Evening star., 1946-09-11
Elections in Maine
Turn Out as Usual

urn OuC QS OSuQl
Partisans Read Figures to Suit
Own Political Perspective
BY David Lawrencs
The Maine elections turned out az
usual-that is, the figures can be read
by partisans to suit their own political
perspective.
Actually Senator Brewster, Republi-
can, polled 53 percentage points more
than he did when he ran six years ago.
but he fell 81 percentage points behind
the vote which Senator Wallace White
got four years ago. This gives both
sides break.
1t Is not fair to either side, however,
to compare percentages obtained by gu
bernatorial candidates with percentages
obtained by Senators or members of
Congress In Maine elections. The gov
ernorship usually turns on local issues
and personalities and often a big vote
for the State ticket Is contradicted as to
size by presidential vote the same
year. Also, off-year elections should be
compared with other off years because
the political activity is different.
1t is a fact that in 1880 when the
Republican vote for United States Sen
.ator was 609 per cent of the total there
was drop to 50.2 In 1934-another off,
year election when there was no cam
paign on for the presidency. The next
time United States Senator was voted
on was in 1910, a presidential year when
the Republican vote was 587 but. again,
this is not germane to the comparison.
Real Comparison.
The real comparison comes with the
1912 off-year election when Senator
White, Republican. won by polling 667
per cent of the vote. Now comes Sem
ator Brewster with approximately 81
per cent OF the vote which, while higher
than six years ago when he ran in a
presidential year, is not above the 1912
off-year election percentage for his
party.
Senator Brewster has been In Maine
public life for a long while, having
served not only as Governor of the
State but as a member of the House
of Representatives. This will be his
second term in the United States Senate.
1t is interesting to note how Mr..
Brewster voted on various issues which
might be called outstanding roll calls.
The record shows that Senator
Brewster voted for the confirmation of
Secretary Wallace for the Commerce
Department, against the confirmation
Of Audrey Williams as Rural Electrif-
cation administrator; against the ex-
tension of the Trade Agreements Act,
in favor Of the S250,00O appropriation
for the Federal Employment Practices
Commission, and for the United Nations
Charter, for the cloture rule to cut off
debate on the Federal EMPLOYMENT
Practices Commission bill. against the
loan to Great Britain, in favor of max
ing unions suable for breach of con-
tract, in favor of bill to outlaw sec
ondarY boycotts in labor disputes, In
favor of making labor subject to the
antiracketeering bill. in favor of the
Case bill which President Truman sub
sequently vetoed, against a bill that
would strike out labor injunctions, in
favor of the Presidents strike control
bill introduced after the railroad crisis
last spring, against the equal rights
amendment sponsored by womens
groups, and In favor of the OPA revival
bill.
No Issue Paramount.
1t is difficult to tell from the above
record just what the Maine voters said
by their verdict at the polls, for no one
issue was paramount. The important
fact Is that the State of Maine likes
Republicans and If they run In an off,
year when the Democrats do not or
ganize particularly well, their chances
of polling q high-percentage vote are
better than in presidential years.
The weather in Maine, of course, Is
always factor in judging the size of the
vote. When there is bad weather the
vote in the rural districts, which is
heavily Republican, doesn't get to the
polls in as large numbers as when there
is fair weather. In the cities where the
Democratic vote is heavy the weather
makes little difference. 1t is important
to consider the weather If one is ex-
amining vote percentages, especially in
an election where the result Is fore
gone conclusion and where the element
of contest Is absent. Many voters do
not take the trouble to vote in elections
which are one sided, and hence the per-
centage pol!ed by Senator Brewster
might have been larger if some special
effort to get out the vote had been
made.
The conclusion must be reached.
therefore, that the Maine elections do
not indicate that the Republicans in
Maine are any less Republican than
they have been or that the Democrats
have any particular momentum left for
their party in Maine as a consequence
of the Roosevelt leadership The trend
in the Nation will have to be discovered
in other States, especially in the Middle
West where the Republicans may make
substantial gains this autumn.
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Monty ond Tommy
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