Evening star., 1938-07-17
Figures Show Close Margin
of Democratic Victories in
Various Districts.
BY WILL p. KENNEDY,


A week ago Charles Nicholson, pub
licity director Of the Democratic party,
commenting on the withdrawal from
the House Of Minority Leader Smell,
who indicated he despaired of ever
being Speaker and was "diseusted at
the present political management of
his party" wrote in his propaganda
column, "Dispelling the Fog" as fol-
lows:
THE minority party spokesmen
have been doing lot of talking about
the gains they expect to make in the
next Congress, with the. grave
prophesy that in 1910 the G. o. P.
would have command of the House of
representatives"
Non-Partisan Analysis.
Now let's look at the record-and
what follows is not partisanship we'll
paid for or political bias or q weigh
ing Of personalities or New Deal sup
port or OF local conditions-it is q
cold. mathematical study Of the bal
lots cast consistently for q half CEN
tury-more or less. It is a strictly
non-partisan and unbiased analysis Of
figures.
Although Representative Smell Is
represented as Withdrawing from Con-
gress after ~ years service because
he decided ne couldn't become Speaker,
Representative Martin of Massachu-
sets. who Is due to succeed him as Re-
publican leader in the House, has a
fighting chance to become Speaker.
through his party gaining majority
control, possibly in the coming ses-
sion-not waiting until 1940-accord-
ing to an analysis of the voting record.
1t is Martins job IS chairman of
the Republican Congressional Com
mitee to make those gains and it will
require a change Of 129 seats to give
the Republicans control. where they
now have the all-time low record Of
80 seats.
And there are 129 districts in which
the present sitting" members won
out by only from, OF of / per cent of
the votes cast to ia per cent. This
includes 4 Progressives, Farm-LAbor-
ties and the other 120 Democrats.
Tendency TO Swing Back.
OF those 12s districts, not more than
five are chronically Democratic and
about as many more are 'in and OUT
debatable districts. All OF the others
are historically Republican. In those
districts the tendency is to swing back
to old party moorings. .
1t needs but mention; of the, names
Of the Republicans who. held those
seats for many years, until they be-
came nationally known as party lead
ers, to show that the roster includes
many Of the most noted men in the
annals OF Federal legislation. Such
names as Speakers Uncle Joe" Can
non and Mick" Longworth: party
leaders James r. Mann. Frank w.
Mondel and John @. Tilson are In
cluded.
Among the former Republican COM
mittee chairmen who formerly held
these seats were Chester I. Bolton
Philip P. Cambell, William r. Green
Nelson W. Aldrich. Martin B. Madden
Will R. Wood. Gilbert N. Haugen,
Stephen G. Porter, Fred Britten. Leon
idas c. Dyer, Richard B. Elliott, Fred
r. Lehlbach. Clarence MacGregor, w
Frank James, Stuart F. Reed, Fred
zihlman and Clarence J. Mcleod.
Two veteran legislators in this list
were chosen by Republican Presidents
to be secretaries at the White House
Everett M. Sanders and Walter N.
Newton. Another, Ogden L. Mills, was
drafted as Secretary of the Treasury
Service In Home States.
The list OF party stalwarts who held
these historically Republican seats is
long and includes men who gave
notable service in their home States
as well as to the Federal Government.
Among them are:
Franklin w. Fort, New Jersey:
Thomas S. Williams. Illinois; Henry
Allen Cooper, Wisconsin; E. Hart
Fem, Connecticut; John NJ Nelson,
Wisconsin; William A. Rodenberg, Illi-
nois; William J. Graham. Illinois; G..
Frank Reavis, Nebraska; John l..
Gable, Ohio; William P. Holiday,
Illinois; Calvin D. Page and Frank
H. F'oss, Massachusetts,; Henry w.
Watson, Pennsylvania; Richard p.
Freeman and Schuyler Merritt, Con-
necticut; Isaac Bacharach, New Jer-
sey; Patrick H. Kelley, Earl NJ. Mich
ener, James c. Mclaughlin, Frank D.
Scott, Michigan; Addison T. Smith,
Idaho; c. Ellis Moore. Ohio; Theodore
E. Burton, John @. Cooper Frank
Murphy. John G. Speaks, Simeon
d. Fess, A. E. B. Stephens, Roy G..
Fitzgerald, r. Clint Cole, Charles ].
Thompson, Edwin D. Ricketts,, Nell
G. Underwood, w. w. Chalmers, Will
liam M. Morgan. Charles L. Knight
Francis Seiberling and J. H. Hines,
Ohio; Harry G. Ransley, James j.
Connolly, Thomas S. Butler, William
w. Griest, Clarence D. Coughlin, John
Reber, Aaron 8. Kreider, Isaac H.
Doutrich, John M. Rose, Evan j.
Jones, Adams M. Wyant. Samuel A.
Kendall, Henry w. Temple, William H.
Kirkpatrick, Nathan L. Strong, Harris
]. Bixler, j. Clyde Kelly, all Of
Pennsylvania; Elliott w. Spreul, w. T.
Fitzgerald, John c. Allen, Oscar De
Priest. Nell g. Underwood, Morton
D. Hull, Charles Adkins, Allen F..
Moore. Edward J. King, Loren E.
Wheeler, Edward e. DeniSon, GUY L.
Shaw, Ed M. Irwin, M. A. Michael
son. all of Illinois; Clark Burdick,
Ambrose Kennedy. Richard s. Al
drich Of Rhode Island; Charles A..
Christopherson, Charles Brand and
Willis M. Morgan. Ohio; Charles r.
Davis, Minnesota; DR.. John W..
Summers, Washington; RicharS w.
Parker, New Jersey; Florian Lamp
ert, Wisconsin; Charles r. Timber
lake, Coloradoi Mrs. Ruth B. Pratt,
New York; Grant r. Mouser, Ohio;
GaorUa N6 nornre TropL nov,v~.or