New-York tribune., 1900-05-06

r. H. FTeer ivth West virginia s75
Besides this alarming table the further
thentic information is volunteered from time to
time that there ARE any number of districts not
above mentioned where a change of 500 to 600
votes would sweep the Republican from his
seat" Nobody will dispute this last contention
Nevertheless, it is slender thread upon which
to hang any hopes Of success next fall. The
clusion drawn from the foregoing isolated facts
is hardly warranted at best but when a few
other important and equally obvious items
taken into consideration it is clear that the
teral out of which the flimsy fabric of Demo-
cratic hopes for 1900 is spun will not hold water
THE BIG PROVISIONAL IF"
Political mathematicians Of this sort always
perforce overlook the other side of the problem
the figures of which almost inevitably spoil
their rainbows based they must necessarily
be on the big provisional "if the other fellow
had not been elected BY this system of win
ming lost elections it was satisfactorily settled in
1896. after the overwhelming defeat of fusion
that although Bryan was not elected he might
have been elected. The mathematical man with
big if up his sleeve attempted TO arouse the
broken spirit of the Bryanites with luminous
estimates proving how the transfer of a few
thousand inconsequential votes in selected States
here and there would have swung the PreSi-
dency from Mckinley to the Nebraskan.
1t was made plain as a pkestaff thus: The
change Of 142 votes in Kentucky, 1859 in Ore
gon 1893 in California. ,691 in Delaware D. IA
in West Virginia and 1902 in Indiana would
have reduced the Republican electoral vote from
y.
would have raised that of Mr.. Bryan to pa, the
exact number necessary TO elect. The thought
was inspiring, albeit somewhat late to be ef-
fectlVe. except to give the proper hue future
rainbows A little cloud upon the conception
was the large change required in the States
of Indiana and West Virginia covering nearly
half the electoral votes needed to make both
ends of the post mortem scheme meet But
that was the beauty Of the thing; the very
nicely of its constituent parts gave it an allur-
Ing look; every one of the numerous Ifs had
TO go through or the plan failure
The innocuouSnesS of such back action deduc-
ton Is made manifest by an examination of
some of the narrow pluralities by which BRYAN
himself secured the electoral votes of several
States. Its inventor. perhaps the Identical
genius who now proposes by like method to
take the Republican House of Representatives
over to the Democrats. failed or found il in
convenient TO note that a change of only 92
votes in the small State of South Dakota with
only four electors, would have knocked his
whole afterthought into a chimera But of
course. he had 1t in his mind that the influences
necessary to take Indiana and the other States
out OF the Mckinley column would with enual
certainty retain South Dakota in Rrvans 4
change OF 292 votes in Wyoming would have lost
Bryan that State. Likewise a change of & 135
in Kansas. 61S9 in Nebraska. S14S in Tennes-
see and 1854 in North Carolina would have
1t Is most significant that in subsequent cleo
uons several of these Bryan States have zone
Republican, whereas the Democracy has nj.
ured no Republican States 10 conmpensste to for
their loss.
CLOSE THINGS BOTH WAYS
So likewise there is another side to this limo
sress districts which endanger Republican su-