The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-07-25
Are to be Elected the Com
ing Fall in the Country.
CONTESTS ARE EXPECTED.
To Bring Out Full Vote, and the Elee-
tions Have Aroused Much Inter-
est--The States That VIII
Elect.

With the prevalent interest in prca.
Dental and congressional politics, il has
been overlooked generally that this is to
be the greatest year Tor electng COVER.
nors probably in half a century. says
the Washington correspondent OF the
Boston Herald. The would be governors
will monopolize very large share OF
public attention in the campaign There
Is no way OF avoiding 1t, because 3O.odd
states will elect chief executives OF their
own governments. IL is a greater mum.
Der than ever before.
In former times states elected their
governors without much regard to prcsi.
dental years. The politicians, especially
the Republican politicians, discovered
quite time ago that it was easier and
less expensive to get the vote out on a
presidential year, and also that It was
easier in northern states to elect a Re-
publican governor when he is running on
the same ticket with a candidate for
president.
According, state legislatures and the
constituencies thereof have been gradu-
ally swinging around to the practice Of
eIecting their governors, either Tor a
four years or two years term, and Of
holding the election &C the same time
as the federal election. Since the last
presidential year, Iowa and Ohio are
two Of the most notable changes in that
regard. The present governors OF both
those states have been serving longer
than the usual terms, so that their sue
cessors may be elected next November
and start off the following January.
There have been several like instances
in recent years, and this standsrdizing
Of state and gibernatorial elections
comes TO the point this year, when oily
10 OF the 80 states will not elect gov
ernor the approaching autumn, New
Jersey is now the only state that has a
three year term. Her new governor was
chosen last November Alabama, Cali
fornia, Kentucky. Louisiana. Maryland,
Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wyoming are
the only other states that do not nomi-
nate and elect a governor in the current
campaign Al those states elect for
four years and most OF them held their
elections two years ago.
This inevitably viii enhance local in
terest in the general political struggle.
Twelve OF the 80 states that are to
elect now have Democratic governors
Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota,
Missouri Montana, North Carolina,
North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Car
DINA, Tennessee and Texas. -Four OF
these are northern states Ohio really
belongs to thel ist because the Buckeye
voters elected Democratic governor
three years ago, but on his death he
was succeeded by Republican lieuteu.
ant governor.
Several other states had exceedingly
close governorship contests two years
ago. Albert b. Cummins was elected in
Iowa, but by reduced majority. and
the Republicans say that ii many Dent
ocrats had not voted for him because OF
his progressive views, a Democrat would
have succeeded him. Gov. +. w. Hoch
had an exceedingly close shave for re-
election in Kansas, as did Gov Charles
NJ Floyd, who secured his election by
the New Hampshire legislature, and not
by popular majority. Gov. Hughes was
the only Republican on the state ticket
elected in New York Last year Gov
Fort had only small margin in New
Jersey.
While in some instances the reduced
Republican majorties were due to dis
sationsfaction with the candidate quite
as much as to factionalism when the rest
ct the country, outside Of the South was
voting strongly Republican ON federal
officials, the conditions in each locality
will give zest to the fight ON state Off
GERS this year. This fact will not neces
sarily work for or against either prcsi-
Dental candidate, but the politician are
aware that it will tend to keep the cam
paign from slipping into the hands Of
that old foemsn, Gen. Apathy, who usu
ally begins to show himself along in
September.
And yet few Of the SO governors whose
are to be chosen this autumn
are men al anything like national repu-
tation Gov Hughes of New York of
course is foremost, and the dominant
question about him at preseiA y whcth
er he will consent TO run again, Gov.
Iioke Smith OF Georgia, secretary of the
interior under Cleveland, and the son of
a New Hampshire father, is well known
outside his own state. He was recently |
overwhelmingly defeated for renomina-
ton. Gov. Joseph Folk of Missouri was
for time, perhaps, the best known
governor throughout the country. He
doomed large as a Democratic presiden- |
tial possibility. His popularity seems |
to have been on the wane however, for |
a year or two. He is not eligible for re-
election in Missouri, but is now running |
for the Senate.
Gov Deneen of Illinois has been some |
thing of a national figure. because Of
his efforts for reform legislation and Is
now in the midst of aard primary fight /
for denomination Gov J. Frank Tanly I
Of Indiana is hero Of the Western
Ghautauqua circuit who had hitfle /
with the galleries ard also with the del
sgates at the Chicago convention re-
,ently in the eouvsJ Of a nominating
speech. lie is rounding out four years
n the governors char and will retire to
private life next January.