Makings of the 72nd (Cont.)
Makings of the 72nd (Cont.)
An election in Maine last week gave the make-up of the 72nd Congress its first definite detail. Primaries in ten States sketched in more of its general outline. Developments:
Maine. Republican Representative Wallace Humphrey White Jr. was elected to the Senate over Frank Haskell, Democrat, by a 30,000 majority to succeed Senator Arthur Robinson Gould, who did not run for reelection. The State also returned a solid Republican delegation to the House of Representatives. Republican Governor William Tudor Gardiner was reelected by some 16,000 votes over Edward C. Moran Jr., Democrat. Voter apathy was large; issues were small.
Just before the election a non-partisan research council at Columbia University issued a survey report on Maine elections back to 1874 which seriously qualified the political saying "As Maine goes, so goes the Nation." By complex statistics the council showed that Maine's "off-year' voting erred by an average of 20 House seats as an index of the November election.
This survey report did not, however, deter party leaders at headquarters and political observers elsewhere from reading signs and portents into the Maine result. Republican National Committee Chairman Fess referred to it as "a sweeping victory," "a stinging rebuke to the Democrats," an "endorsement of President Hoover." Democratic Executive Committee Chairman Shouse made much of reduced Republican majorities in Maine, declared his organization had sent no money, no speakers into the State, expressed himself as "thoroughly satisfied" with the outcome.
Senator-elect White, personally popular, had won by an average "off-year" majority. Governor Gardiner, on the other hand, had defeated Nominee Moran two years prior by 80,000 votes. The other factors in Maine disputed any broad significance in its vote: 1) no drought; 2) no Prohibition issue; 3) little or no economic depression.
Primaries which were as good as elections were held in the following States:
South Carolina. In a run-off Senator Coleman Livingston Blease was defeated by James Francis Byrnes, Spartanburg attorney, onetime (1911-25) Representative and Senator Blease's unsuccessful opponent six years ago (TIME, Sept. 8). Organized Labor helped materially to turn out Senator Blease because he had voted for the Supreme Court nomination of John Johnston Parker and had failed to support textile mill strikers affiliating with the American Federation of Labor. Many another vote was cast against him for his defense of lynching, his frank avowal of being a drinking Dry.
Louisiana. After a bitter, vituperative, disorderly campaign Governor Huey P. Long, 36-year-old political wildcat, was nominated for the Senate over veteran Democratic Senator Joseph Eugene Ransdell by a 35,000 majority. Senator Ransdell's white goatee quivered with amazemen when "plain people" from "back up the bayous" voted him out of office for the first time in 46 years. Rarely in press or forum had a candidate been as roundly abused as Governor Long. He was called a "disqualified, discredited, inexperienced, erratic, boastful young braggart." Voters were warned that, if nominated and elected, he would "degrade the State at Washington with further clownishness and poltroonery."
Though his path to the Senate was clear, observers thought it would be a long time, if ever, before Nominee Long took his seat there. As Governor he controls the State by the power of patronage, with his appointees removable at his will. If he leaves Louisiana for Washington, before the end of his gubernatorial term in 1932, Lieut. Governor Paul Cyr, his bitter enemy, will exercise executive authority to dismiss all Long appointees, to crumple the Long political machine into oblivion.
Georgia. Renominated by a 4-to-1 vote was bushy-browed Democratic Senator William Julius Harris over John Marshall Slaton. One issue of their campaign was the fact that 15 years ago Mr. Slaton, as Governor, had commuted the death sentence of Leo Frank, later lynched. Eleven of the State's Congressmen were renominated while the twelfth, Representative Thomas Montgomery Bell, was defeated by Judge John Woods. A run-off primary was necessary to decide the gubernatorial nomination.
New Hampshire. Unopposed for Republican renomination was Senator Henry Wilder Keyes. John Gilbert Winant, one-time (1925-26) Governor, shattered the State's one-term gubernatorial tradition when he received the Republican nomination for Governor over Arthur P. Morrill who had the support of Senator George Higgins Moses. Nominees Keyes and Winant will oppose in the November election the same man--Albert Willington Noone, 84, Wet, wealthy, of Peterboro. Mr. Noone had won both the Democratic gubernatorial and Senatorial nomination. He promised if elected not only to build the world's largest electric beacon on Mt. Temple, but also to hold both offices simultaneously. Nominee Noone is more famed for his diamond-studded shirts than for any capacity to turn Republican New Hampshire Democratic.
Vermont. Republicans nominated for Congress from the ist District Governor John Eliakim Weeks, Dry, over a Wet opponent.
Other primaries:
Colorado. The political grip of Senator Lawrence Cowle Phipps was broken when Republican voters defeated William Van Derveer Hodges, his candidate to succeed himself, and gave nomination to George Hamlin Shaw, Denver attorney. Onetime Treasurer of the Republican National Committee, Mr. Hodges had the support of the Anti-Saloon League. Nominee Shaw did not.
Michigan. Without difficulty Republican Senator James Couzens, Wet, was renominated over Chase Salmon Osborn, Dry, onetime Governor. Republican voters in the 6th & 7th Congressional Districts unexpectedly stood the Anti-Saloon League on its head by denying renomination to two of its most potent and vociferous spokesmen in the House. In the 6th District white-haired Representative Grant Martin Hudson, onetime Michigan Anti-Saloon League superintendent, was defeated by Seymour H. Person, Wet attorney who won fame by securing dismissal on retrial of the case against Mrs. Etta Mae Miller, Michigan's first woman "life-for-a-pint" convict. In the 7th District Representative Louis C. Cramton, House Dry leader who refused the National Law Enforcement Commission a cent to investigate the wisdom of Prohibition, was beaten by 102 votes by Jesse H. Wolcott, Wet.
Washington. Despite their party's Wet declaration at last May's State Convention, the State's four Republican Congressmen ran for renomination as Drys. One was unopposed. Two squeaked by with small majorities. The fourth. Representative John Franklin Miller, for 13 years a House member, was defeated in the Seattle (1st) District by Ralph A. Horr, strong Wet, who will oppose Charles G. Heifner, Wet Democrat, in the election.
Arizona. Renominated by Democrats was the State's lone Congressman, young able Lewis Williams Douglas, son of Copper Tycoon James Stuart Douglas for whom Douglas, Ariz, was named. To George Wylie Paul Hunt, seven times Governor, went the Democratic gubernatorial nomination to oppose Republican Governor John C. Phillips in the election.
Maryland. Renominated were this State's four Democratic, two Republican Congressmen.
State convention of last week:
Delaware. To stand for his first election Republicans chose Senator Daniel O. Hastings, appointed nearly a year ago to succeed Senator Coleman du Pont, resigned. Because Senator Hastings is Dry, Irenee and Pierre du Pont, potent Republican Wets, bolted their party ticket, pledged their support to onetime Senator Thomas Francis Bayard, Wet Democratic candidate for the Senate.
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