Evening star., 1935-08-11
Base Belief on Swing of
$4,000 Votes in Rhode
Island Election.
A.A.A. TAX AND SPENDING
PROGRAMS DISTASTEFUL
People Have Not Forgotten Thrift
and Look With Anxiety to
Meeting Tax Bill.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN,
CtaR rnrreSn0ndant nf The Efa y


BOSTON, Mass, August l0.-New
England is lost to the Roosevelt New
Deal. in the opinion of careful OBJ
servers of political sentiment here.
The recent election in the first con-
gressional district of Rhode Island,
when Risk, Republican candidate
for the House. won because Of swing
of some $4,000 votes since last Novem-
bers election Of Democrat, has
served to cement this idea.
How far the Republican party will
be able to capitalize on the discomfort
of the New England voters with
President Roosevelt and his New Deal
policies rel aims to be seen. Up to
TIE present time the Republican party
organization in this section of the
country hi been nothing to boast of
S. 'ce the Democrats took charge in
Washington. But that situation pre-
vailed in the first Rhode Island con-
gressional district before the election.
And If the Republicans are able to go
ahead and defeat the New L al Demo-
Gratis without any particular organi-
zation in Rhode Island. 1t is argued
that they can do it in Massachusetts,
and other New England States.
Gains Increased in 1884.
In 1882, to be sure, Roosevelt car
ried onl.' two Of the six New
England States-Massachus and
Rhode Island The rest-Maine. Con-
necticut, Vermont and New Hamp-
shire-all went for Herbert Hoover,
tt ugh r. harrow margins. In 1894,
however. there was a continued Demo-
cratic swing in New England, gen.
orally speaking. For example, Con-
necticut and Rhode ISLAND both
elected Democratic Senators to sup
plant Republicans, and James M.
Curley, a Democrat, won by big vote
in the gubernatorif contest in Mas
SachuSettS.
1t may be urged in some quarters
that If the entirc six New England
States we're lost to Roosevelt and the
New Deal next year. it would not be
much Of blow-me: sly the loss Of
two States which supported Roosevelt
in 1929. On the other hand, II there
Is dissatisfaction and discomfort with
the New Deal throughout New Eng
land, is there any good reason to be-
lieve that discomfort may not have
{ read into 9th sections?
New England congressional elections
to fill vacancies in the House have
at least twice in the past given a clear
indication that the sentiment of the
country had swung against the ad-
ministration in power. In March,
1910, midway through the Taft ad-
ministration. Eugene N. Fess, running
as a Democrat, swept Cape Cod in
reaction against the Payne-Aldrich
tariff law. The Fess victory in this
Massachusetts, district forecast the
utter route of the Republicans in 1919.
Twenty years later, in 1890, Repre-
sentative William J. Garfield swept
the Springfield district in Massachu-
sets in a February by-election. The
Grandfleld election was the first real
indication of the rising tide which
was to engulf the G. o. p later. So
it is not so easy to laugh of or dis
count what the voters of New Eng
land congressional district may do
at the polls.
Democratic Stronghold.
The first Rhode Island district had
been considered a strong Democratic
district. No one, Republican or Demo-
cratic. believed that Risk would carry
the district last Tuesday with rare
exceptions.
The Democrats believed that their
81 900 margin of victory in the dis
trict last November might be reduced.
But that the Republican would win
with lead of more than 10000 votes
they would have laughed to scorn an
hour before the counting of the votes
began. Their amazement in Demo-
cratic headquarters in Rhode Island
Tuesday night as the returns rolled
(See POLITICS, Page g.