The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-11-08
THOUSANDS SEEK
TO SERVE PEOPLE
Total Number of Candidates in
Entire Country Exceeds the
Army or Navy.
QUEST FROM LOWEST
TO HIGHEST OFFICES
Contests for Village, City, Coun-
ty, State and Congressional
Lint Places.

washington, Nov. 8.-About 1867
men are asking to be elected to the s5S
ton today. One thousand and eleven,
not counting fusionists and independent
republicans and democrats, want to be
made members Of the house of represent
ttatives, altho only 3S2 are to be elected.
The others making up the total aspire
lege and have voice in the selection of
president and vice president.
There is one federal candidate for
each lot OF about 3,775 votes that will
probably be cast. 1t is the impression
that not many more than 14,500,O0O
voters will 60 to the polls. If more go
there may be sore surprises in store for
lot of us.
Counting state, county, city, town
and township candidates it is doubtful
IT there are as many as 300 voters for
each man seeking an office. In some
states, where state, county and munich
pal officers are to be elected, there are
ballot looks like a sample page from a
Brobdignagian city directory.
One to 100 Voters.
In Ohio there is a candidate for some
thing or another for about every 100
voters. Perhaps there are other states
where the list of those asking for office
Is as large. The Ohioans have so many
men to elect his year because they have
finally merged all elections into the one
held on the first Tuesday after the first
Monday in November. They have gone
from one extreme to the other. Prior to
1886 they had three elections each year.
be held in October. Now they have
Eliminated the time honored spring
scramble for municipal plums.
1t gives an American new idea of
| how to measure the magnitude Of his
| country when he reflects on the fact
that on one day it is thought necessary
for about $4,000 fellow citizens to stand
up and ask for the suffrages Of their
friends and neighbors. It may also
give him an idea that we hire too many
men to manage our affairs.
More men. are asking for office than
but little larger than the hunting
force.
| Thirteen Parties.
Thirteen parties chow unlucky for
twelve OF themD are represented in the
toral college: These thirteen tickets
are the republican, democratic, populist
peoples, prohibition, silver, socialist, so.
cialist-labor, socialist democrat, labor
continental, American and liberal Ha-
wall has q home rule party in addition
| Porto Rico have federal parties, So
called, tho in general way. they are
the 1nsular counterparts Of the repub-
lican.
This imposing array of candidates is
not equally distributed, by any means
In twenty-five districts only one can.
didate for congress is running. Twenty
Of them will return democrats and the
others republican. The distribution OF
districts in which there are no repub
hcan nominations for congress is as fol
lows: Mississippi, 8; Georgia, S; Ala
bama, Arkansas and Texas, 2 each, an6
South Carolina. 1. The democrats have
no candidates in two New York state
districts, where Messrs. Ketcham ant
Lefevre will be re-elected; two in Min
nesota, where Messrs. Stevenson ant
Stevens will have unanimous rejection
and one in Ohio, the twenty first, where
E. G.. Vail, the democratic nominee, de
clined to run and announced that h,
would vote for T. E. Burton, chairman
candidate for his seventh term, six O.
them having been consecutive.
Six Electoral Tickets.
The thirteen parties before men
toned are not all represented in all tn
states. 1t has been estimated that eac]
state has an average of six electora
| C1cheCS, WHICH makes up the TOTAL o
over $500 candidates for the electora
: college.
The three branches of the socialist
; have tickets in seventeen states an
will undoubtedly poll heavier vot
than they have heretofore. commanded
Each branch had full ticket in Nev
York and New Jersey. The prohib
tionists have congressional candidate
in fifteen states, comprising 154 dis
tricts. In MANY parts Of Indiana an
Illinois the voters have the choice O
seven candidates for congress-, in Penn
sylvania two, New York five, Wisco1
sin four, while in Mississippi the prou
. American will vote for democrat Q
not at all. John Sharp Williams, tn
democratic leader, will be reelected
n congress by fewer votes than are cas-
in any of the wards in Minneapolis
: All his fighting was. done two year
J.. ago for the nomination, when he ha
. three or four competitors.
!. On the score of recurrence, Smith
Y the favorite name of candidates fc
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