The Kennewick courier-reporter and the White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1938-1939, 1938-11-03
ECONOMIC H1GHL1GHTs

ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTs
How will America vote on No
vember 81" What factors will .influ-
ence that voting? And how will the
newly elected Congress behave?"
Newsweek recently put these three
questions to about two-score politi-
cal correspondents representing the
daily newspapers of all shades Of
political opinion, and to eight sea-
soned professional politicians, in
Guiding Jim Farley and John Ham,
ilton. Their answers, tabulated in
a late issue of the magazine, cast
an interesting light on a topic
which, with the elections just
around the corner, is engaging great
interest. - @ls.
AT the present time, the Demo-
Gratis have the largest congressional
majority in history. There are 333
followers Of the Donkey in the
House, as against SO partisans of
the Elephant, and - members OF
minor parties. There are " peme-
Gratis In the Senate, as against IS
lonely Republicans and members
Of minor parties,
The answers OF the correspond
ents responding to Newsweek's
query, when averaged, revealed that
they believed the Republicans would
gain exactly so seats In the House,
the Democrats would lose SO, and
the representation Of minor parties
would remain at -. The eight pol
iticians' replies, when averaged,
forecast that the Republicans
would gain SO seats, the Democrats
would lose SO, and the minor parties
would lose 2.
Both groups forecast q gain Of 4
seats In the senate by the Repub-
Leans, at the expense Of the Demo-
Gratis.
II these predictions are borne out,
the Republicans will thus make
decent showing In the election-a
gain Of so seats, even in an Off
year election, cannot be discounted.
However, there would be nothing
about that to cause excessive back
slapping In the COP ranks. It is .
significant fact that when News
week sent q similar group Of ques-
lions to similar group Of poll
ticians and political correspondents
last April, the consensus was that
the Republicans would gain 60 seats
In the House. Thus, on the basis Of
the two sets Of predictions, the Re-
pubncans have lost strength since
spring.
Gong INTO the second question
(what factors will influence the
voters), 20 Of the men replying said
that the recession would be the prin-
cipal factor, and IL gave 1t as the
secondary factor. Eleven listed the
traditional mid-term swing away
from the party In power as their
first choice, 6 gave Democratic dis
sension, and 6, the Administrators
fiscal policies. It is a notable fact
that none gave the Administrations
foreign policy as first choice, and
only one gave it as second choice
which indicates that in this field
the President has gained almost
universal favor.
In answering the third question
chow will the newly elected con-
gress behave), 6 correspondents said
that congress would behave about
as 1t did last session, z thought 1t
would be extremely independent
and Z more thought it would be
somewhat between "a little more
and extremely" independent. The
majority, 80 In number, forecast II
would be "a little more independ-
ent."
Summing UPON the basis Of
Newsweek's survey, the elections will
mark the start Of q mild comeback
for the COP but will still leave the
Democrats with tremendous major
tiles in both branches. Congress