Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-07-02

last presidential election.
The national chairfnen, at the very
outset, will eliminate about three-hfths
of those votes from their calculations.
Approximately Us votes, or a tritie more
than one-half Of these three-nfths. will
be conceded to Mr.. Bryan, the pros
pective democratic nominee The demo-
Gratis may not concedc quite as gen
erouslv to their opponents. bat tho fact
remains that good Judges VIII concede
about IA votes in the eastern section
Of the country as good as cast for
Taft.
DEMOCRATS STRONGHOLDS.
The democratic %strongholds are In a
States as follows:
Alabama Il, Arkansas Q. Florida 5
Georgia II, Kentucky 10 Louisiana 9.
Mississippi 10. Missouri IL. Oklahoma :,
North Carolina IL. South Carolina 0, Ton
essee II. Texas IS. Virginia 10: total l5S.
Kentucky and Missouri have been car
ricd by the republicans. The former
State now has n republican governor.
More or less will be heard during the
campaign about republican prospects in
both those States, IN the inner oices
- N'D 'i,
however. Kentucky and Missouri will be
put down at the very start as demo-
cratic.
There are two contiguous groups OF
eastern States. nearly all Of which will
go into the electoral college tables this
year as belonging TO Taft. First there
are the six New England States. Per-
haps the Bryan forces will do some re-
connoitering in Connecticut. but it will
hardly be anything else. The votes Of
those six States:
Connecticut :. Maine 6. Massachu-
sctts 16. New Hampshire 4. Rhode Is
land 4, vermont 4. Total Al.
Tho other group also comprises six
states. with n much larger total vote,
where in former times have been
many presidential backgrounds.
These States and their votes: New
Jersey IL. New York 80. Pennsylvania
"a. West Virginia :. Maryland s, Della
ware 3. Total 103.
TO be sure, the democrats claim not
to have abandoned hope Of New York.
where the stnke-39 electoral votes
IL so large that the taking Of long
chances is justified. nor Of Maryland,
nor possibly o. New Jersey.
WEST WILL BE RATTLE GROUND.
The elimination OF those fourteen sure
Bryan States and of twelve more almost
as sure Taft States narrows the field to
'the disaffectcd West" That section has
caught up the Roosevelt and La Fol-
lette doctrines with great enthusiasm.
which causes the politicians to wonder
whether it means also IL great focking
to Bryan IN November.
With two or three minor exceptions
these eighteen States have n large nor
mai majority of republican voters. II
they should give Bryan major.ties very
generally It would be one of the most re-
markable phenomena In American poll
tics. And yet, during the last two
weeks. nearly every one OF the following
group Of twelve States. with n total of
l45 electoral votes. has been mentioned
by democratic optinists as tending to-
ward the radical party views OF which
Bryan promises TO be the leading cham
pion in this campaign. Illinois q. Indi-
ana IS. Iowa IL. Kansas 10. Montana 8.
Michigan IA. Minnesota II. Nebraska S.
North Dakota l.. South Dakota 4, Ohio
%. Wisconsin IL; total lH.
There Is not a single democratic
United States senator now IN Congress
from these u States. and only about a
dozen democratic representatives. This
Is mentioned to emphasize what n politi-
cal Overturning there must De in Novem-
Der II these II States are to furnish the
81 electoral votes which Bryan must
have with his 1853 votes in tho solid
South to he n winner.
If It should develop. that he has even a
hghtins chance OF carrying New York
the best judges believe he has not-the
winning OF the AZ remaining votes neces-
sary would not seem such an impossible
task, especially when II Is granted that
he will have about an even chance in
Indiana and also in Nebraska, particu-
larly In the latter State, II the labor men
and the railrad men support him, as
they are now indicating an inclination
to do.
WHERE BRYAN MAY WIN.
For even II the remaining eight States
In the electoral college, all in the West
are seriously disaffected-from the re-
publican standpoint-and IL Bryan should
carry most OF them. the total would no
comparatively small. They are the trans
Missouri States, as follows;
California 10. Colorado 8. Idaho 2, Ne
vadda 3, oregon 1. Utah 3. Washington
6. wyoming 3, total SO.
The only one OF these eight States that
lean be counted as democratic from its
political record TO date Is Nevada. II has
the only democratic representative In
Congress from West OF tho Missouri
river. 1t has sne democratic senator,
whose democratic colleague from that
section comes from Colorado.