The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-11-07
TO-DAY'S ELECTIONS

y
Important elections Will be held To-
day in several States, and history may
be made in more than one. The con-
test in Virginia is sure to result in
Democratic victory. In Maryland the
result seems in doubt. The OPPOSE
ton to the suffrage amendment on
the part of Democrats has been so
much more pronounced than ex-
pected that the general belief is that
the amendment will not carry. That
would be a big mistake, as all South
ern people who understand how the
amendment would work will testify
These are the only two elections in
any Southern State.
In the Northern States there seems
to be no distinct issue that will af-
feet the parties in any national sense.
In Philadelphia all the Democrats OF
character are fighting with the lnde-
pendent Republicans to defeat the
worst and most piratical machine that
ever afflicted an American city. 80
long have the people of Philadelphia
seemed to condone political and Off
cial corruption that good men OF all
parties had almost despaired OF hon
est politics and half way decent mu-
nicipaI government The outlook there
is that the corrupt political machine
will be defeated. That will be nota-
BILE victory for Democracy.
In Rhode Island, under the leader
ship of Governor GarVin, an honor
able fight is being made to rescue that
state from a corrupt machine that Is
not much better-though some better
because none could be as rOtten-than
the Philadelphia machine. Is it too
much to hope that Decency and De-
mocracy will win in the Rhode Is
land plantations
In Ohio the contest is peculiar
and there this year Democracy and
Decency are synonymous. 1t looks
more like a contest with the saloons
and gamblers and grafters on the side
of the Republican ticket and the
churches on the side of the Democrats.
The Republican candidate for Cover
nor is backed by the solid saloon vote
"a thing unprecedented in the Buck
eye State-because he vetoed tenn
perance measure and incurred the Wig
orous criticism of the religious ele-
ment in the State. The Democratic
candidate for Governor, Mr.. John M
Pattison, president or the Union Cen
trail Life Insurance Company, is an
earnest and ardent temperance man
and is enthusiastically supported by
thousands of church people who have
been lifelong Republicans. The
Washington Posts correspondent says
it looks more like a contest between
the church and the saloons in Ohio
than between Democrats and Repub-
lcans, with the party of grand moral
ideas" lined UP with the saloon forces.
If the moral element in Ohio is as
strong as in North Carolina. Patti
son will win.
In Massachusetts, there is some
trouble among the Republicans. They
have a weak candidate for Lieutenant
Governor and the Democrats have a
strong man who has made hit
DX the dUNOCoCy VI d lCuuNllOiI VI
the tariff and some people believe
the Democrats will win.
AS usual, the chief interest centres
in New York where the most excit-
ing municipal campaign of a decade
has been waged. The end of the
campaign comes with much doubt as
to the result. The general belief is
that Murphy and Odell, the Democrat
ic and Republican bosses, had an 'un-
derstanding' which would give Odell
the Legislature and the State, and
Murphy the city. The entrance of
Hearst and Coles and Ford and Shearn
into the field was at first regarded as
a sally of doctrinaires, but it has
gained such Roadway as to give Muir
ply and Odell the scare of their lives.
Jerome's wonderful campaign has
also been a thorn in the side of the
bosses. Mayor Mcclellan urged Muir
ply to favor the nomination of Je-
rome, who is a lifelong Democrat,
showing that Mcclellan is an astute
politician, but Murphy and Odell
thought it a good time "to kill Je-
rome. and the indications are that it
will not be Jerome's funeral. Mr.. Os-
borne has made a nervy Highland
may win-but Murphy's mistakes have
helped Jerome every day.