Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1905-01-04
THE POPULAR VOTE
hoosevelts Majority 2,541,291
Over Parker

IL "a Joritf -,Of1 80
n Over Parker
;. The official returns OF the pop
= Mar vote at the Presidential cleo
4 tion last November provide Ian in
teresting study for all who hav,
2 any concern, either practical OIL
! theoretical, in national politics
;, This year Mr.. Roosevelt received
I 1920, 332 votes, against 5.O70,O4I
e votes for Judge Alton b. Parker,
0 the Democratic candidate for
President. The Prohibitions [
candidate received 258,847 votes,
3 the Socialist candidate 4O2,I
the Socialist Labor candidate 49,.
f f6l2, the Popullst candidate 49,
258. Mr.. Roosevelt's plurality
over Judge Parker was 2,54I,2 POI.
His majority over all candidates
was ,643, 4l5. The entirs vote
for Judge Parker was only twice
as great as Mr.. ROosevelt's plu-
rality.
In 1884 Mr.. Cleveland, the first
Democratic President-elect since
1856, received 4,S54,S 1896 votes-or
only 224, 900 votes less than the
Democratic candidate polled 90
years later. In 1892 Mr.. Cleve-
land pOlled nearly half a million
votes more than Judge Parker did
in 1904. In 1895 Mr.. Bryan's pop
ular vote was 6,287, 1852, while he
received in addition, 245,7 Pop |
ulist votes. In 1900 Mr.. Bryan's |
vote was $500, 016. 1t thus ap-
pears that II years ago the Dem
ocratic party WIS stronger by half
a million voters than il was in
1904 that eight years ago it had
1900, 900 more voters than it had
this year; that four years ago it
was able to poll nearly 1900, 600
more votes than in 1904. In other
words the popular vote of the
party increased steadily from the
election of 1876, when Tilden was
The Presidential candidate, down
to 1900, Notwithstanding the fact
that the Democracy was divided
in 1896 and was not united in 1900.
The Republican party also had a
normal increase during theat ,
period, but Mr.. Mcklnley's plu. $
ralities in 1896 and 1900 were due :
largely to Democratic support on
the money issue.
On the basis Of population of
so, 100000 there should be APP
proximately 100000 voters in
the United States. If that esti-
mate be not excessive, nearly .
2, 100000 of them abstained from '
voting at the election this year. y
Many of them must have been ?
Democrats, for Judge Parker's
vote was less by |, 3O0,C coo than Il
Tie vote polled by Mr.. Bryan in Il
1900. while Mr.. Roosevelt's vote K
vas only 100000 more than Mr.. Ell
McKinley's four years ago. The u
Socialist party and the Socialist 81
labor party polled this year $780, d.
100 votes more than in 1900, and b
nay have received the support of to
ONE Democrats. But, on the
'asis of normal increase, there are al
t least million and a half Dem of
crst tic voters who cannot be ac- &c
ounted for on any other hypothe. at
is than that they remained away d.
rom the polls. Why did they alb CT
tain from voting2 This is the V,
roblem which Democratic politi- ne
ians must solve befo they can pa
~ the foundation for success in hu
ne future.
The South, with the exception A.
Missouri, will give its electoral VII
Dte to Judge Parker. There is DIN
,arcely Southern State. how stu
yer, in which there was not a fir,
ibstantial decrease in the Demo oil
attic vote as compared with 1900. ac,
labama dropped from $1,000 t. roo
}, 900; Arkansas from $1,000 to nj.
|, 900; Kentucky from 234, 600 to an,
z, 900; Louisiana from $4,000 to ma,
900; North Carolina from l57,
10 to $4,000; Tennessee from
5, 600 to 31.O00; Texas from ven yea
Y 900 to 1877, 600; Virginia from vi
5000 to $4,000. On what 'h'
ound csn the slump in the ma me Nc.
rites of the Democratic South ~"
explained2 The Southern PEI "e'
E believed their section had '"'
lch at stake in the Presidential "'s
'ction this year, yet they failed I w.
bring out the Democratic vote. '"'
the "pivotal States" of Indiana wei
d New York the Democracy i'"'
.de poor showing at best. In Z
90 there were 10000 Demo. ma
ltic votes cast in Indiana for wer
:. Bryan. Judge Parker re- tie
we'd only $4,000. In the four Hos
ars from 1900 to 1904 the Dem wee
ATTIC vote in New York increased bui'
m 67S,000 to 6S3, 1000. In the lheI
ne period the Republican vote "a
reased from sol 600 To $50 600 tax,