Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-13
Battle Easier
For Indiana 6. 0.P.
Than House Races
State Ticket May Win,
But Some Congressional
Seuts Are in Danger
BY WILLIAM L. TOMS,


BY WILLIAM l.. TOMS,
Special Correspondent Of The Star.
INDIANAPOLIS. Oct. 12.-Elec-
ton of a Republican State ticket
and delivery Of the Hoosier States
IA electoral votes to Wendell L..
Willkie are going to prove an easier
task for the G.. o. P. than retention
of the seven congressional seats 1t
now holds.
Before 1888 the Republicans
boosted just one Representative out
of the States IL, Representative
Halleck, who ventured out on the
Willkie limb at Philadelphia and
landed in a feather bed. At the
election two years ago Mr.. Halleck
and his IL fellow nominees polled
around $4,000 more votes than the
totals of their dozen Democratic OPP
ponents. The Republicans seized
seven of the IL seats but lost their
State ticket with the exception Of
young James M. Tucker, secretary Of
state. Peculiarities of Indiana's 1881
congressional reapportionment Gre
ate the paradox of a State that
can choose State officers of one po-
itical party and II congressional
members of opposite persuasion.
This oddity supports well the pre-
diction in the foregoing paragraph.
Today the Republicans admit per-
plexity in four congressional dis
tricts. Their danger appears in
the third district, where the prin-
cipal city is industrial South Bend:
the sixth, largely agricultural with
the exception of Terre Haute, which
saved the day for the Democratic
State ticket two years ago. and the
seventh, where the collapse of the
coal-mining industry years ago pro-
duced incessant economic, social and
political turmoil.
Grant Is In Danger.
Running for reelection in the
third is young Representative Grant
of South Bend, who was elected two
years ago by grace of the other two
counties in his district and not with
the help of st. Joseph County, where
he lives. Full force of the Demo-
cratic State organization is being
thrown behind the campaign to re-
place him with George Sands, at
torney and former State Senator.
Mr.. Grant is in genuine danger.
In the sixth Representative John
son. of Terre Haute, is up against
able competition in youthful Len
hardt E. Bauer, fellow member Of
the Terre Haute bar. Mr.. Bauer
has liberal support, as well as
through past service as executive
secretary of the State Liquor Deal
ers' Organization. Mr.. Johnson,
conversely, is strong in the con-
sentative agricultural counties Of
the sixth.
On the political and economic in
stability of the seventh district the
Democrats are depending for greater
assistance than the 1888 election fig
ures might justify. Two years ago
Gerald w. Lands, q Republican
with Townsendite support. ousted
the Democratic veteran, Arthur H.
Greenwood, by 1859 votes. This
year his Democratic opponent is
Charles H. Bedwell, Sullivan attor-
ney, former Speaker of the Indiana
House of Representatives and pres
ent State Senator from that region.
The support the Democratic State
organization is throwing behind him
is ample evidence of the belief that
the Townsendites are wavering and
that Mr.. Lands can be uprooted.
G. o. P. Hope in Eleventh.
Up to this point the picture is not
particularly encouraging to the Re-
publicans. But, along with their
Willkie-State ticket optimism, they
see silver lining in the eleventh
district. There they have a con-
gressional nominee with more pep
and ability than has been seen in
Indiana in years-young Maurice G.
ReO Robinson, Anderson lawyer,
who is without question the best
orator this State has heard since the
days of the immortal Beverage. He
is waging a vigorous campaign to
unseat Representative Larrabee, the
New Palestine country physician,
whose chief claim to distinction is
having never opposed a New Deal
legislative continuance. The odds
still are against him in this heavily
Democratic stronghold. His chances
of election depend wholly on his
superior campaigning ability and the
attitude of the electors toward the
third term and continuation Of New
Deal processes.
If the Republicans are unable to
re-elect Representative Halleck in
the second distrirt. then they
scarcely would be justified in hoping
to elect their nominee for dog
catcher.
Altogether. the Republicans would
be extremely lucky in Indiana if
they could reach an advance agree
ment with the opposition for six
Representatives of one stripe and q
half dozen of the other.