New-York tribune., 1907-11-07
NO DEMOCRATIC RECOVERY.

The Tribune said frankly before the elections
of Tuesday that local issues would control f0f
the most part in the choice OF governors anu
other state officers i'll the various states voting
Massachusetts. Rhode Island. New Jersey, Penn
svlvania Maryland, Kentucky. MISSISSIPPI ana
Nebraska The results in those states nave fully
justified our Judgment. for each appears TO nave
concerned itself in the main with purely domes-
I tie problems In view Of the variations of sen
tment shown in different states it is difficult to
find any justification for the eXtravagant de
ductions made by some of our Democratic con-
temporaries from what seemed at first "A Re
publican reverse in the State of New Jersey.
Both The World" and The Times" seized on
the early reports of the defeat of Judge Fort
as an omen of disaster to the Republican party
at large and a striking proof of a general reac-
ton against Republican national policies.
The baselessness of such an inference is ap-
parent. In the first place the Republicans did
not lose New Jersey In fact. the Republican
candidate for Governor has a larger plurality
than the Republican candidates for Congress
had last year, when nobody discovered any
symptoms of general anti-Republican reaction.
The next New Jersey Legislature will be two
thirds Republican in each branch, whereas the
lower branch elected last fall was Democratic
But if The World" and The Times" assume
that national issues played q decisive part IN
New Jersey and account for a partial Repub-
lican setback there what conclusions will they
draw from the voting in other states: Did
national issues control in Kentucky also. where
full Republican state ticket was chosen and
the gerrymandered Legislature almost capt
ured by the Republicans? Are the prospects of
the Democratic party frightened by losing this
once stanch Bourbon state on the eve of
Presidential election: Are they frightened by
the disruption of the Democratic organization
in Massachusetts. where the independence
League ticket polled almost as many votes as
the regular Democratic ticket: Nebraska
elected Republican state officers by normal plu-
ralites The Democrats held Mississippi, won
in Maryland by a plurality half as great as that
given for Governor Warfeld in 1903 and re
elected a Governor in Rhode Island. which state
has chosen Democratic Governor pretty stead
ily for the last eight years. How is any over
plus of hope to he extracted by Democrats from
the returns in these states, and how do they
show any drift toward Democracy on the part
of the voters of the country?
Take the situation here in New York. There
has been some hasty jubilatOn over the Tam
many victory in New York County, though the
Tammany plurality Tuesday was one OF the
smallest on record, much smaller than that
given TO William J. Bryan in 1860 or TO Alton
II. Parker in 1904. In what condition must the
Democratic party enter upon a state campaign
next year? The Independence League has
poled 10000 votes in the state. Without the
cooperation of the League the state Democracy
will be left next fall in a helpless minority.
Mr. Murphy and Mr.. Corners may name state
ticket and Presidential Electors, but they must
get down on ther knees to the Hearst organza-
ton to have any chance of making a respectable
showing at the polls Mr.. Murphy says airily
that Mr.. Hearst is eliminated, but here, as in
Massachusetts, he really holds the whip hand
over the Democracy, and it must make terms
with him unless it wants to repeat the trying
experiences of the runaway Bryan and Parker
canvasses. The Democratic party as a national
party is weaker now than it was in 1904
1906. Nothing in Tuesdays voting indicates
that it is gaining ground East, West or South
at the expense Of Repubcanism.