Evening star., 1934-11-01
The POlitical Mill
BY c. Could Lincoln.

BOSTON, Mass, October 31-The
old political saw, "As Maine goes, SO
goes the Nation" has perhaps more
significance for New England this year
than for the rest of the country. The
Democratic victory there in Septem-
ber, when q Governor and two out
| Of three of the Maine House dele
CATION were elected, and Senator Fred
erick Hale, Republican, came through
merely by the skin OF his teeth, was
terrible shock to the G, o. P. lead
ers in all New England. They are
! striving to prove, If they can, that
there is nothing, after all, in the Oft
repeated statement that Maine is the
political bellwether Of the country,
and particularly Of New England.
1t is true that in the results of the
Maine election there was no actual
change in the political complexion Of
| the States congressional representa-
| ton, for Republican Senator was re-
elected and one out Of the three men,
bers Of the House from Maine will
| be Republican, as Is the case in the
present Congress. The defeat of Rep
reSentative Beedy, veteran Repub-
hcan, however, was Q sad blow to the
Republicans, even though they elected
former Gov. Ralph o. Brewster, their
candidate, in q district now held by
q Democrat.
In four Of the five New England
| States which will hold elections with
the rest of the country on November
United States Senators are to be
| elected. The Democrats are moving
| heaven and earth to win the sena-
| torial races in Rhode Island and in
| Connecticut. Republican Senators are
| up for reelection in both States. II
the Democrats can take one or both
Of these seats they will have made
gains in the upper House so far as
| the senatorial elections are concerned
| in the other two States, MaSsachu-
sets and Vermont. they seem to be
settled, with q Democrat, Walsh, con-
tinuing to hold his present post and
Republican, Austin, sure to be re-
elected in the Green Mountain State.
Vermont, indeed, has a unique record
for Republicanism. Not since the
Civil War has that State elected a
Democratic Governor, Democratic
Senator or a Democratic member of
the House Of Representatives. Yer
! mont stuck to Taft in 1912, the
Bull Moose year, and was one Of the
six States which voted for former
President Hoover two years ago.
There seems to be no real reason to
think that this political stand will be
upset in the coming election.
-
In New Hampshire the Republicans
| and the Democrats at present divide
the congressional delegation. There
is one Republican Senator, Keyes, and
one Democratic Senator, Brown. In
| the first congressional district is Rep
resentative Rogers, Democrat. In the
second district, Representative Tobey,
Republican, is the incumbent. The
State has no senatorial contest this
year. Keyes comes up for reelection
in 1885. The Republicans are work
| ing hard to hold the second district.
Under existing conditions, 1t would
be difficult for them to capture the
| first district from the Democrats.
There is real contest for Governor
Of New Hampshire this year. The
candidates OF both the major parties
are young men. John Lawrence Sui
livan, the Democratic nominee, is IS
years old, and his Republican oppo-
nent, Styles Bridges. is SO. Sullivan,
a graduate of Dartmouth and of the
Harvard Law School, is declared to
| be one Of the most promising young
men in New Hampshire politics In q
long time. He won the Democratic
| gubernatoria1 nomination this year
with big lead over his opponents.
In 1882 he tried to bring about the
election OF Smith delegation to the
Democratic National Convention, but
the Roosevelt forces were too strong.
Immediately after the nomination Of
Roosevelt Sullivan jumped into the
campaign to elect the Democratic
nominee as President. He is support
ing the policies Of the Roosevelt ad-
ministration strongly in his present
campaign. In the Werld War Sulli-
van served as an enlisted man in the
Navy and ne has been prominent in
American Legion circles since,
~
The Republican candidate for Cow
ernor. Bridges, is a graduate of the
University of Maine, his native State
He went to New HAMPSHIRE after
leaving college to become a county
agricultural agent, and later Joined
the STAN of the University of New
Hampshire as agricultural extension
specialist. Bridges not long aft
erward became interested in poli-
tics. He has belonged to the pro-
gressive wing OF the Republican party
IN the State, generally speaking, and
trained with Gov. Winant. More re-
Gently he has been q member of the
Public Service Commission. This year
he defeated Mayor Carroll of Laconia.
the choice Of the Republican Old
Guard for Governor In New Hamp-
shire the Republican majority is nor
mally around 10000 votes. But this
is not normal year. 1t is true that
New Hampshire turned up a victory
Tor Hoover in 1882 against Roosevelt
and elected Gov. Winant. In that same
election, however. Senator . Brown,
Democrat, defeated the veteran Re
publican Senator, George Moses.
although by narrow margin.
The Republicans are attacking the
Roosevelt administration because on
the eve Of the election 1t has poured
$135 5.000, 900 in relief funds into all
the States of the Union except Maine
Why not Maine. they ask. And they
answer that Maine, having held its
election in September, is not territory
in which the Democrats have to win
on November 6 through the expendi-
ture Of public funds. Republican pro-
tests against relief fund expenditures,
however, may have an effect other
than they desire. If they become too
strenuous in this line of attack, the
Democrats will go right ahead telling
the "reliefers" that it is clear that II
the Republicans come into power their
dole will be cut down or cut of, and
the made work" for which they are
being paid will be abandoned. The
Democrats are counting strongly on
the SuDDOrt of voters now on reliaf