Evening star., 1947-11-06
The Political Mill
Vote Gives Both Parties
Little to Cheer About
Trend Is Uncertain Despite McGrath's
Claim of Grass Root Gains
Bv Gould Lincoln

BY Gould Lincoln
Dog-fallish elections of 1947 gave neither
Democrats nor Republicans much to cheer
about. However. they did give the Democrats,
through their new national chairman, Senator
McGrath of Rhode Island opportunity to claim
that the Democrats had made grass roots
gains" because of Democratic victories in many
mayoralty elections, including Indianapolis and
many other Indiana cities. But how far the
election results reflect an actual Democratic
trend Is decidedly uncertain and open to dis.
pute. There seems to have been tendency
to throw out" incumbents-which would not
be hopeful sign for the Democratic adminis-
tration in Washington if it persists next year.
One thing is significant The Democrats
and their allies, the C1O and the AFL, have
not been able to knock out single Republican
supporter of the Taft-Hartley labor law in
the House-although three elections have been
held to fill Republican vacancies in that body
since the measure became law-one in Penn
sylvania and the other two in Indiana and
Ohio. In all three districts the labor law was
made an issue. In the Pennsylvania district
the Republicans improved their plurality but
In the other two districts the Democrats cut
into previous pluralities of the COP. Even so.
the cuts did not really threaten Republican
victory in those districts at all In the 4th
Ohio district the Republicans won by some
5000 votes. as compared to $4,000 in 1s46; in
the 10th Indiana district they won by 10000
votes, as compared to $4,000 last year.
Personalities Play Part.
In all congressional elections, personalities
OF the candidates play their part as rule.
So a member of the House who has been re-
peatedy reelected and who has made many
friends and whose name is we'll known to the
hoS far than
man. 1t is quite possible that the falling off
of the Republican pluralities in the Ohio and
Indiana districts was due in part to the fact
that the old candidates. who had several terms
to their credit, were not in the running.
The Democratic victory in Kentucky. where
a Democratic Governor has been substituted
for Republican. was to be expected. Never
have the Republicans been able to supplant
one Republican Governor with another-and,
indeed, only five times In history have the
Republicans been able to elect a Republican
Governor OF the Blue Grass State anyway.
Republican victory In Kentucky can only be
won with the aid Of Democrats-which means
that there must be a falling out among the
Democrats bitter enough to send thousands OF
them to the polls to vote Republican and other
thousands to stay at home on election day.
For the Democratic registration in Kentucky
exceeds that of the Republicans by some
10000.
The Republicans sought to make the main
issue in the Kentucky gubernatorial election
the Taft-Hartley labor law. If they succeeded
in making the labor law an issue, they failed
to carry their point. However. 1t Is entirely
likely that other issues, among them a sales
tax which the Republicans had promised to do
away with and had not had more to do with
the result of the election.
Kentucky Polls Recalled.
What the Kentucky election portends for
next year Is not easily discernible. Kentucky
voted four times for the late President Frank
lin D. Roosevelt In 1928 1t went Republican
for Republican Hoover against AL Smith ION
the religious and dry issues and in 1924 for
Republican Coolidge (but in that year La Fol-
lette, running as Progressive, divided the
Democratic vote against COOLIDGE. In the
Republican Harding landslide in 1920 Kentucky
was loyal to Democratic Jim Cox.
When it comes to predicting national elec-
tions, based on municipal elections, it is an
even more difficult job. Yet in these off-year
elections the party managers invariably see In
city elections the portents of victories to come
In congressional and presidential elections For
example, Chairman McGrath Of the Democratic
committee sees in the election Of Eugene l.
Van Antwerp, Democrat, as Mayor of Detroit
over Mayor Edward J. Jefferies a Republican,
straw in the wind pointing to Democratic
victory next year. Yet the election was on .
nonpartisan basis, and If 1t holds significance
at all Is a blow to the CO. which for the
first time this.year supported Mayor Jefferies.
Mr.. McGrath does not mention the defeat of
Representative Havenner, a Democrat, in his
try for election as Mayor Of San Francisco
but why should he? Mr.. Havenner Is a veteran
New Deal Democrat.