Milford chronicle., 1936-11-27
Milford, Friday, November q, 1885

ocratic Party, which didn't even g
close to control of the White Houi
in 1920, 1924 and 1928, so vivid
demonstrates today.
But can major party survive a
election in which it's office-hOlders-
who are the sole source of the pa
tronage that is so vital to any pOliti
cal machine-are reduced to the low
est number in history?
That question is now being con
sidered privately by Republican
leaders-and publicly by PRACTICAL!
all of the country's publicists ant
political columnists.
Under the American elective sys
tenn, a party can receive a respec
table popular vote and still be Out
in the cold when the time comes fOl
calling the roll in Congress, State
legislatures and municipal councils
That is what happened to Republi-
cans in the debacle of 1886. Cover
nor Landon polled around 81 per
cent Of the popular vOte-yet receiv-
ed only u per cent of the Electoral
College vote. Republican candidates
throughout the country pOlled about
100000 votes as against about 27,-
100000 for the Democrats-yet they
were victorious in only a microscopic
proportion of the contests.
Best example of this is the House
of Representatives 1t was univer-
sally conceded, before November 8,
that the Republicans would make
gains, irrespective of who won the
Presidency. Democratic spokesmen
said hopefully that these gains would
not amount to more than 20 or 80
seats, while Republicans claimed
they would gain we'll over 100 seats.
Non5partisan commentators placed
Republican gains at 40 to 50 seats.
Actual result was startling. In
stead of gaining seats, the Republi-
cans lost Is. Instead of losing seats
the Democrats gained 13. Farmer
LabOrer candidates gained 2.
In the Senate, it was mathema-
tically impossible for the Republi-
cans to achieve control. but every
one thought they would have a bet
ter showing next Congress thaR last.
Result: The G. o. p lost six seats.
The Democrats gained five. The
discrepancy of one is explained by
the reelection of Senator Norris on
an Independent ticket
Worst of all, a number of the re-
naming Republican senators be-
long to the Progressive Bloc" which |
is bitterly opposed to Hoover, Lam
don, Hamilton, and other leaders.
The next Congress, then, will ans
wer the roll as follows: Democrats
in the House, 334; Republicans, SO;
Democrats in the Senate, IS; Repub-
licans, II.
Also vitality important to any party
are Governorships-a great deal of
the patronage that keeps political
machines well oiled and members
flows from statehouses.
Here again the Republicans made
the worst showing in their long his
tory. There were 80 Gubernatorial !
chairs to be filled-and Democrats S
won q of them. This gives the DEM S
)cratic party 3S State Chief Execu- r
ives. t
So the party that received the p
argest vote ever accorded a losing e
icket, got almost nowhere in at "
aiming representation in high Of
ces. Complete figures for county
nd municipal elections are not OBJ
but the Democratic sweep al
as overwhelmingly. Leaders of the NJ
arty thus say, with some justice, hs
lat our elective system is unfair pl
minorities. On the other hand. be
emocratic spokesman say the ar
victory is important not an
lily because of the majorities at I'll
ined, but because it extended to oV
cry section of the country and DR.
oke down long-established lines of
rtisan sympathy. OIL
To get back to the original ques- the
N, can the Republicans come back? kir
eir party heads say they will. me
1ong non-partisan commentators mo
inion is that the party has a good thr
ance to come back-but that con- the
cradle reorganization must take be
ce, new and aggressive program cou
st be adopted, and new faces must but
lace some familiar ones in party car
lncils. One leading Republican, yet
Fish of New York,
already demanded that present
ty heads resign. 1
What will happen remains to be tan
n. The hard fact is that no ma out
party ever was at so law state mol
the G.. o. P. is at present-the int
nocrats in their hungriest days you
nnu hoI T,..r-o -. A.. ! .s..o