Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-08-13

in Indiana and Ohio are building their
whole battle line In such fashion as to
catch the liquor element in the local Re
publican party. In AuguGt the outward
evidence all points toward democratic
failure in each instance. but such evil
dcnce will obviously need further con-
firmation and confederation in October n
to he permanently satisfactory.
There Is further. one feature common
to all the States visited. Everywhere is
to be noted very marked movement NJ
democrats who have been outside Of the
party lines since 1896. back to their old |
pa rtisan alignment. a movement marked
enough to make the issue doubtful In A /
close state such as Indiana. In Missouri. |
moreover, where thousands Of Bryan |
democrats followed Roosevelt in 1904. this |
return is especially significant. In addi- |
tion one of the best informed Kentucky |
republicans declared that similar rein |
tegration was taking place in Kentucky
He also expressed the opinion. which is /
ut least worth mentioning. that this I
movement would rob the republicans oe
much Of Their real hope of carrying Dor
der States.
Concident with this return of demo-
Gratis n result of the movement In the
main Is the upgrowth Of a feeling among
democrats that their state tickets in In
diana and Ohio and in Kansas may he
elected In all three Of these States the
main feature Of the situation is the dem
ocratic hope locally. the feeling that
after years Of hopelcssness there is the
return OF a chance. lighting chance.
or course republican factional differ
ences and local Weaknesses contribute
largely TO democratic state strength. Yet
this very strength must have its bearing
upon the national situation, since the ma
tional democratic ticket will everywhere
profit by the strength of the local ticket
and campaign. It has frequently been
indicated in these letters that Mr. Bry-
ans only chance in the central States
and Indiana alone deserves real mention
rests solely on his possible advantages
as a beneficiary Of local issues.
Time and again the traveller has II
brought home to him how utterly insig
nificant is the part played in tho national
fight by the national candidates. West
Of the Mississippi river President Roose-
Welt Is running-hy proxy, to be sure
hut beyond all manner of doubt Teddy
is the republican candidate in the radical
regions East OF the Mississippi Mr..
Bryan is being hauled along as absolute
dead weight by local conditions and local
issues that are at hest only Statewide.
AS for Kern and Sherman Kern is the
merest Cipher-almos. a mystery-and
Sherman a genuine republican handicap
in tho middle West and another Kern in
the central states There Is more clear
cut partisan fighting over an assembly
district election IN Manhattan than there
is in the whole national campaign west
Of the Allegheny so far as the mere pass
er-by can perceive.
II Is true. of course. that in July and
August there is not to be expected the
general excitement in political cam
paign that comes with October. Yet there
is In spite Of this something thoroughly
anomalous about the situation. You ar"
told that the action OF parties in politics
In the middle West is due to the fact
that Roosevelt has Organized the Re-
publican party" Al least It Is practically
impossible 10 discriminate between
Roosevelt republican and Bryan demo-
crat either IN the length of his hair. tho
volume of his voice or the general
geography Of his platform and principles.
The mere democrat and the moral re-
| publican of the middle West are In per
feet harmony and impressive agreement
over all public questions. In point of
| fact they have been voting together Local.
| ly against the republican standpatter in
primary as we'll as general elections for
several years The standpatter. more
over, proclaims with instant readiness
| that Ia Follette and Cummtns and now
Rristow and Stubbs IN Kansas are in
reality democrats The cleavage in the
| West is patiently not by party and this
being true suggests a permanent puzzle.
| The riot Of radicalism. the prejudice Of
! sectiona lism-thcse are constant factors
in the Western situation full Of possibility
for sudden change and sta impede. re-
| dictionary break by Mr.. Taft. a"stand-
pat" tone In tho republican national cam
ra,sn gloriNcation OF the East-and
Instantly the grumblng and the murmur-
| ing and the growing Of the radical In
Wisconsin. Iowa. Nebraska and Kansas
| might be transformed into perfect
avalanche of active hostility.
| At the present movement there is no
| one in the middle West whose point OF
view is even approximately impartial
who secs anything 10 forecast a Bryan
shift, to the radical situation. But every
one comedies its possibility, comedies THAI
| this will remain loose dyna mite to be
| handled with extreme care. to be an elc-
Inent o. danger TO the end.
| In precisely the same way the heat and
passion of liquor campaigns in Ohio ana
Indiana are elements OF danger less
acute but nevertheless obvious danScr,
NAV develop into tidal waves In one d.
roc,ion or tho other. and each side con
hdently forecasts the tidal waves dir"n-
| ton as favorable to II. Here, as In the
middle West. the August outlook is reh-
sonably satisfactory 10 the reDuhican
| national fortunes, hut the republican
anxiety is none the less real. not over
what IL In July and August, but over
what may be in September and October
In both regions there Is distinct Gle
mcnt % hope for the democrats, and TINS
| is an invaluable asset after all the for-
lorn and hopeless years hav" gone.
The possibility. the very impressive
nossibility. OF a democratic Congress as "A
result Of all the local disturbances al
ready noted deserves emphasis. There Is
hardly a State that the Suns correspon
dent has visited which did not show ev,-
dcncc Of democratic Congress gains; the
factional fight among republicans seems
to assure this There is a manifest pos
sihlity of the election Of democratic gov
errors In Indiana. Ohio and Kansas
There is also to he noted tn" not too re-
mote possibility of democratic senator's
In Ohio and Indiana.
| These details of themselves are slgni-
ficant: show that the situation is sufic'-
ontlx tapso ia demand infinite and