Evening star., 1934-01-17
"There She Stands"

Vermont-there she stands, Re-
publican Rock Of Gibraltar. Other
States may shift their position, may
follow the Woodrow Wilson's and the
Franklin d. Roosevelts and their Demo-
cratic leadership, but not the Green
Mountain State. Yesterday, true to
tradition, Vermont elected Senator
Ernest w. Gibson. a Republican, to fill
the vacancy caused by the death OF the
late Senator Dale, and Charles A.
Plumley, another Republican. to fill the
seat in the House which Senator Gibson
not long ago resigned to accept appoint
ment to the Senate. The reports are to
the effect that the G. o. p. did slightly
better in ratio of votes cast yesterday
than it did in 1882, although the total
vote was lighter.
It has been the boast Of Vermont
Republicans that not since the days
of Abraham Lincoln has the State
elected a Democratic member of the
House, a Democratic member OF the
Senate or a Democratic Governor, nor
has it voted for a Democratic Presi-
dent Vermont was one of the two
States which stuck with the late Pres
ident William Howard Taft in 1912
when others ordinarily Republican feil
away either to Theodore Roosevelt or
to Woodrow Wilson, who divided pretty
effectually that year the hide Of the
G. o. P. The other was Utah. In
1882 Vermont was one of the six States
which remained steadfast during the
revolt against Republican leadership
and cast its vote for former President
Hoover.
Republicans expected Vermont yes
terday to do exactly what she did, elect
Senator Gibson and Representative
Plumley. What the Democrats ex-
pected is perhaps another matter.
During the last year Democrats have
come to believe more thoroughly in
the destiny of their party, and some
of them reached the conclusion that
nothing, after all, was impossible to the
democracy, not even an assault upon
the Republican control of Vermont.
Their victory in Vermont yesterday
was the first ray of light or hope that
has burst through the dark cloud which
has hung over the heads of the Repub-
Ecans. 1t is true that Mayor La
Guardia of New York defeated his
Democratic opponents in the election
there last November. But Mayor La
G"ardia was supported by many of the
Democrats and his opponents were sup
ported by some of the Republicans.
OF course, victory in State which
has been less strongly Republican in
the past than Vermont would have
been even more welcome to the G. o. P,
for example, Indiana or West Virginia.
But the Republicans have come to be
thankful for favors, no matter how
small
Perhaps Vermont's election is to mark
swing back to Republicanism, although
it would be a bold prognosticator who
made such an assertion today. Other
political tests, in the elections Of last
November, have been more favorable ia
the Democrats. 1t will not be long now
until the congressional campaign is
under way, marking the halfway point
in the Roosevelt administration. This
has many times been a danger point,
politically, for past administrations, a
point at which the political pendulum
starts to swing back to the opposition
Democrats will seek to hold their ground
and the opposition will fight desperately
to regain House and Senate seats which
were wrested from them in the last
election. 1t takes more than one swal-
low to make a Spring, and Democrats
will insist that it takes more than an
election in Vermont to make a Republi-
can victory in the Fall of 1924