Evening star., 1949-09-15
The Political Mill
6. o. P. Wins Pennsylvania
First Bye-EIection Test
District Was Carried by Democrats in
194S by $4,000 Votes
Bv Gould Lincoln


The Republicans have won the first bye
election test since President Trumans VIC
tory last year-putting across their candi-
date, John P. Saylor, for Representative IN
the 26th congressional district of Pennsyl-
vania. This district, usually Republican, was
carried by the Democrats in 1948 by 10000
votes. The second test, the election of
Senator in New York, will be made on Mo-
vember 8. Senator John Foster Dulles, Re-
publican, is opposing former Gov. Herbert
H. Lehman. Democrat, to fill out the un-
expired term of former Senator Wagner.
Democrat. This test will be of extreme i'm
portance. A Dulles defeat would put a
damper on Republican hopes for control of
the Senate in the 82d Congress.
The decision of the American Labor Party
in New York not to place senatorial candi-
date in the field (after Henry Wallace de-
clined to rum is a setback to the Republican
hopes The ALP in the past has supported
MIR. Lehman. However. in 1916, Mr.. Leh-
man. with the support of the ALP, was de-
feated by Senator Ives, Republican, by 250.-
900 votes in his first try for the Senate. II
the upstate Republican vote turns out
and Mr.. Dulles and the Republican leaders
will do their best to get it out-Mr. Lehman
may yet be defeated.
Saylor Victory Significant
The victory of Mr. Saylor in Pennsylvania
is likely to give the Democrats cold shivers.
They face a senatorial election in the Key
stone State next year, with Senator Myers,
Democrat, up for reelection Pennsylvania
was carried in the presidential election last
year by Gov. Dewey of New York. If the
Republicans nominate a strong candidate for
the Senate, his chances should be excellent.
A significant feature of the Pennsylvania
26th District election was the drubbing CLOS
md Lob Too far
Education took They went all out for Mrs.
Robert L. Coffey, the Democratic candidate.
mother of the late Representative Coffey.
sending money and organizers into the dis
trict to work for her. Even in strongly in
dustrialized and Democratic Cambria County
(Johnstown) Mr.. Saylor ran ahead. This
does not make labor's boast that it will
eliminate Senator Taft in Ohio next year
look too good.
1t is fair to say that the 26th Pennsylvania
District had been Republican for 10 years
before Mr.. Coffey, war veteran with bril-
liant record, carried it last year. Presumably
he had strong personal following. Also it
seems many voters in the district were reuc-
tant to vote for a woman. On the other
hand, the campaign was waged on national
issues and the Truman administration and
its labor supporters have no out on that
question.
The CIO met rebuff, too, in the Detroit
mayoralty election last Tuesday. It's candi-
date. City Council President George C. Ed
wards is former CIO organizer and one
of Walter Reuther's best friends. Mr.. Ed
wards will be in the run-off election Novem-
her 8. He ran, however. many thousands Of
votes behind City Treasurer Albert E. Cobo,
who had the strong backing of Detroit's
business interests as we'll as the support of
the AFL. Detroit is Overwhelmingly CIO
town, and the AFL membership is compare
lively small. Mr.. Cobo is given, therefore.
more than an even chance to win the mayor
atty. The third main candidate in the race
Tuesday was Mayor Eugene I. Van Antwerp,
who Jagged far behind. Mr.. Van Antwerp
Is Catholic and a former national COM
mander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. In
the coming election the Van Antwerp vote
Is expected to swing more strongly to Mr..
Cobo than to Mr.. Edwards.
The mayoralty election in Detroit Is a
non-partisan affair However. both Messrs.
Edwards and Van Antwerp are admitted
Democrats, and Mr.. Cobo has Republican
background. Three times in the past the
CIO has attempted to elect its own candi-
dates in mayoralty candidates. and failed.
Mr.. Edwards has been regarded as the
strongest candidate the CIO has put up. Mr..
Cobo has been city treasurer for Is years
and before that he was an executive Of the
Burroughs Adding Machine Co.