The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-10-07
THIS WEEKS ELECTIONS.


Elections, either State or county
have already been held in the fol
lowing States: Rhode Island, Ore
gon, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkan'
sas, California, Maine, Vermont and
Georgia, but none of them was I'M
poatant beyond its own limits, OF
significant in the matter of infiuenc'
ing the vote elsewhere or indicating
what will be the result of the great
struggle in November. This week,
however, the hard fight begins in
earnest, and before the world is
many days older we will be able to
venture a pretty straight guess as
to which of the great parties will
be victorious in the contest next
year. On Tuesday there will be
elections in Indiana, Iowa, Ohio
and West Virginia. In the Buck
eye State the chief interest centres,
where Governor and State officers
are to be chosen. It Is true, there is
a good deal of attention in Iowa,
but no doubt exists as to which
party will be successful, the State
being, as usual, conceded to the
Republicans; however, the Demo
Gratis are running a very popular
man for Governor, and they have
made = more vigorous fight than
ever before. They expect
to greatly reduce the ac-
customed Republican majority.
in which event the effect will be
good upon the States that vote in
November, stimulating Democrats
to greater exertion and discourage
ing Republicans. The latter party
has for years been losing ground in
Iowa. The principal element in
the present struggle is rum, which
has been carried out of the saloons
where it belongs and bounced into
party politics. The Republicans
have mailed prohibition into their
platform, and they propose. foe this |
eletion at least, to stand by cold
water; while the Democrats think
the liquor question can be best
handled by imposing high license
on it's sale. That is the leading
issue in the campaign, the usual
party questions being practically
ignored, and on Tuesday the people
will say whether they will be taxed
for vain attempt to suppress the
traffic in whisky, or whether they
will make the drinkers of intoxi-
cants pay the expense that rum
fastens upon the community. There
is a rum contest also in Ohio, where
the parties occupy somewhat diff
ferent positions to those held in
Iowa; but the Buckeyes have not
lost sight of party issues while
discussing temperance questions.
Ohio, for some years past, has been
one of. the doubtful" States, the
parties being so evenly divided that
it was unsafe to predict q month
before the election which would
win. In 1881, voting for Governor,
out of a total vate of CITIES the Re-
publicans elected Foster by ma
jority of only 1912. Last year, the
highest officer chosen was secretary
Of state, and the Democratic candi.
date was elected, bis majority being
6,s13. This majority, however, did
not represent the party gain, which
was 2s,44S, the total vote being
627,SS5. 1t will thus be seen that
ordinarily the Democrats would
have a decided advantage for the
election on Tuesday, Unless con-
siderable percentage of those who
voted that ticket last year have
since changed their minds the DEM
ocrats will win. The Republicans
are counting upon the prohibition
vote, and seem to believe it is con-
siderable, and that it comes largely
from the Democratic ranks. Four
years ago it amounted to only 10000
and last year it had fallen to $4,000.
It is also rather new departure to
look for probibitionists amongDem-
ocrats, who as rule 60 no fur.
Their in the direction of
temperance than to advocate
high license. 1t is more probable
that the Democrats have gained
from the Republican ranks than
that the latter have won prohibi-
ton Democrats. The campaign
has been among the most energetic
in the history of state politics, each
party realizing to the full extent the