National Affairs: Vacant Seat

CONGRESS Vacant Seat

The death of Senator Colt of Rhode Island (TIME, Aug. 25) leaves a situation which may bear the seeds of national consequence. Senator Colt's term was to expire next March. Whoever is elected to fill out his term will have only about three months' active service in Congress. Ordinarily there would not be a great fight for such a seat. Now it is different. The composition of the Senate is 50 Republicans, 43 Democrats, two Farmer-Laborites, one vacancy. Assuming, however, that the election of President and Vice President should be thrown into Congress, it is to be expected that the two Farmer-Laborites with at least three Republicans, LaFollette, Ladd and Frazier, would vote for Gov. Bryan rather than for Gen. Dawes. This would make the lineup: Bryan 48, Dawes 47. Hence the vacant seat, then occupied by either a Republican or a Democrat, might make a great difference in the result.

So both parties will make as great a contest for the short term in the Rhode Island seat as they will for the long term which follows.