The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1911-11-24
LAFOLLETTE LEADS TAFT
Presidential Primary Urged in Every
State by Progressive League

That Senator LaFollette, Of Wis
consin, is strong first choice for the
republican nomination for the presi'
dency, is being disclosed by polls be.
ing made throughout the country. UI
to date President Taft has failed tc
receive more votes than Senator La
Toilette in these polls, and in major.
ity OF cases Senator LaFollette is the
favorite by at least three to one.
A poll which is generally regarded
as unusually fair was recently made by
the Nevada (Iowa) Representative. In
order that the republican voters might
be accurately determined the Repre-
sentative took the poll books from the
county court house and listed every
tenth voter in Story county, sending a
postal card to each voter with the re-
quest that he record his preference for
president. By this means 3o4 cards
were mailed and 13o responses were
received, showing the following result:
For LaFollette, ga; for Taft IS; not
for either, 10.
Sixteen voters, known to be stand
patters voted for LaFollette; and fifteen
voters, known to be progressives, voted
for Taft. The same voters were asked
to express themselves on presidential
primary and 116 recorded themselves
in favor OF it, and II were opposed
to it.
In discussing the poll the Represen-
tative said:
Taking the poll for what it is worth
and having taken all possible pains to
have it worth as much as possible, it
goes to show: First, Story county re-
publicans are against Taft; Second,
they are for LaFollette; Third, the op-
position to Taft and the support Of La
Toilette is not factional |, but, on the
contrary, LaFollette is the choice Of
more Stand nd-patters than is Taft, while
he lacks something Of being supported
by all the progressives; Fourth while
there is seemingly implacable opposi-
ion in the county to LaFollette, Taft
would have trouble in carrying Story
county in an election as the republican
nominee, with the Democratic vote OF
the county not even considered"
Another poll, equally significant of
public sentiment, and taken some hun
dreds OF miles from Iowa, was that Of
the Portland (Oregon) Journal. The
poll was taken so that the sentiment of
the entire state would be tested with
the following result:
Senator LaFollette got 301 votes
from the republican voters responding
and So from democratic voters, making
his total 382 out Of the 607 who voted
for republican candidate. Colonel
Roosevelt got 163 votes, and Taft only
SIS. LaFollette, therefore, got more
than half of all the votes cast for a re-
publican candidate; Roosevelt got less
than half as many and President
Taft got only a little more than one
twelfth of the total votes cast, and on
ly one-sixth as many as LaFollette.
The sentiment indicated in this vote is
generally admitted to be in harmony
with the sentiment of the entire Pacific
coast region.
1t is now up TO the chairman Of the
state committees in the various states
to decide whether republicans in all
states shall have the right to express
their choice for their leader in 1912.
Walter L. Houser, chairman Of the
progressive republican campaign com
mittee, has written to every state chair
man asking that the voters be accord
ed the right to express their choice for
president in a primary. Mr.. Houser's S
letter says:
Il beg to submit for your considera-
ton a resolution adopted by the con-
ference of progressive republicans in
Chicago, October 10, as follows:
I'VE favor the ascertainment Of the
choice Of the republican voters as to
candidates for president and vice-presi-
dent from a direct primary vote held
in each state pursuant to statute
and where no such statute exists, we
urge that the republican state commit
ee provide that the people be given a