Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-08
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS

They are voting in Maine today for
United States Senator and National
Representatives, and one party or the
other, Notwithstanding the proved I'M
dependability Of the maxim, "As Maine
goes, so goes the Nation" viii hail the
outcome as a demonstration of what
may be expected in November. Claude
e. Robinson, Columbia University in
vestigator, after statistical studies of
Names voting from 1874 to 1926, an
nounces that the off-year elections in
that State do not offer much of q guide
to congressional elections for the coun-
try at large. There is very little re-
lationship" he says, between Republic
can strength registered at the Maine
ballot box in September and the ability
Of the Republican party to gather votes
throughout the Nation in November"
His compilation shows errors of an
average of 20 seats to an election in
predictions based on the popular ba-
rometer.
Commenting that the party Of the
President always loses seats in the House
in the elections following an inaugura-
ton, Mr.. Robinson says the habit Of
the American electorate to debate adj
ministration strength in on years per-
mits the formulation of q forecaSting
rule more accurate than the Maine
maxim. IF the party that carries the
presidency wins at the same time, less
than IS per cent of the seats in the
House, or more than IS per cent, it
will lose one-fourth Of its Congressman
at the off-year election, while If the
party Of the President carries more than
55 per cent Of the House, but less than
IS per cent, 1t will lose one-tenth of
its Congressman" Application of this
defiation rule to the 1880 elections would
forecast Republican loss in November
of 81 House seats, which happens to
be just one-half the number that the
Democrats must win to gain control.
Two speeches of President Hoover, re-
vised for special publication, will be
published in book form this Fall by
the Huntington Press The slim vol
ume, containing fewer than so pages,
will bear the title "A Remedy for Dis
appearing Game Fishes" which is the
title OF the first speech therein, one Mr..
Hoover delivered when he became pres
ident OF the Izaak Walton League of
America. The other speech, AN Ad-
dress to the People of Virginia" is an
expression of the Presidents sentiment
Tor his summer camp on the Rapidan.
Fishing is more than the king of
healthy recreations," the President says;
1t Is the ideal sport for a democracy,
because "all men are equal before
fishes
Wilbur F. Wakeman, who is even
more widely known as a tariff expert
than Joseph r. Grundy, has been des-
lgnated for the Republican nomination
for Congress In the eleventh New York
district, which is made up of Staten
Island and the ONCE building part of
Manhattan. As secretary of the Amer
lean Protective Tariff League and edi-
torial direction Of the American Eco
nomist, Wakeman, for nearly 40 years.
has been familiar figure to political
Washington. He is reputed to have had
as large hand in the writing of the
Mckinley, Dlngley and Payne-Aldrich
tariff bills as Senator Grundy is alleged
by the Democrats to have had In the
writing of the new Hawley-Smoot revi-
sion measure.
Senator Wheeler's reafirmation Of his
view that the United States ought to
recognize Soviet Russia carried a ia
miliar ring, but S. Stanwood Menken,
chairman of the National Security
League, struck an entirely new chord
for him when he announced, II now
definitely favor recognition" He and
his organization were on the other side
of the question. II was bitterly opposed
to recognition, but now ! believe. we
should take the STEP" Menken said on
his return from Europe, adding he was
as much opposed to Communism as he
was before. A third returning passenger
on the Leviathan, Senator Alben w.
Barley Of Kentucky, had not com
pletely'' made up his mind about Russia.
r
falling off in the number OF first
grade school enrollments this September
Is reported by the once Of Education,
Department of the Interior At the
same time the number Of students in
institutions of higher education is
growing all the time. A constantly de-
clining national birth rate is held re-
sponsible for the falling of in the
enrolment In the early grades. Chill
dren starting to school this Fall were
born s or 6 years ago when the birth
rate was rejecting the effects Of ACTIVE
ties Of the war period. Steady decline
Of the birth rate In 10 years, from ass