The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-11-16
The Reason
for Hearst's Defeat.

We have read with no little inter-
est, and with more or less patience,
the various opinions Of the press and
the public regarding the reasons for
the defeat of VIM r. Hearst for gov
ernor of New York in the face OF the
fact that the balance of the demo
cratic state ticket was elected.
Some ascribe the defeat of Mr..
Hearst to President Roosevelt's eff
forts, others say that Tammany knitted
him, few represent that Hearst was
the only man against whom the re-
publicans made an organized CAM
paign, and still others contend that
the voters did not like Hearst's per-
sonality and the result of the election
was a personal rebuke to his man
ners and methods.
These reasons are all susceptible
of more or less elaboration and any
one of them can be dressed up into
a fairly plausible presentation of an
altogether speculative proposition.
But the fact is, none of them is cor
rect.
The result shows that while Hearst
himself was defeated, Hearstism was
victorious. The issues on which he
made his campaign were endorsed by
the people That this endorsement
did not include the man who had
forced these issues, who had educa-
led the public mind and conscience
into realization of what they meant,
md who had made it possible for his
party to win even though he could
not himself win with it-all this con-
stitutes one of those curious anomo-
sies of policies which is hard for one
TO understand or account for.
But in Mr.. Hearst's case the prob
lem is not so difficult of solution as
1t would SEEM
in the first place, in order to edu-
sate public sentiment up to that point
Where successful issue of the ques-
aions involved could be expected, Mr..
Hearst has been no respector of any
mans partisan professions. He has
attacked men in his own party-and
properly so-just as readily as the
men of other parties whenever their
questionable political or business Oh
erations made them open to attack.
When he attacked the gas trust, the
ice trust, the traction interests, the
city election steals, the franchise
: grabbers. the negligence of duty by
public Office holders, and the hundred
and one cases of political or business
corruption which he has been in the
business of exposing and lampooning
for the past ten years-when he did
this, he spared no man and no party.
If the men who were responsible for,
or who were defenders of, the evils
which he exposed happened to be
members of his own party, it made
no difference-they suffered with the
balance.
Naturally, under such circumstances
Mr.. Hearst incurred the personal
! enmity of a large number of infiuen
tial men. While his exposures and
his efforts pleased the public and
while the men whose ill-will he had
incurred could not defend their &C
tons before the people. they were
still in a position to stick the knife
deep into Mr.. Hearst himself wher
the occasion Offered-and that occa
sion did offer in the campaign which
has just closed.
When Judge Alton p. Parker, May
or Geo. B. Mcclellan. District Attor
ney w. T. Jerome, Senator Pat Nc
Carren, former President Grover
Cleveland, former Tammany Leader
Richard Croker, and many othel
lesser luminaries all of whom pro
fessed to be members of Mr.. Hearsti
own party, all openly bolted his nomi
nation and openly opposed his cleo
ton, it was simply case of getting
even'-an example of how many ever
supposedly big men, can satisfy ;
personal hatred regardless of the prin
ciples involved or on the results t.
their party and their country.
That is the whole story of the de
feat, Of Mr.. Hearst. The principle.
which he advocated-the issues whic,
he had made-were all endorsed
His opponents in the democratic par
~ did not dare go on record as CD