The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-05-01
MONDAY, MAY j. 1911.
-nErnEsENrArIvE coyn.N,lENr,

IL
There is an immense deal OF hub-
Sdub or bosh, or make believe, in the
Yfpolitics of the present day. We are
Hconstantly hearing about The failure
Epf Representative government" about
Mlhe steps which are impcrntivcly
sHiecessary to preserve our institutions
fAad restore our system Of things TO
ITS pristine purity, about the terrible
caluniities thai will overtakc the land
If this, that or. the other view or
policy shall not prevail or this. That
. or the other candidate for high official
( time! of much and sore dlsquietudc, u
4 time; when we should be watching as
well as praying. 1t was Abraham Lin
coin who said that all of the people
could not be fooled all of the time:
but they have been so easy" for so
many years that we have at times
{ doubted the wisdom OF the great Ken
tucilinn's Judgment. There is The Re-
publican party. for example, which has
been in control OF the Government ut
Washington for nifty years. with tho
exception OF only two brief breathing
spells, and it has looked as If it would
hang on forever; but 1t lnnot be
Faid truthfully that its continuance in
power has resulted from the failure OF
Representative government" the very
sweet morsel the politicians delight
TO roll under their spell binding
tongues; but that a majority or the
voters OF tho country, or OF the men
who voted at the elections. have voted
for the candidates of this miscrnbly
corrupt old party. Bad as It is and
sentative OF II majority OF the voters
OF the country, with tho exception OF
the Presidential election in 1876, when
the will of the people was defeated
by the representatives Of the people
in the Congress at Washington.
Let us take the figures the last
four Presidential cloctions: III 1896,
the popular vote for President was
1907, IQa4 Tho Republican cnndidntc
,rceived 710l,fE votes. and the Demo
cratic candidate received 6,5o2.a
Votes Tie popular majority against
the Democrats was 6o1.S5l In 1900
1.-THE popular vote for President was
1S,56IO56. The Republican candidate
received 7,o07,92s votes, and the Dem
ocratic candidate received $685., 49,,
votes. The popular majority for the
Republican candidate was $40, 100
IN
President was l2.70i.397. The I,cpub-
lican candidate received 7623iS6
votes, and the Democratic candidate
received 5,o77,91t votes. rho popular
majority for the Republican candidate
was 2545.575. In 1905, the popular
vote for President was li,oSS.O12. The
Republican candidate received 1915
aoS votes. and the Democrats candi-
date received 6,4a9loi votes The pop
nlar majority or,,Lhe Republican can
didate was 1,2se,So4: In these four
elections, 53.?Gi.169 votes were cast,
and of this number the Republican
candidates for President received 90
$4,000 votes, and the Democratic can
didatcs received ci,3i9.O75 votes. II
cannot be said fairly with so cnor-
X nous vote as this that the people
did not have chance To express their
preferences, and that the Presidents
elected, bad as they may he right
fully esteemed, We're not Representa-
tive Of the people. we think Inn, %
349,075 OF them have bccn badly fool
ed in the last twelve years; but what
ever this may prove ii does not prove
that in the matter OF The Presidency
othe country las not had ''rerrcscnta
tive government" the latest OF ho
cries that has been taken up 10 stir
the Eroundlings.
Take the last Congress and The nrrs
+ cnt Congress. and il WILDE found thnt
In this body Representative govern
,nent' has not failed. In The last Con.
ircss. there were 2ii Republicans ana
ri 20 Democrats; in the present Con
Eress there are rec Democrats ana
Go Republicans This for lie POM
lar branch Of tic Congress. In The
Senate o. the last Congress there wcrc
sixty Republicans ana ,hirty-two
IIMoerats i'll the present, senate
II There are hfty-one Republicans and
forty-6ne Democrats /, would appear
from this showing, also. mat ..reprc-
sentative government mas not passed
away from tic land bu, that Tic peo-
pic are st!ll able 70 take care Of thcir
3 own Iinteresis. and to select thcir own
REPRESENTATIVES, in The good ola way.
What we object To and VIVA, the
ro"pie should object 10 is the de-
aibHerate attempt that is cvcrlas,ngly
{ made to deceive the people into be-
licyiii; that some new tangled method
IS necessary 70 save them from thcm-
heises. There mas not beemil tine
Tnce the Foundation Of the Govern