The Irish standard., 1908-10-10
Will the State Of New York or Any Of the
Other Large States Decide the
Election of 1908?
In Population and Electoral Votes Virginia
Led During the Earlier Years of
the Government.

Tho campaign managers of each Of
the great parties appear to think that
neither New York nor any other largo
state will decide the election Of 1908
says Charles M. Harvey in the st
Louis Globe-Democrat Of Oct. 4.
New York, by the fact Of it's big
electoral vote, has often turne'l the
scale. Necessarily III such cases the
margin between the parties had to be
comparatively narrow; In the present
canvass, however, the men in control
of the work of organizing victory for
their respective candidates believe. or
pretend they believe, that they can win
even If New York goes to their oppor-
ents. They arc saying that the hcav
lest part Of the campaign work VIII be
done in the upper half Of the Missis;
sinpi Valley. Tho Republicans feel
confident. though that they will carry
New York In any case. They feel as
easy on that score, or are making be-
lievs that they do, us the Democratic
managers do in regard to their certaln-
ty of carrying all OF the eleven Old
Confederate states. Thus 1t seems
likely that the heaviest part OF the
fighting will be done IN Ohio, Indiana,
Missouri and one or two other Of the
more important states between the AL
leghenics and tho Rocky mountains.
Cleveland could have carried the
country in 1892 even If New York had
gone against him. That state. how
ever, was carried by him by u fairly
large plurality. The Republicans
would have won in each of tho .wo
Mckinley canvasscs even il 3ryal E1d
carried New York. Roosevelt. could
have handed that state over to Par
kcr in 1904 and still have had a long
lead in tho electoral college. These
four victories in succession in which
New York had failed to be the dccjs-
i've factor have led some persons TO
believe that it. can not resume It's old
time role in 1908. The fact, though,
that 1t decided the contest many times.
and that IT, thirty nine electoral votes
would be Il very handy asset for amy
party in any election, will center a
good deal of interest on the canvass
managers of the two parties should
| keep up their pretensc of ignoring IL.
Moreover. the vote of that statc has
seldom been on the losing side in any
presidential election. rhc Oldest man
who will go to the polls OH Nov. of
this year, does not remember al. in
stance in which New York failed to
turn up with the victor OIL election
day, except in the canvass in which
Buchanan won, and in those in which
Grant the first time and Hayes car
ricd the country. Fremont in 1856, Scy-
mour IN 1868 and Tilden in 1876 won
New York, but the presidency vert to
the opposing candidate in each case.
| EARLY in it's career New York. how
ever, began TO figure in the pivotal
roll. At the outset it was not the
largest Of the states. In population
and electoral votes Virginia led during
the earlier years Of the government.
Pennsylvania, too, was ahead of New
York at first. Not until 1912. in the
canvass in which Madison WAS elected
the second time, did New York;; cleo
toral vote head the list. That was the
year In which New Yorlt's favorite
son. De witt Clinton, was the prcsi-
Dental candidate Of the Fed eralists
and the Peace Democrats. In that
year Pennsylvania. was considered TO
have turned the scale. Although New
York cast twenty-nin electoral votes
for Clinton. Madison won by corl
parativeIy small margin, and tho state
which gave him the victory, accord
ing to the claims made by its Demo-
cratic leaders at the time. was Penn
sylvania. Each side made Q hard fight