Evening star., 1901-11-04
TOMORROW'S VOTING
Rarely Has There Been Such Little
Election Interest.
NATIONAL ISSUES NOT INVOLVED
A Very Light Vote Expected in
an Off Year.
THE POP ULAR IMPULSE

Not within the recollection Of the present
generation has the first Monday in Novem-
ber come around with so little interest in
the general election as this year. The con-
tests in New York city and in Philadelphia
are obviously not included in this character
ization. OF the four-year periods into
which our political history is divided, the
year Immediately following presidential
election is the least important By the
time of the congressional elections on the
second year interest begins to revive, and
upon the forthcoming contest, election re-
turns are eagerly scanned
This is more than ever dull year on
account of the prosperity prevailing
throughout the country, the popular i'm
pulse to give the new President chance to
demonstrate his purposes and an unwilling
ness to bring partisan controversies too
sharply into the field, with their inevitable
personalities, soon after the death of
President Mckinley In these eircum,
states, which this year go to the polls, re-
fleets national issues, there is every encour-
agement for light vote. Hence. 1t is not
expected that the returns will signify much
regarding the movement of opinion on any
great issues now before the country m
fact. no issues are in shape for discussion
If the returns on Wednesday morning
should perchance show surprising and SEN
Sational democratic gains, or republican
gains as striking no one would know to
just what issue they could be attributed
1t is doubtful If the persons contributing to
the results would themselves know. Ac-
cordngly nothing sensational is expected
The Dutch will probably take their Hol-
lands all along the line.
No Full Vote for n Long Time.
1t should be noted that it is a long while
now since we have had in this country
full vote, and whenever issues arise to
bring one out the results will be likely to
surprise somebody. The most notable fea-
lures of the returns of 1900, as they stand
out in historical review, is the small vote
that was then polled. Mr.. Mckinley ac-
tually received fewer votes than he did IN
1896 in twenty states, including the six IN
New England and three in the middle At
lantic group. Mr.. Bryans vote was smaller
than before in twenty-one states. In the
south there was a diminution Of the vote
of both parties, due partly to changing SUI
frage conditions, which make ballotlng
more and more unnecessary. In that sec
tion Mr.. Mckinley lost votes in seven
states and gained in five, while Mr.. Bryan
who carried them all electorally, lost in ten
states and gained in two
In the west Mr.. McKinaey's vote was
smaller in four states and larger in seven
teen than in 1896.
This shows that the voters in 1900 did
not come out. Whether they did not feel
it necessary to do SO, which is quite likely,
or whether the issues were so confused
that many of them did not care to eX-
press a preference must remain matter
of conjecture. There should normally be
an increase of about per cent in the
votes from one presidential contest to the
next, to correspond with the increase
of population. To show that this did not
take place. more in detail than in general
results already noted, the official returns
of few states may be analyzed. In New
York in 1896 the Mckinley electors re,
ceived S19 S3S votes, in 1900 they received
21,992 votes. about as near a stand-off
as could be found. The increase in the
republican vote over 1892 had been more
from Bryan. In Massachusetts the Nc
kinley electors in 1896 received 21S,9I6
votes, in 1900 they received 23S. S66 votes
a decided loss. In Ohio the Mckinley
electors in 1896 received 525991 votes and
5f3,91S in 1900, an increase of about half
as large as it should normally have been
In the west, of course, the lightness of the
vote was principally in evidence on the
state increased his vote about 4 per cent,
Bryans own state decreased his from
1l3.SsO to 114013. The Mckinley vote in
Nebraska was increased from 1902 900 to
121, 900.
In Ohio the Bryan vote was 477,494 the
first time he ran and 414 $50 the second
lIllie 50 CloSS DIS u give rise 10 d leSEflQ
that it was identical on the two contests.
1T was surprisingly alike in many states
All these figures are of no Importance now
except as showing how long 1t is since we
had full vote; they also emphasize the
superhciality of those students of politics
who assume that any great national ques-
ton was settled by the contest of 1900 ex-
cept that Mr.. Bryan could not be con-
sidered for the presidency by any consid-
cradle number of the serious-minded peo-
pie of the country. The people voted to
dismiss him from all future calculations
A Light Vote Expected.
This years vote will be very light and so
of little significance, for it is a well-recog-
nized fact that a light vote does not rep
resent the same proportion of loss to the
two parties. This depends upon local con-
ditions In Ohio a light vote, other things
being equal, Is Of decided advantage to
| the democrats; in most northern states a
light vote Is Of decided advantage to the
minority party and a full vote the oppo-
site. The Bryan returns were of course
an exception to this. One would ordinarily
expect a democratic candidate for governor
to show up better in Iowa and Ohio were
the vote to be very light than If some
sensation Were sprung which brought out
every body. This difference between a large
and small vote in such a state is well
shown by the figures of 1896 and 1897
The republican vote Of Iowa in 1897 fell
off 5000 from that Of the year before
while the democratic vote fell off onlv
% 00O-less than half as much This OF
course, cut in halves the republican plu-
ralfty, but no one thought it significa mt
In Ohio. comparing the same two years,
there was a republican loss of $4,000 and a
democratic loss Of 10000; this, too, about
cut In halves the republican plurality of
the presidential year. But this was. as in
presidential contest. This shows what To
expect as normal on off years.