AMERICAN ELECTIONS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 5 November 1926, Page 5

AMERICAN ELECTIONS

{ THE LIOUOR QUESTION. RETURN TO LOCAL OPTION. INCLINATION OP VOTERS. BY CABLE —PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYEIGH X. Received 10.35 a.m. to-day. NEW YORK, Nov. 4. Return to local ootion was seen «n Wednesday night by the Prohibition d director. Mr Mills, in the passage of referenda. Tuesday’s voting indicated a tendency on the part of the country to resort to the statues of 1916. Six States out of eight have now indicated dissatisfaction with Prohibition legislation. At Tuesday’s referenda the States voting represented about a quarter of the .population of the whole country. REPUBLICANS LOSE SENATE. MAJORITY IN THE HOUSE. NEW YORK, Nov. 4. Latest returns show the state of the parties in the American elections as follows: THE SENATE. Democrats 48 4 Republicans 47 x Farmer-Labourite 1 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Democrats 197 Republicans 233 Farmer-Labourite 2 Socialists ~ Independent • 1 No party having a definite majority, indications are that only legislation favoured by blocs composed of various parties can hope for a passage through the Senate. For the House of Representatives the returns are still incomplete, bat present figures give the Republicans a safe majority of 31, compared with their majority of 59 in the last House. Late election returns indicate Democratic inroads into the working majorities of the Republicans. It is now certain the western insurgents will hold the balance of power in the Senate and possibly in the' House of Representatives. Besides gaining seven of the nine seats constituting the Republican majority in the 'Senate, the Democrats have* reduced iby thirteen the Republican majority in the House. With four contests undecided, the Democrats have elected 14 Senators and the Republicans 14. This gives the Democrats 47 seats in the Senate, or two less than a majority. With fourteen districts still unfinished to-night, the Democrats have elected 191 members of the House, Republicans 228, Farmer-Labour 1 and Socialists 1.

PROHIBITION ISSUE. BOTH SIDES CLAIM VICTORY. NEiW YORK. Nov. 4. Both “dry*” and “wets’’ claim that the United States election indicates an important victory for their causes and give conflicting enumerations of the “dry” and “wet” composition of Congress. . . The anti-Prolubitionists won in t-ix States, Nevada voters answering in the affirmative the questions, “Should Congress call a. constitutional convention to amend the Eighteenth Amendment;-'” and “Is prohibition a failure?” Californians voted “yes” on the question, “Should the State prohibition enforcement law be repealed?” Two States voted “dry,” Colorado. saying “no” to the question “Should the State constitution be amended to provide for the manufacture and sale ol' liquor whenever it conflicts with the Federal laws?” arid Missouri voting “no” on the question “Shall the State prohibition enforcement law be repealed?” The “drys” point out that the referenda are an unfair indication of national opinion, since many “drys were urged not to vote, on the ground that the referenda are unconstitutional. That there is no clear expression of the popular will of the nation on this question can, it is .said l , be .seen in the fact that Illinois, which voted “wet” hv an overwhelming majority in the referendum, yet elected Air Smith, an avowed “dry,” as Senator over Ml*. Brennan, an avowed “wet.” .Similar conflicting indications are visible Lp other States.