The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1908-01-30
A SERIOUS QUESTION |.
Not Who Will be Candidate.
but Who Can Defeat Bryan

conservative and far-seeing fepubli
Icans, there Is entirely too much at
tention being given Ia certain quar-
tiers to the scramble after consen
tion delegates, and not enough at,
tention TO the question OF whethe,
the party can win at the polls Ia
November next Friends OF Govern.
or Hughes say that his candidacy
Will appear stronger when the Stats.
ticians OF the party get together and
begin figuring on man who can he
depended upon to carry certain states
that are essential &c republican sue.
cess next year.
One OF the strong arguments OF
the Hughes supporters IS that he will
be able TO carry New York against
Bryan, or against any other man
who Is likely to be nominated by the
democrats ut Denver. This Is an ar
sument that has much weight with
the representatives from the En-.
pire state, and they are gradually I'm.
pressing the fact on politicians OF
other states.
The political talk up To this period
has been chiefly about who will bag
the delegates from the various states
to the nominating convention.
In their quite, thoughtful mo.
ments, many OF the far seeing men
| in tho marty asa Saua,,iat ..,,..t. a
with the outlook for the next year.
they are beginning To realize that
conditions are changing. In their
private talk they speak OF good
many clouds on the horizon. They
hope the outlook will become more
promising; they are disposed TO be.
liese 1t will, but they are impressed
With the fact that the time is near
at hand when the party In power
may all pause and take stock ~ may
well take a good square look at the
situation as 1t exists today.
1t Is certainly true these old wheel.
horses OF the party are saying that II
present Industrial conditions con.
tinue throughout the coming year,
The republican party will have TO
exercise great caution In making It's
platform at Chicago, and In naming
It's candidate for president. AS they
view the situation the democrats,
with William jennings Bryan or
John A. Johnson as their candidate.
might win, II the election should
come ON with business OF all kinds
depressed and large number OF
workingmen idle.
AT any rate, these od.timers In the
party are saying, II Is well to pro.
coed on the theory that the republi-
can party will not have any electoral
votes TO throw away. All signs al
present, according to this seemingly
sane view OF the situation, point to
return next year OF what may be
called normal conditions In this
country. The presidential election
of 1901, when Mr.. Roosevelt received
336 OF the 476 votes In the electoral
college, cannot he taken as a basis
for making predictions as TO the re.
suit OF next years election.
One now hears good deal OF talk
among the old.timers 10 the effect
that sooner or later the states that
must elect a republican president, II
one is TO be elected, will be consult.
ed by the forces that are engaged I'm
shaping delegations To the national
convention. Recently some OF the
veterans have been very busy with
pencil and paper. They show that
With Oklahoma IN the union. the
electoral vote Is increased TO 4s3.
This means that the man chosen pres.
ident must receive 2l2 votes.
Before man is nominated at Chi.
caeo there will, one may rest assured,
he some cold.bioode1 Investigation
and calculation TO ascertain II the
man In mind can get the requisite
number OF votes. The first fact OF
Importance that impresses itself on
these mathematicians Is that the
party In power can hardly hope TO
elect It's candidate without the vote
OF New York and Indiana.
1t has been a political saying since
the war, that las 60 New York aud
Indiana so goes the union. - In the
tidal wave elections CT recent years
republican could have been chosen
without the votes Of these two states,
but the probability is that II New
York and Indiana had not voted for
the republican nominee. other north.
ern states would have given their
votes 10 the democrats, and would
have made the election OF a demo-
crst certain.
In picking candidate who can
win at the polls, various possibilities
will be taken into consideration by
the republican leaders who viii, no
doubt. assume from the start that II
they can put up ticket that can
win In New York and in Indiana,
the party will be reasonably SIRE OF
success. Not many Of the republicans
In national politics expect the south
TO do anything for the republican
Al.