After ballots were all counted last week, the arithmetic of the new 76th Congress was as follows:
HOUSE SENATE Old New Old New Democrats 328 263 76 69 Republicans . . . . 88 169 15 23 Progressives . . . . 7 2 1 1 Farmer-Labor . . . 5 1 2 2 Independent . . . . — — 1 1 435 96
Subject to a half-dozen contests and recounts for House seats and one Senate seat (Indiana), this was the precise measure of national Republican resurgence. Not one of 103 incumbent Republicans had failed to regain his seat. Of 25 former Republican incumbents who tried to come back. 14 succeeded, whereas of the House's 38 "Young Turks" (150% New Dealers), 14 were gone. Republican gains were made in 23 States outside of the ''too, too solid" South. In eight farm States their ains were 29 House seats, three Senate. In ten Eastern industrial States they were 44 House seats, four Senate. In five Western States they were eight House seats, one Senate.
The House. Bert Snell of Potsdam, N. Y. retired last summer as Minority Leader of the House. Almost certain to succeed him is Joseph William Martin Jr. of North Attleboro, Mass. Three things will make his job easier than that of his predecessor:
1) There can be no more suspension of the Rules by the New Dealers, for that requires a two-thirds vote (290). All told the Democrats now have only 45 votes more than a majority of the whole House.
2) Since 218 signatures (a majority) are required on petitions to discharge a committee, bring controversial bills out on the floor, that maneuver will be much harder for the New Dealers to execute next session when bills unwanted by a conservative coalition are locked up in committee.
3) The personnel of the powerful Rules and Ways & Means committees is all messed up for the New Dealers.
As planned, Chairman O'Connor of Rules was "purged," and old Adolph Sabath of Illinois, next in line, was safely reelected. But of the eight other Democrats on Rules, only three were New Dealers and they were all swept away in the elections. In line for the chair after old Mr. Sabath are Georgia's Cox, Virginia's Smith, North Carolina's Clark and Dies of Texas—all in varying degrees anti-Administration. Moreover, the new ratio on Rules will be nine Democrats to five Republicans. Small wonder that Franklin Roosevelt last week called his Congressional leaders to a parley next week in Warm Springs.
Chairman Doughton of the Ways & Means committee, was safely returned and for three New Dealers lost, two inveterate anti-New Dealers were defeated. But Republicans on this 25-man committee will increase from seven to probably ten. Only three of the 15 Democrats will have to stand against the Administration to make coalition rule possible on, for example, the next Tax Bill.