Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-08-17
DEFEATED PRESIDENTIAL CAND1-
DATES WHO NEARLY WON.
Mr.. BRYAN ONE OF MANY
In Number of Elections a Change OF
Few Votes in Close States Would
Have Altered the Result-What
the Facts of History Show.

the campaign which he made In 1896
and as TO the narrow margin by which
Mr.. Mckinley carried several states.
Prominence Is given to the fact that
change OF less than 10000 votes,
properly distributed In the states OF
California, Delaware, Indiana Ken
lucky, Oregon and West Virginia
wonld have given Bryan the election.
1t might be assumed, from the earnest
ness with which those Immediately
concerned In Mr.. Bryan's success have
been urging this fact as reason why
he should be renomlnated, that they
hope by deyoting themselves partlcu-
Iarly TO the states mentioned, to secure
the necessary 10000 votes and thus
elect him.
Regardless of the fact that the re-
publicans will exert themselves as
much to retain these votes as the dem
Gratis to secure them the task OF win
ming the six states carried by Mckin-
ley by such a small margin Is greater
than IL appears, and the magnitude OF
the undertaking should be correctly
estimated before even the most en-
thnsiastic friends OF Mr.. Bryan make
any calculations based on these states
giving their vote to him In 1900,
From almost the earliest period Of our
national history the same tendency
has been noted on the part Of the de-
fcatcd party to solace Itself with the
thought that change of few votes
In certain states would have given It
the election, while the same fact Is
always pointed out by the successful
party as cause Of apprehension con
corning the result Of the next cleo
ton.
If the electoral returns for nearly
all the presidential elections in the
history Of the United States are cX
amined 1t will he found that to affect
the slight change In the states carried
by small margins II would have re-
qulred causes powerful enough to have
similarly affected the other states, and
that the same rensons which would
have caused the 10000 men who voted
for Mckinley In 1896, and whose votes
WbHlH UlNf UIltl'H lHt I'blll, "pHlu
have been equally urgent and power
fnl with some 300,0 900 Of their fellow
citizens
Mckinley was the first candidate
since 1872 to receive clear majority
OF the popular vote. Since the time OF
Polk. the first president to enter the
white house without majority of the
popular vote. there have been but five
elections whore the successful candi-
date secured majority Of the popu-
lar vote The five exceptions were
Pierce, Lincoln 0SGn, Grant ut both
elections and Mckinley Hayes and
Benjamin Harrison were elected with
out even Il plurality, With Mckinley
securing such Il large popular ma
iorEy MS well rs an electoral ma
1ority the defeat Of Bryan In 1896 can
not be regarded but M overwhelming
In calculating on the change of a
few thousand votes in the states men
toned II should not be overlooked that
Ave a. The SIX were wrcstcd from The
democrats who carried them In 1899,
All elections resemble one another In
this that the majority Of the winning
party is Increased in the states which
1t usually carries; the majority of Tho
losing party Is reduced IN states
which II claims MS It's own and in the
doubtful states the winning party Sc
cures lts electoral votes over the cF-
forts Of the opposition These changes
mr. all In hn lIlSppi Inn ihn
change of votes from the losers to
the winners.
TO have carried Indiana in 1896 the
democrats should have pollcd STE Of
the votes which were east for Mrl<in-
ley This number Is - per cent Of
the total republican vote of the state
and - per cent of the total demo
cratic vote. A similar change in
every state would have reduced Me
kinley's plurality In the country to
800 900 Estimating on the basis Of a
sufficient change to have enabled
Bryan TO carry Delaware II the per
Centagc was maintained throughout
the country, Bryan would have re-
ceived plurality Of more than GOO.
600 to say nothing Of an oyerwhclm.
Ing vote in the electoral college The
fact that 10000 votes or 100000 votes
or any other number might IT proper
~ distributed, have turned the clcC.
ton from Mckinley to Bryan has ",
significance when considered from tn,
standpoint Of practical politics, how
ever interesting It may ne rs n basis
for political speculation, and in thu
next campaign will have no ralu,
whatever
Henry Clay, although defeated 70
the presidency in the electoral col
lcge by a vote Of 10 for Polk to lO
for Clay, missed being president by
very narrow margin. A change o
2,55i votes in New York would hav
given him 1i1 electoral votes to lSi 70
Polk Had 19lS votes properly dis
trihuted bcen changed from Polk t
Clay in the following states Ney
York 2,55i; Pennsylvania, S,167
Indiana, 1,l5S, and Georgia, 1899
ClnS would have received a majority q