The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-12-05
NOT DEAD BUT SULKING.

NOT DEAD BUT SULKING.
Analysis of the vote in Illinois proves
beyond question that the enormous
plurality piled up for the Roosevelt
electors was, like the narrowly-won
republican victory in Missouri, due to
stay-at home democratic votes. Coun-
ty after county shows only slight re-
publican gains, but enormous demo-
cratic losses. Democratic strongholds
were transformed into republican camps
through this marked indifference of
the democracy. Whole congressional
districts fell away from the democratic
column, not because the republican
ticket attracted thousands of demo-
cratic votes, but because thousands of
democrats failed to vate at all. An
analysis of the vote reveals facts quite
total of results.
Taking as examples the four congress
sional districts of southern and central
Illinois, which have been regarded as
homes Of the demOcracy-the TWEEN
tieth, twenty-first, ! twenty third and
twenty fourth-it is discovered that
the democratic vote slumped from
97,19O for Bryan in 1900 to 74,2S1 for
Parker; Mckinley received S5,515 votes
in these districts in 1900, while Roose-
welt gets but 5000 in 1904. The
democracy failed this year to poll it's
strength Of 1900 by 22,9O9 votes, while
the republican party gained only 794
votes out of a total of 160,590 by the
two parties. Thus was a democratic
plurality of 11,675 in 1900 transformed
into republican plurality Of 12,02S in
1904.
scrutiny of the returns from other
counties in the state. selected at ran
dom, will show virtually the same
condition. Republicans voted; demo-
Gratis did not And the synopsis of the
story is plurality of 100000 for
Roosevelt, of which so per cent is due
to stay-at- home democrats, and a
further large percentage to the disin-
clination of many Of those democrats
who did go to the polls to support the
democratic electors. fair and con-
sentative calculation reduces the
boosted republican gain of more than
100000 to the comparatively insignifi-
cant figure of 31,254; and this not
withstanding an absolute republican
gain in Cook county Of 73,963.
Roosevelt's plurality in Iowa this
year is 1896, and HIS majority is
1911. While the total vote for pres
ident in Iowa ran short from $685.
in 1900 to sO7,sO7 this year, Roosevelt's
plurality far exceeds McKinley's,
which was but 1858. This difference
is accounted for in the falling off in
the democratic vote. While Bryan in
1900 polled a total of 209,265, Parker
this year polled blu 1914 votes. The
total vote for president was as fol-
lows: Roosevelt, 307,907; Parker, 49,
IA; Swallow, 1861; Debs, 1887;
Watson, 2,207.
The vote of Oregon in the presiden-
tial election was small. The vote for
Roosevelt was the normal republican
vote-over $4,000. The opposition vote
Of all shades should have been at least
$4,000 but it fell more than 10000
short. Democrats refused to vote for
Parker. In Multnomah county the
vote for Roosevelt exceeded by over
5000 that cast for McKinley-which
was about the natural or normal gain.
And yet the total vate was below that
thrown in 1900, Or even in 1896. That
is the democrats refused to vote for
Parker and didn't appear at the polls.
1t is significant that though the re-
publican vote of Oregon increased so
largely, the total vote Of 1904 was
much below that of four years, and
even of eight years, earlier. In the late
election the democrats of Oregon didn't
vote. But with an acceptable candi-
date and platform all will vote in 1908.
The good roads convention in this