The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1936-11-25
EDITORIAL
80 90 kErunIIoAN pARTY suRVIvEg

CAN THE REPUBLICAN, PARTY SURVIVED
major political party can survive long period Of de-
feat Of Presidential candidatesas the Democratic Party
which didn't set close to control Of the White House in
1870 1924 and 1928 so wildly demonstrates today.
But major party survive election IN which its
oeeholdwho the sole source OF the patronage that
vital to any political machine reduced to the low
est number n history
that question IS nov being considered privately by Re
publican leaders aud publicly BY practically all Of the
tfys pubicists and political columnsts.
Under the American elective system party receive
respectable popular vote and still be out in the cold when
the time calling the roll in Congress- State egsla
lures municipal councils That happened to Re-
pubicans debacle of 1896 Governor Landon poed
around 81 per Of the popular vote received only
IL per cent Of the Electoral College vote Republican
dae throughout the country poed about 100000 votes
gansf about 27O00000 for the Democrats yet they
victorious IN only microscopic proportion of the
example of this the House of Representatives
t universally conceded before Novembr g. that the Re
pubicans would make gains irrespective of who the
Democratic spokesman said hopefully that these
gains would amount to than 20 80 seats while
Republicans claimed they would gain 100 seats Non
partisan commentators placed Republican gains at 40 to 90
Actual results startling Instead of gaining seats
the Republicans lost 15 Instead of losing Seats the Demo-
Gratis gained 13 Farmer-abor candidates gained q
IN the Senate it mathematcly impossible for the
Republicans to achieve control but everyone thought they
would have better showing Congress than last Re-
suit: The COP lost seats The Democrats gained The
discrepancy Of explained by the reelection Of Senator
Norris Independent ticket
Worst Of all number Of the remaining Republican
aor belong to the Progressive Bloc which is bitterly OPP
posed to Hoover. Landon Hamilton and other leaders
The next Congress- then Will the roll follows
Democrats the House 1884, Republicans 49, Democrats in
the Senate IS; Republicans, IL
Also vitality important to any party Governorships
great deal Of the patronage that keeps political machines
well oiled and members contented flows from statehouses
Here again the Republicans made the worst showing in their
long history There 80 Gubernatoria chairs to be filled
and Democrats n of them This gives the Democratic
party 80 State Chief Executives.
To get back to the original question can the Republic
cars back2 Their party heads say they will Among
nonparsan commentators opinion that the party has
good chance to bacbut that considerable reorgan
cation must take place and aggressive program must
p adopted and faces must replace familiar
ii party councils One leading Republican Representative
Fish Of New York has already demanded that present party
heads resign.
What viii happen remains to be The hard fact is
fhat major party low state as the COP
IS ct Democrats in their hungrest days always
had large representation in Congress- governorshps
legislatures, municipal councils ETC. But politics is sur
prsng and the unprecedented xays occur One
TO what will happen to the twoparty system the
next four years Is as good another.