Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1905-01-05
ANALYSIS OF THE VOTE
Shows Roosevelt Received No
Unusual Endorsement.
MERELY KEPT HIS PARTY IN LINE

Remarkable Plurality Due to Re-
fusal of the Democrats to Go to the
Polls - More Thar a Million Re-
Trained From Casting Their BnlIots
The official vote Of the late presiden-
tal election has not yet been fully an
nounced, but it is practically complete.
says the Atlanta Constitution.
Thirty-three states of the Union gave
their electoral votes for Roosevelt, in
Guiding Maryland in the list as giving
a Republican plurality, since one
elector on the Republican ticket receiv-
ed a larger vote than any of. the Demo-
cratic electors for that state. Ten
states gave Roosevelt pluralities of
more than 100000 each, PENNSYLVANIA
leading with more than half n million
n the whilom doubtful" state of
Illinois following not so far behind
with the astounding figures of 800. 1889.
Ohio and Michigan gave him consider
ably more than 100000 plurality, and
the less populous states gave pro-
portionally as large pluralities on the
same side from a percentage stand
point. Even New Jersey, not so long
ago a Democratic state and the home
Of. Grover Cleveland, narrowly escaped
getting in the 100000 class.
In the electoral college Roosevelt has
1856 votes to Parker's 40. Parker's
electoral vote is II short of the total
belonging to what was wont to be
called the "solid south" before Mis-
souri, went astray. Bryan's electoral
vote in 1900 was 155 as against 292
for Mckinley; in 1896 it was 176
against 271.
We will not at this time attempt an
analysis Of the vote by states in COM
parison with the vote in 1896 and 1900,
but such an analysis will be surprising
in it's revelation of the large number
of Democrats who did not vote at the
last national election. That such was
the case is abstractly apparent enough
when it is shown that nearly half a
million less votes were polled last No
vember than in 1900, with the popula-
ton increase Of the country entirely
normal during the four years interval.
In 1900 Mckinley polled 7,2O7,923
votes. Last November Roosevelt poll
ed but 7,640,561 votes, a difference Of
only 432,63S, which can be taken as
quite the normal increase to be expect |
ed from he increase in population.
The Democratic popular vote in 1900
was $685. 1873, and last November it
fell to 5,094,O91. 1t is plain Roosevelt
did not add the shrinkage or any mate
rial part of it to his vote. The Parker
vote fell off 1,264,O42 from the Demo-
cratic popular vote Of 1900 and 1,4OS,-
600 from the vote Of our years earlier.
Roosevelt owes his remarkable plurali-
ty to this unusual Democratic shrink
age, and the shrinkage is explainable
solely by the fact that hundreds Of
thousands of Democrats scattered
throughout the Union did not 90 to the
polls at all.
Viewed, therefore, in the light Of a
cold statistical analysis, Roosevelt re-
ceived no unusual Endorsement Of his
administration in the recent election.
AS a matter Of fact, he merely kept the
normal Republican vote of the country
in line, and his big pluralities in the
states he carried are to be accounted
for by the failure of a large per cent
Of the Democrats to vote. :
No third party weakened the Demo-
cratic voting strength this year in an
appreciate degree. The Populists made
a sorry showing, it must be admitted.
A million or more Democrats refrained
from voting; that's all.