The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-08-11
Both Parties Do the Wrong
Thing at the Right
Time.
STEVENSON WEAKENS
DEMOCRATIC CHANCE
Lewis Thought the Better Guber-
Material Possibility - Deneen
Should Have Run for Senate.
By ]. c. WELLTvER.

Complications Of q sort which yet
may prove serious for both leading par
ties IL Illinois. have been started by
the primary election in that State. On
the ReUublican side. the nomination Of
Senator Hopkins TO succeed himself. by
a plurality rather than a majority. Is
not accepted as final by his opponents.
who insist they VIII carry their fight
to the Legislature
on the Democratic side, the nomina-
ton for governor of Adlai Stevenson
by a substantial majority, made up Of
a prepcnderating country vote, and
shutting out James Hamilton Lewis.
who is strong in Chicago. where, If az
all, the Democrats must make winning
gains. is about equally unsatisfactory.
AT first blush the eTnbarrassments OF
the situation were generally passed
over TO the Republicans, with the pre-
dictiOn that there would be a hard
fight against Senator Hopkins. which
might endanger Republican control OF
the Legislature. But it develops that
Democrats are not much pleased with
the situation. either
Lewis Right Man.
-he politicians who wanted 70 make
real, effective fight for the State. be-
lieved that Lewis was the right man TO
name for governor. because Of his long
pull with the labor unions in Chicago.
They believed that Il he were named
he would roll up a tremendous majority
"a the city and have a good chance
here to overcome the rural vote for
the Republican nominee. Stevenson Is
nominated by the country. which can
Go little for him; the Chicago strength
which would have been for Lewis will
not turn cut for Stevenson.
The primary result IS interesting. as
| indicating how extensively the Repub-
/ lean party is affected by the tendency
1 TO radicallsm. while the Democracy is
being led toward more conservative
ideals. The vote for Foss in Illinois
| was a protest against Hopkinsi Hop
kins being esteemed a decided conserva-
tive.
Hopkins was not announced a candi-
date for the nomination till after the
Chicago convention. At that time he
had been a long time at work, and Ma
son had carefully organized all the pre-
liminaries and done a good deal OF talk
/ ing for his candidacy. Yet Foss car
ried the city OF Chicago by a plurality
of 1900, and made run in the country
which surprised everybody. In Aurora
| Hopkins home city, for instance, he
carried the town by 2 big plurality.
Hopkins Had Machine.
| Hopkins had the machine, bat Foss
had the Chicago newspapers, The Trib-
uae, the News and the Record-Herald
supported the Congressman, and the run
he made in Chicago was a testimonial
/ 10 the influence OF that citys liberal
newspapers.
/ The result makes apparent what a
good many politicians believed earlier,
/ that If Deneen and Yates could have
made common cause against Hopkins,
/ they both could have won. That is, il
| Deneen. had been the candidate for Sem
ator. and Yates for governor. and il
/ they had worked together, both would
have been nominated. That was rather
/ the natural thing for them 10 do.
Yates made Deneen the nominee for
| governor in the sensational and pro-
/ longed convention Of four years ago.
when the Federal crowd wanted Frank
/ o. Lowden nominated for governor.
/ Yates sought a second nomination ana
| Deneen was distinctly the Cook county
| candidate Deneen and Yates there
| made a deal which might by proper
| MANAGEMENT have been welded into an
alliance. later, Of the liberals OF city
But instead of making that alliance,
/ they fell out before Deneen had much
| more than started on his administration,
/ and both erred IN the course they nQal-
| iv took. II is now as plain as day that
| Deneen could have defeated Hopkins for
/ the Senate, and Yates could have beaten
| all eomeFs for the goveTnOrshipr 9royid-
| ed the two had Joined forces.
Played Bad Politics.
The bad politics they played has dem
onstrated at least something about the
force Of the protest against Feaetionism
in Illinois. It suggests interesting
things as to what may take place at
the polls In November.
| Illinois comes forward with a SENATOR
/ ial situation parallel 10 that in Iowa
The two factions OF the party are ar
rayed against each other, in both
/ States; unless pressure is brought 10
bear by the authorities OF the national
marty IN the most effective way, the
/ feud may cost the Republicans a Sen
ator This is the view now entertained
/ by managing politicians, and they are
/ turning their attention to both States
/ with much concern
| If Hopkins had not been given earnest
| assurance OF the confidence OF the
! Roosevelt administration by his Eelec-
ticn for chairman Of the resolutions
| committee at Chicago, It IS altogether
\ probable that he would hCye been de-
| feated. But II is hard 10 get over such
a mark Of preference and confidence as
that.
If Long, of Kansas, who would have
/ given one eye for that signal Of ap-
| provaI, had been made chairman Instead
/ Of Hopkins, IN all probability Long would
! have won the nomination in Kansas
and Hopkins would have lost il in
/ Illinois
An Even Break
The Illinois outcome seems to be about
an even break between the two parties.
Had the Democrats named Lewis for
governor il would have been different
Lewis is unique Brilliant and spec
tacular. profound lawyer. strong wi.n
| the labor element, and at the ssme
time commanding, by his sheer ability
asd his force as a campaigneT. the Sds