton of the,
eighth, who is also of the vintage of
1870 makes his reelection an ap- :.
parent certainty. although the Smith
Hoover vote in his district is expected
by nanv to tell a different story. This
leaves the three districts about which
there is some real douht-the seventh,
the ninth and the tenth.
In the seventh. the worst gerrymand-.
cred district in the Stats. the district
runs all the way from the Virginia to
the South Carolina line, the counties
at the upper end being Republican and
those in the lower end Democratic.
Heretofore it has been merely a quss--
ton of whether the lower end. with
considerably more votes. polled as great
proportionate strength. Ths majority
in each of the last three elections has
been approximately 1000. the vote
ranging from $4,000 to 5000. In this.
district. w. G. Hammer. Democratic In.
cumbent. is opposed by A. I. Ferree.
young Republican. who has represented
his county in the Legislature. Both
sides are conducting a vigorous and
apparently confident fight.
But the bitterest fight is being waged
in the ninth. where c. A. Jonas, Repub-
lican national committeeman, Is con-
testing the seat of Representative Bull.
Wrinkle. Here the majorities have ranged
from 5000 to 10000 in the last three
elections. with the total vote ranging
from $4,000 to $4,000. In addition 20
Jonas prestige and his access to CAM
paign funds. Mr.. Bulwinkle has to con-
tend with the most marked Democratic
disaffection of any district in the State,
However. he has assurances Of anti
Smith support and his friends say he
will be elected.
In the tenth. or mountain district. the
Republicans elected their candidat. as
recently as 1916. but since that time
Representative Weaver has increased his
majority from 1,100 In 1918 to 5000 In
the last presidential year. and 1000 iff
1926. George M. Pritchard. Republicans
nominee. is putting on quite fight. but
little is known In the rest Of the State
as to the exact status in the district. :
To repeat. the odds would favor the
Democrats In any one Of the 10 districts;
but clean sweep Is by no means
certain. r. e. WILLIAMS. :