The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-17
WHERE PRESIDENTS ARE MADE.
Their Election Decided by the Vote In
Few States Only.


New York Sun.
The popular majority I'm a total vote Of
more than 100000 i'm 1896 was less than
100000 for William Mckinley. and In three
States of the country, California, Kentucky
and South Dakota. the plurality OF the sue
cessful party was so small that IL was less
than the Prohibition vote in each, though
California is the chief wine-producing State
or the country, and Kentucky is not with
out fame among those who drink whisky.
The plurality OF the Mckinley electoral
ticket was less than 10 per cent. OF Bryans
total vote and the majority OF the Nc
Kinley electors over all presidential tickets
was less than 2S5.Oco in the country-10.000
less than the Mckinley plurality in Penn
sylvania.
But although the lead of the successful
party in the country at large was so small
compared with the total vote cast. the bat
tie was decided in few States only. as
presidential elections have been for many
years and as the election of 1900 is likely TO
be also. IL is only when the actual figures
are considered that il is seen how IL is that
the large majority of the States are so
strongly committed to one or other party
as TO exercise very little direct influence
on the result. Thus in the State of Maine,
Wnlcn Mckinley carried by 1900 the whole
Bryan and Sewall vote lMr. Sewan was
a resident of Maine) was only 1900. Nc
kinley had 1900 more plurality than his
Gppo Msn mad votes In the Pine Tree State
was S5O0 more than the Bryan vote. In
New Hampshire 1T was 1900 I'm Rhode
Island, 1000, and in Vermont $1,000. the
Bryan vote in that State being 10000 only.
and the Mckinley plurality 10000
Nor were these evidences of disparity on
one side only. In Alabama, which Bryan
carried by 5000. the total Mckinley vote
3 n rk
plurality was twice as large as the total
Mckinley vote. In Colorado Mckinley
had 5000 votes; BRYAN had $4,000 plurality
than double the whole Mckinley vote In
Idaho ii was nearly three times as large.
In Louisiana the Mckinley vote was 1000;
the Bryan plurality was 5000, and in Mis-
sissippi the Mckinley vote was 5000. while
the Bryan plurality was $1,000 For every
vote cast for the Mckinley ticket In that
State Bryan had IL votes. 10 OF them ma
Jority. In Montana the Bryan plurality
was three times greater than the McKin-
ley vote. In Nevada lit was eight times
greater: in South Carolina IT was five times
greater, the Mckinley vote being 5000 and
State which cast four years ago more than
half a million votes, Bryan's plurality was
10000 while the whole Mckinley vote was
only 157 In Utah the Mckinley vote was
1900 and the Bryan plurality was $1,000.
These evidences of allegiance in voting
TO one or other of the political parties, al
at the election of 1896. are the general rule
IN the national contests and these are de-
termined by the electoral vote of a few
States chiefly. Prior to the civil war the
electoral vote of Pennsylvania was usually
regarded as decisive and il became known
as the Keystone State, a distinction which
1t stin preserves, though IL was the State
which at the last presidential election gave
the successful party larger plurality than
any other. After the close of the civil
war and the restoration of the Southern
States to political fellowship New York.
Connecticut and New Jersey came to be ac-
cepted as the determining States, but at
present the seat of political control has
shifted westward and New Jersey and Con-
hecticut are no longer doubtful.
s New York and Illinois, which cast to-
gether 2600.000 votes and have collectively
sixty electoral votes, are now the two most
decisive States. though in the contest OF
four years ago the Mckinley plurality in
the former was 26S,O00 and in the latter
1920 or more than 20 per cent. Of the total
Mckinley plurality in the whole country.