THE CONGRESS: Makings of the 72nd (Cont.)

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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.