Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-04
Republican Triumph

Republican Triumph
That political phenomenon known
as the voice of the people has been
heard from once again, and it has
spoken in unmistakable fashion.
A final tally of yesterdays balloting
has not yet been completed, but it is
clear that the Republican party has
won sweeping victory. When the
complete results are tabulated, there
is every reason to believe that the
COP will have recorded gains in
both House and Senate equallng or
exceeding the hopes of the most
ardent partisans, and in many in
stances these victories were scored
at the expense of members of Con-
gress who have been conspicuous for
their unwavering adherence to the
New Deal
Inevitably. this political upheaval
will be closely scrutinized around the
world. Men of all nations will ponder
UllC VI CllC 1CCul ITO, Will
dering whether they mean that the
American people are weary of the
war and ready to give up the fight.
But the answer to that question is
easily ascertained. The vote implies
no protest against the war. This is
readily demonstrated by the fact
that the two outstanding Republican
isolationists prior to Pearl Harbor-
Representative Fish and Senator
Brooks-were reelected after hard
fights in normally Republican ter
ritories. Had the voters been hostile
to the war as such, these men would
have had an easier time Of it.
So far as the war Influenced the
balloting. the only reasonable infer
ence is that the vote was vigorous
protest against some aspects of the
manner in which it has been con-
Quoted by the party in power. 1t is
fair assumption that the people
are weary of the political effort to
use the war as vehicle for promot-
ing social gains" There can be no
doubt that the mass of the peo-
ple-the little people who have sent
their sons to war and who have felt
In their own households the pinch
of war economy-are thoroughly
exasperated at the administration
refusal to face the war with the
same stern realism that it demands
Of the people. Undoubtedly, the
administration can trace many adj
verse votes to the fact that, war or
no war, it has insisted upon clinging
to the philosophy of the 40hour
week, that it has failed to take
firm stand against strikes in war
Industries; that, time and again. it
has permitted considerations of ex-
pediency to delay vital decisions
bearing on the conduct of the war.
Various polls of public opinion have
Indicated for months that the peo-
pie do not want to fight the war
this way, and now they have ex-
pressed themselves to the same effect
at the ballot boxes
Some time ago the President ex-
pressed his complete confidence in
the political judgment of the people,
saying that on political questions he
would rather trust their verdict than
that of any expert. 1t is to be hoped
that he still holds to this belief
that he will not misread the express
sion of sentiment which gave Repub
lican Thomas E. Dewey victory
margin of more than 100000 votes
in New York and sent down to defeat
such conspicuous New Dealers as
Senators Josh Lee of Oklahoma,
SmatherS of New Jersey and the
venerable Senator Norris of Nebraska.
These electoral verdictS call for an
end to the fumbling in Washington
which threatens to bog down the
whole war effort in mass of red
tape and bureaucratic confusion.
And it is up to the administration,
since it remains in power whatever
the final outcome of the voting, to
respond to that call.
Similarly, the Republican party
must assume heavy responsibility.
The people have called upon the
Republicans to undertake an effective
minority role, and unless they live up
to this expectation, they, too, will face
a day of reckoning, They can do no
better than to take as their watch
word the victory pledge OF Mr..
Dewey-a pledge OF answering
loyalty to the President "as our COM
mander In chief" and promise to
fight the war as Americans standing
together.