The Washington times., 1908-10-03
Leaders Estimate Total of
From 100000 to TO-
100000 Votes.
ONE MILLION EACH is
THE HOPE OF THREE
independents Will Attract Demo
Gratis, and Republicans Will Lose
Much to Prohibitionists.
By ]. C. WELLIVER.

NEW YORK. Oct 3.-There were
l3.52O521 votes cast for President in 1904
and 13.96l.5G5 In 1900
Somewhere from 100000 TO 5000. 600
ought to be cast this year One Of the
biggest ana most uncertain questions IS
as to how they Will be divided among
the various parties, entirely aside from
the Republicans and Democrats
What part, in short. will the minor
parties play in the contest? There are
three parties which are entitled to Sc
rious consideration IN this connection.
They are the Socialists. the Independ-
ence. and the Prob billion parties.
Each Of the three is out for a million
votes. The Socialists and the Prohi-
bitiOnists sincerely believe they have a
chance to attain this mark The hide
pendent party people don't expect to
get so many, but they do expect TO
get more than the Old parties will con-
cede to them-a good many mOre-and
10 get them largely IN places where the
detection from former affiliations will
cut serious figures.
In 1892 Weaver. Populist candidate for
President. polled more thai a million
votes. and got twenty-five votes in the
Electoral College, carrying Colorado,
Kansas. Nevada. and Idaho. and get
ting one electoral vote each In Oregon
and North Dakota.
POpulism's High Tide.
That was high-tide for Populism. The
big Populist vote went a long way to-
ward giving Cleveland the immense
electoral majority he secured in that
year This year. by CO nmon consent,
the Popunsts are regarded as unlikely
10 present an important figure: but the
other three minor parties which have
been named are looked upon as likely
TO have an important influence. Where
will their votes come from. and how
many will they get?
In 1901 Watson, POpulist, got III, 900
votes. He is running again this year.
In that year Debs, Socialist, got 402, $50.
and Corrigan, Socialist Labor. got 81
OOJ 1t IS generally believed the Social
lists will make a big gain; there is a
significant body OF political opinion sup
porting their claim that they will get
10000. In 1850 the two Socialist tickets
polled only $4,000 votes. what may
be expected OF a party which in four
years tripled its vote, and which today
is able TO NIL the biggest halls in all
the cities which its candidate visits. at
% and 90 cents admission? Is there any
other party. big or little, that could sell
out the capacity Of the huge Hippo
drome in this city at these prices, and
then rent one OF the biggest theaters
In the city for an overflow and likewise
sell II out al the same prices days be
fore its Presidential candidate was TO
speak?
Leaders Express Doubts.
The old party politicians shake their
heads and exercise doubts. They find
it enough TO interest the people without
charging admission.
These Socialists are a queer lot. They
are like he Chinese in politics; they do
everything upside down They are all
propagandists. They sell their campaign
literature. and actually make money on
It. They are as strictly solvent as the
Christian science church, which abhors
a debt They don't go outside their
own rank and file to get money. and
they have a good many people of
wealth in their ranks. 1t IS a point
OF honor with every Socialist in New
York, for instance that this city. being
on the route Of the red special must
do It's share 10 make the tour a finan-
cial success. Campaign time is
only a sort Of checking-Up season
for the Socialists. They work all the
year round, and every day of all the
four years between Presidential cleo
tions. They are the Salvation Army OF
politics. They know how to reach the
people. and they keep everlastingly at
it Nobody is too high or too humble
for them to reach out for him. They are
the one element in politics to which 1t
is utterly useless to direct the argument
of expediency.
Want No Half Loaves.
Tell them that Bryan Is a pretty
good socialist himself" and it's better
to get the half-Ioaf which Organism
would represent, than TO try for the
full loaf OF Debsism, and they laugh at
you. Most Of them would rather see
halfway reform fail; they say that II
the capitalists once get absolute control
OF things. all in one party. then the
people will be forced into an opposition
party. and that will be the socialists
So they would like to see the country
go to the dogs Of the capitalistic sys-
tenn as soon as possible. in order &c
force what they believe is the only
lineup on which they car win
Socialism and prohibition have been
making great strides in recent years
Everybody knows that much. Prohibi
ton is now practical business-likC
effective movement. 1t is l. -u1rzy y
men of affairs, and II is presented &c
the people as protection in business
just as q Republican speaker presents
tariff. POpuiism somehow didn't sur.
vive prosperity. but prohibition has
survived complete reorganization Of its
methods and management, and is
stronger on a business basis than II was
on a merely sentimental. Populism, like
Samson, lost its strength when its hair
was cut; prohibition only began to
grow when the long haired folk were
eliminated from its mana cement.
Prohi Got 25s,oOo Votes.
The prohibition candidate for Presi
dent four years ago drew 25S,0O Since
that time. prohibition has added i'm
mensely to its empire. It has spreai
drought over sections where once the
wuTZburger flowed in rhythmic riHs
and tie brewing of the mint juIep was
religious ceremonial. 1t has swept
over the South and invaded the North
Now for the Independence party. Mr.
Hearst's personally conducted, private
car. Incorporated political party tossed
en- chi w~anma Hn,r.