The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-09-07
NATIONAL
POLITICS
Outlook. as Seen by
Advertiser Man At
Capital.
(Mail Special to the Advertiser

II
WASHINGTON, D. c., August az
The wheels of government in this city
are now nearer a standstill than at any
other time of the year. Officially the
city is well nigh deserted. There will
not be complete return till after the
November election, because of SO many
officials going away to participate in the
struggle in their home states
There has been a perceptible decline in
the virility of the Democratic campaign,
since my last letter of about a month
ago on politics. But none the less, the
Republicans are active in every field
Things have improved for them mate
rally. Chairman Cortelyou and other
staunc1 friends of the President have
succeeded in winning over to the latter's
support nearly all the large financial in
f1uences IN New York Where it was
supposed the great corporations would
herd with Parker and contribute money
for his support, the contrary is found TO
be true. This has given the Republicans
much additional courage and when the
President lett here a few days ago he
was in the mountain tops of jubilation
over his prospects for election. Good
judges agree with him over the pros
poets, although it is still almost three
months before the election and a good
many things might happen in that time.
Financially the Democrats are having
hard Shedding, to use an old New Eng
land expression. They will apparently
have enough money to carry on their
but they will have to econo-
mize The Republicans will by no means
have as much money as they had four
years ago, but they will be bountlfully
supplied and will not have to count the
cost too closely whenever they want to
embark on any particular campaign ven
ture All the indications tend to show
that Chairman Cortelyou has been very
clever in bringing influences to bear up
on the important business organizations
to support his political chief in this CAM
paign. He has said almost nothing tor
publication and has been quietly pegglng
away, while Democrats were making
light of his abilities. One of the latest
words is that Mr.. Cortelyou has been
working successfully with the great rail-
road corporations, which traverse the
pivotal state of Indiana and persuaded
them to support Roosevelt and Fair
banks, in preference to the Democratic
ticket named at ST. Louis. Indiana is
probably Republican anyway but such
an accession is important.
he l-aII
the Democrats came. together in the St.
land early in September. One of these
elections will be in Vermont, Sept. g,
about the time this letter should reach
Honolulu. The other viii be held in
Maine week later. September II. The
elections in both states are for local Off
GERS and members of Congress. There
is no doubt whatever of the Republicans
being triumphant in both states but the
parties are making the hottest kinds of
fights, the Republicans for large MAORI
ties, so as to encourage the rest of the
country and the Democrats to keep the
Republican laJorities down, so as to
encourage the Democrats to make a
fight TO win in November. Heavy ora
tors of both parties are now touring III
both states Chairman Cortelyou has
directed cabinet officers to proceed to
New England and to speak for the
cause. The Democrats, on the other
hand, have drawn their best men from
Massachusetts, New York, and Indiana
TO tour the principal cities and towns
in Maine and Vermont
Both elections will he of great signifi-
canoe to the parties now struggling for
the Presidency. Anything under $4,000
majority in Vermont will be reckoned
as a Republican defeat. In presidential
years gone by, it is a coincidence that
every time the Vermont majority at
state elections has been less than $4,000
the country has gone Democratic in the
following November Anything below
10000 Republican majority in Maine will
be interpreted as a Democratic victory.
AS the population of both states has re-
NAMED pretty nearly stationary for the
last twenty years, the drift of sentiment
Is more accurately guaged in both states
by these gubernatorial votes than would
be the cas- in states where the popula-
ton was hitting or recruited by in1Tll-
grafton.
The We, mont and Maine Republicans
both admit that they do not hope this
year for anything like the majorities
that their states gave in 1896 and 1900.
That IS because the Gold Democrats
have returned to the fold and being gen
orally moneyed men and men of in
fluence in their respective communities
will help get the Democratic vote to the
polls. In the last two presidential caN-
paigns the Democratic vote in both
states has been left to itself and great
many stayed at home. For its signih-
canoe as TO the general drift of opinion
and for the indications as to how gen
orally the gold men have come back and
the silver men, are staying with the
party. the Vermont and Maine elections
will be watched very closely for signs.
If the Republican majorities are com
paratively small, the Democratic earn
paign for the Presidency will take on
great impetus. The floating vote will
Swerve Democratic ward and Parker's
chances will improve immensely The
same will be true OF the Republicans, if