Evening star., 1953-09-27
Congressional Campaign
Gets off to a Flying Start

are signify DetCcr OII-DuG as
of September 10, the Republi-
cans had 218 House seats-a
bare majority-the Democrats
2l3, Independents /, with three
vacancies. The vacant seats were
held by Republicans. Obviously.
President Eisenhower must rely
upon Democratic support in Con-
gress for tax legislation, labor
legislation, his economy program
and appropriations, revision of
the trade laws and social secur-
ity extensions.
Indicator of Victory.
The record of Congress will
determine important issues of
the 1854 campaign. The Repub-
licans are going to the country
urging the election of Republi-
can members of Congress to up
hold the hands of President Els
enhoWer in the second half of
his present term. The President
himself is expected to go to the
front for Republican candidates
but whether he will go all out
with a demand for a Republican
Congress-as Woodrow Wilson
did for Democratic Congress in
1918-remains to be seen. Presi-
dent Wilson failed to get Dem
ocratic Congress in that year.
Democrats are pointing to the
results in the last six midterm
congressional elections as an in
dicator of victory for them next
year. In each of these elections,
starting with that of 1880 and
ending with that of 1850, except
in 1884, the party not in control
of the White House made gains
in Senate and House. The 1884
congressional elections came in
the midst of the late President
Franklin D. Roosevelt's first
term. He had been elected in
1882, carrying all but six of the
States. Yet two years later, the
Democrats continued to make
congressional gains-10 in the
Senate and 9 in the House. Mr..
RooSevelt's popularity mounted
in his first two years in the
White House. It's entirely pos
sible that President Eisenhower's
may do the same, and help to
strengthen his party in Congress.
G. o. p. Won Control.
In the 1888 midterm election
the pendulum swung back, the
Republicans picking up seven
Senate seats and u House seats.
The Republicans had reached
their lowest point in the elec-
tions of 1936-retaining only 16
seats in the Senate and --88 in
the House. Two years later there
was a lessening of Roosevelt
popularity, due to the Presidents
Supreme Court-packing bill and
to his attempted purge" of
Democrats who refused to sup
port that proposal.
The 1946 congressional elec-
tions-in the middle of former
President Truman's first term
saw the Republicans win control
of both the Senate and House.
The elections came year after
victory in World War II.
Mr.. Truman's victory in the
1948 presidential election swung
control of Congress back to the
Democrats. But in 1850, the next
midterm election, the Republi-
cans made important gains in
both Houses of Congress.
The House elections next year
will be decided-aS between the
two parties-in 80 to IS so-called
marginal congressional districts.
A marginal" district is a dis
trict which was carried by the
Republican candidate - or the
Democratic candidate-with a
lead of 81 to SIS per cent of the
vote cast. The Republicans and
Democrats in 1852 split about
$3.50 in carrying these districts.
Marginal districts in that elec-
ton were found in % States.
The total population Of these
districts is about 100000, a
wide battle-ground.
Thirty-four Senate seats will
be at stake in the elections-22
held by Democrats provided Gov.
Lausche appoints a Democrat
to fill the Taft vacancy, and IL
by Republicans. Republic a n
chances of victory-that is, for
taking seats away from Demo-
crats-appear to center in seven
States. They are Delaware,