Evening star., 1942-10-15
BY GOULD LINCOLN,
Star StAff. Writer.

Dy NoOAD A1INNOANs
Star stan, Writer.
CHICAGO, Oct, 15.-Illinois
congressional districts today pre-
sent q number of close battle
grounds. If the Republican
trend materializes-which sew
eral keen political observers
claim is under way-the COP
may increase It's membership in
the House by taking some of
these districts now represented
by Democrats.
OF the IS districts in the State;
IA have Republican Representatives
and II have Democratic Representa-
tives. The two Representatives at
large IN the present Congress are
Republicans. Illinois, by reason OF
the reapportionment of the House
seats among the States under the
1910 census, loses one. Therefore,
one Representative at large has been
eliminated in the coming election.
In the Chicago area-Cook County
the Democrats today have eight
and the Republicans two Represent
atives. Down. State, as distinguished
from Cook County, the Democrats
hold districts and the Repub-
licans IL.
Claims Of Republicans.
Here are the Republican claims,
voiced by the party leaders: They
hope" to re-elect Representative
Day, Representative at large, al
though they admit this may be a
tough Job, because of Mr.. Days
association with George Sylvester
Viereck, NaM propaganda agent, now
In jail, during the isolationist and
interventionist fight before Pearl
Harbor.
They believe they have a $3.50
chance or better to take from the
Democrats the Sd and 7th districts
in Chicago and the goth and 23d
district down-State. They claim
a chance" to win also in two other
Chicago districts, the 1st and I'd,
and in the 22d district down-State.
Democratic leaders see the picture
In different light. AS advanced
by party leaders, they claim three
doWn-State districts now held by
Republicans, the 14th, the Oath and
25th. Former Representative Kent
Keller, Democrat, is running in the
last They also claim to have a
chance to win in the 9Th, 18th, 18th,
10Th and 2lst districts.
These are party claims on both
sides, based on the best information
the party leaders say they have been
able to obtain. They must, however,
be taken with a grain of salt. since
the desire to win sometimes OBJ
ecures judgment.
Impartial Estimates.
More impartial judges figure that
the Republicans are likely to pick
up two down-State districts and one
to three in Cook County.
The Democratic claim Of chance
to win in the 9th district. now
held by Representative Charles
Dewey, Republican. seems pretty far
fetched. Mr,sDsvey was elected in
1910, with a margin of 5000 votes.
There seems no good reason why he
should do worse in the coming elec-
tion He has been indorsed by the
Joint Legislative Board, represent
ing most of the big labor organiza-
tions, on the ground that his voting
record In Congress has been favor
adN to labor.
This joint board by the way, threw
something of scare into the Demo-
Gratis when, in listing the candidates
for the House to be indorsed, it
gave its Endorsement to only a few
of the sitting Democratic members,
among them Mr.. Kelly in the Sd,
Mr.. SABBATH in the 5th and. Mr.
Schuetz in the 7th district.
1t also Endorsed former Repre-
sentative Ralph Church, Republican,
In the 10th district. This district
is strongly Republican and was rep
resented for years in the House by
Mr.. Church, who sought the Repub-
lican senatorial nomination In 1940
and lost to Senator Brooks.
Democrats Count on Labor.
Notwithstanding the listings made
by the Joint Legislative Board, the
Democrats are counting strongly on
organized labor to help them IN the
coming elections. Indeed, they have
little party organization downstate,
compared to the Republican organ
ization. They no longer control the
Statehouse in Springfield and have
lost the vast amount Of patronage
that goes with 1t.
One of the bitterest fights in the
coming election Is for control OF the
State Legislature. On the result
NAV hang the effectiveness OF Gov
Dwight H. Green's final two years OF
his present term. He is a Repub-
lican, elected in 1910 by some 100000
votes while President Roosevelt was
carrying the State by $4,000.
When the 1910 elections were COM
pleted, the Republicans had 79 men,
hers of the Assembly and the Demo-
Gratis IA; % Senators to % for the
Democrats. Five of the Republican
members of the Assembly, elected
on bipartisan tickets, jumped to the
Democratic side on occasion and
made II impossible for Gov. Green
to obtain some of the legislation he
desired:
with the whole Assembly member
ship to be elected and the Senators
in the odd-numbered districts. it is
easy to understand that control OF
the Legislature may 60 either way.
Attacked for Appointment.
GOV, Green has been under attack
by oficials OF the Illinois State Fed
Grafton of Labor because he ap-
pointed as director Of labor Francis
B. Murphy. They claim that Gov
Cream, when he was a candidate
for ONCE. promised to appoint to
this ONCE a bona f1de labor man.
They insist that Mr.. Murphy does
not At that description. that he was
a "coal, merchant and political
hanger-on.'
President Soderstrom Of the fed
Grafton has written a caustic letter
%o tia Hoyerpnr charoinp him with