The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-11-02
BEHIND THE SCENES IN WASHINGTON
Republicans WontBe SoLonesome Congress- They Noy
House Liberal
 Bloc May Have New Casualties

Washington, Nov. 2.-The next house of representatives will have somewhere between a couple of doz- en and half gross more Republi- can congressman than it has now at the lowest point of G. O. P. house strength in history.
 Quite few Democrats who came in on Roosevelt coat-tails by small maiorities in 1886 or previously will go back to private life. Casu- alties will nearly all be among comparative newcomers. Repub- licans, perhaps with one or two exceptions, will keep their seats. Few nationally known congress men-and none of the powerful committee chairmen who hail from safe Democratic southern territory-are in danger of defeat. Party primaries have hit the house liberal bloc, by and large 8 strongly pro-New Deal group, some hard blows. The elections Nov. 8 threaten further losses to this bloc.
 SEVEN SPOTS
 TO FILL
 The present house contains BPS Democrats, 88 Republicans, seven Progressives and five Farmer-Labor- ties. There are seven vacancies. All 435 seats are to be filled by the elec- tion except for three in Maine to which Republicans were reelected in September.
 Estimates of probable Republi- can gain range from 20 or 25 con- ceded by most Democratic leaders to "A or 85 claimed by some Re- publicans. The most cOnserva- tive Republican experts think they will get 35 or 40 new seats and will be elated by victories in ex- cess of that.
 Both sides agree that the larg- est Democratic losses will be in Pennsylvania, whose house dele Igation of 27 now includes but seven Republicans, and Ohio, in whose delegation are 21 Demo- crats, two Republicans, one va- cancy.
 Republicans think they may pick up 10 new seats in Pennsyl- vania and from five to 10 in Ohio, where there are at least 10 hot con- tests. Their most reliable conf1- dential surveys say they have ex- cellent prospects in at least five Illi- nois congressional districts, three to five fair prospects in Michigan, two to five in New Jersey, two or more in Connecticut, two or three in Cali fornia, two or three in Indiana, one to three in Minnesota, possibly five in Iowa, maybe one or two in Wash ington and possibilities or better Of one each in Kansas, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Colorado and Mon-, tana.
 50 NEW G. o. P.
 SEATS ESTIMATED
 The recent Newsweek magazine poll of political leaders and corre- spondents produced an average esti- mate of 50 new Republican seats.
 Whatever the result, the next
 house seems certain to be more |
 ent of the White House. Although
 Republicans know they won't get
 a majority, they expect to elect
 enough new men to form an anti
 New Deal bulwark in frequent
 coalitions with conservative Demo-
 cratS.
 Losses of the liberal bloc em- phasize this likelihood. Texas primaries resulted in defeats of Maverick, the bloc'S chief leader, and McFarlane. Prominent lber- als who lost fights for senatorial nominations and hence are out of congress include Democrats Lewis of Maryland, Wearin of Iowa, Hil- debrand of South Dakota and Progressive Amlie of Wisconsin. The liberal bloc also loses Mead of New York, now a Democratic senatorial nominee, and Eicher of Iowa, who is retired. There will be liberals in the new congressional crop, but others are threatened with defeat November 8. Con- spicuous among the latter are Farmer -LaboriteS John Bernard and Dewey Johnson in Minnesota and Jerry O'Connell of Montana, aggressive New Dealer threatened by a Republican backed by Sena- tor Wheleer and Dr. Townsend.
 The most conspicuous individual contest is that between Chairman John J. O'Connor of the house rules committee, running in the 16th New York district on the Republican and Andrew Jackson party" tickets, and James H. Fay, Democratic and American Labor Party nominee. O'Connor was Roosevelt's sole purge" victim in the primaries, but ran success fully meanwhile in the Republican lprimary and hopes to keep his powerful chairmanshipS if re- elected. Washington expects O'Con- L.