Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-10-17
Republicans <
Confidentof
Major Gains
Believe Voters Apathy
Is in Their Favor
By ROBERT HUMPHREYS

enter on tiptoe, bolt the door
behind you and conduct the con-
versation in whispers.
What is worrying him is that
the Democratic voters may find
out that there is going TO be an
election three weeks hence.
So far, the campaign has gone
Just to suit him-no big issue 10
stir the people up. considerable
Democratic lethargy, and no end
of public apathy. If something
doesn't happen to upset things,
this Republican will bet you:
That the COP picks up at
least 30 House seats. with an
outside chance of capturing the
lower branch as the Republicans
did in 1918;
That there will be -four more
Republicans in the Senate at a
minimum, maybe seven; and,
That five or six more Demo-
Gratis will vacate governors
mansions TO make way for VIC
toriouS COP candidates.
Those figures, he witt tctf you,
are the inside dope, but he
doesn't want TO do too much
shouting about them. or the New
Deal wing of organized labor
might decide TO sacrifice little
overtime pay on election day
and rush TO the polls.
THE Democrats in Washing
Il ton are worried, make no
mistake about il.
They have their own inside"
figures, too. and they don't look
so good. They virtually concede
Is seats in the House, three in
the Senate, and four governor
ships.
One of President Roosevelt's
congressional lieutenantS COM
pleted a coast-to-coast trip a
few weeks ago, and rushed back
10 the capital with a warning
that if something wasn't done
pretty quick. the Republicans
would have 200 House seats in
stead of the 166 they now hold.
THE New York and California
Il campaigns have h e d the
headlines, but the real Demo-
cratic sore spots are Connecti-
cut, Pc nsylv ia, Ohio,
Missouri and Washington.
In Connecticut, where the
Democrats now have five of the
six House seats, the Republicans
h n k they have an excellent
chance of reversing the count by
whipping four Democratic in
cumbents and retaining t h ir
present seat.
In Pennsylvania. the COP eX-
poets TO gain a minimum of six
House seats; in Ohio, four; in
Missouri. three; in Washington.
two. They are also counting on
a gain of three in Illinois, two
in Michigan, and one each in
Iowa Nebraska. Wyoming,
Oregon, Massachusetts. Rhode
Island, New Jersey, Delaware
and Maryland.
But these claims are offset by
some admissions of trouble in
one district of New Hampshire,
another in New York and third
in California.
Oddly enough, in New York
and California, where the Re-
publicans are confident that
their gubernatorial candidates,
Thomas +. Dewey and Earl
Warren, will win. the COP is
not overly optimistic about gain
ing House seats.
The California picture is
complicated by extensive reap
portionment which opened con-
tests for three new seats. In
New York. the Republicans
would settle for a standoff lose
one, gain one.
IN THE Senate side Of the pic
" ture. the COP is counting
on the farm belt to provide the
gains:
Gov. George Wilson to beat
Senator Clyde Herring in Iowa;
f. V. Robertson to defeat Sem
ator II. II. Schwartz in Wyo-
ming; Gov. Harlan J. Bushfield
10 take the seat now held by
Senator William Bulow in South
Dakota, and Gov. Ralph L. Carr
10 Supplant Senator Edwin c.
Johnson in Colorado.
In Michigan they claim a So
30 chance for Judge Homer Fer
guSon TO upset Senator Prentiss
Brown. and a like possibility
that former Gov. c. Douglass
Buck will succeed TO the Senate
seat of James II. Hughes in
Delaware. Some OF the more
optimistic Republicans are claim
ing that in New Jersey their
candidate. Albert W. Hawkes..
has chance of ousting Senator
William II. SmatherS.
In Nebraska it is conceded on
all sides that a three-cornered
race there has greatly improved
the COP chances. The con-
teStants are the incumbent sena-
tor, Sl-year-old George w. Nor
ris, running as an independent;
Kenneth S. Wherry. former COP
state chairman, and a youthful
radio luminary, 37-year-old FoS-
ter May, q Democrat. d.