The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-11-23
THE DIFFERENCE IN FIGURES.

The Rsrisle makes some comparisons
of the vote Of the recent election with
that of 1886. with the feebly-disguised
intention of showing that its editor made
an extraordinary run for the Office Of
representative. In his desperate efforts
to illustrate his popularity over other
members of his party Wise makes the
following ungenerous fling at Gen, f, NJ.
Pope:
Gen. Pope, Democrat, was elected
senator by 623 plurality over Spaulding,
Republican, but his total vote is 4S7 be-
low the highest Democrat on the legis-
lative ticket, 2i2 below that received by
Mr.. Larson, IL below Mr.. Stephens
vote and only . more than cast for Mr..
Just. Ii is less than received by any of
the Democratic national, state, legisla-
tive or county candidates. with a single
exception, vet all these candidates were
in minority ranging from 81 to S62.
A little closer study of the returns of
the two elections referred to would have
shown this self-conceited editor that he
was putting his foot into it" in trying
to show that Gen. Pope is less popular
than himself. In the first place Gen.
Pope had, besides Spaulding IA very
popular Republican,, two other formid-
able candidates to oppose-and had to
do it sipgle-handed, while Wise had
three associates of his own and four men
on the opposite ticket whom he could
use in his scratching and trading opera
tions. In Sterling, the home of Mr..
Webb, the candidate of the Labor party,
in 1856, that gentleman received 10
votes, at least half of which were fairly
| Pope's. This would have given the lat
ter 81 votes in that town against rs for
Wise this year. But in the late election
the total vote of Sterling increased "a
over 1856, and giving Gen. Pope fair
share of this would show him not at all
behind Wise.
Take, also, the Fourth ward of this
city, upon which Wise has labored so
hard:
Pope's vote 1893
5 per cent. increase.
! Labor vote. 50
Total ........-........ .2S7
wise vote lSoS.........................
Thus it it is seen that in the home
ward of both Senator Pope and Wise the
result between them is a stand off. Take
the Democratic towns of Mankato and
Lime. In the former Wise got III, Pope
100, difference of only IL votes, and
adding per cent. increase and one-halt
of the Labor vote would bring Pope up
TO within votes of Wise. In Lime,
Gen. Pope received more votes than
Wise, Notwithstanding the fact that the
total vote of the township increased TO-
Add also one-half of 16 Labor votes and
he is fonnd to be IA ahead of Wise's vote
this year. Considering the vote of the
county as a whole the situation is
clearer:
! Pope's vote lSS6..................... $50
per cent. increase about............... 20i
! Labor Vote. ....-...........-..... 2Ss
Iotal....................-.. l2t
Wise's vote ,06I
+, rope over w lSe...-.... Ot
Here Is a pain demonstration thai
Gen. Pope with the advantages of an in
creased vote and without the diversion
of a Labor candidate would have re.
ceived more votes than Wise did with
all his insinuated popularity. Wise also
secured the votes of many Prohibition
its, while Pope got none. The fact O
the matter is, Wise secured his increas
ed vote by trading off his associates Jus
and Stephens, and not through anv pop
ularity or strength in his own party o.
the opposition. This is clear from the
fact that Just and Stephens ran from 25(
to 800 votes behind Wise and Larson
while Mr.. Davis, a Republican, also suf
fered from this political knavery. Ye
this is the man who prates about purity
The figures given above pretty thor
oughly disclose the 'inside" of Wise'l
= alleged big run, and show that his at
tempt to belittle the popularity of Sena
tor Pope only serves to exhibit his owl
/, failIngs in that direction.
II