The Republican journal., 1912-12-12
The Presidential Vote.
An Interesting Analysis by the Portland
Press,

An Interesting Analysis by the Portland
Press.
The Portland Press commenting on the
figures of the popular vote as given in
the news dispatches, partially unofficial
and in some cases incomplete, says they
are probably approximately correct, and
proceeds to discuss what they show:
First as to grand totals. By these
figures the combined vote for all candi-
dates was IA, 295. 1877, as against IA, $685.
442 in 1908. That is, for some reason
there has been a decrease of nearly 6OO,-
600 votes in four years; to be exact, 592,-
7O5 or nearly four per cent. But why
this falling off in an election of such in
terest? Well, there were good many
disgusted men who chose to stay at home.
Turning to the party totals, we find
the Democratic vote to be 6, 156, 748, the
Progressive 1928, lao, the Republican 81
376, 422, the Socialist 673,7 1873, and the
Prohibitionist 1905 Now comparing
first the votes cast by the minor parties.
/
hibitionist from rising 253, 600 in 1908 to
l6O, 900 odd in 1912; while the Socialist
went up from APO, 1893 in the former wear
to 673, 900 and above at this time. Debs
did not get the million which he antici-
pated, but he made the significant and
almost startling gain of 60 per cent.
Why should the Socialist gain so much at
the same time the Prohibitionists lose So
| Tka of
the times, caused to a great extent by
the increased cost of living and by the
exactions of trusts and monopolies, lead
ing a quarter of a million more Of men
to vote the Socialist ticket than voted it
| four years ago. There appear to be so
many who did not find anything radical
enough to suit them in the platforms of
the other parties.
Now the total of the Wilson vote is g.
1856, 74s. as against the Bryan vote of g.
400, 104 four years ago. That is. the
Democratic vote has fallen off 252, 456, or
nearly four per cent This appears to
measure or indicate the net Bull Moose
inroads, partially made good by Republi-
san accessions as in California, and it
shows how disappointed the colonel was
in his anticipations of great focking of
Democrats to his standard. Mr.. Wilson
will be minority" President, in the
sense that he failed to get more than
half or an absolute majority of the popu-
lar vote. To do that he would have had
to poll at least $780, 900, whereas he fell
nearly mill n votes short of that.
Next to see the havoc which Colonel
Roosevelt has wrought. The combined
Taft and Roosevelt vote is 1904, 652, so
that had the party remained united, had
the Roosevelt bolt not occurred, assuming
other things to be equal, the party would
have had good majority of the popular
vote and presumably good majority of
the electoral vote. Taft had a vote of
1878, 90S in 1908. AS compared with the
combined Roosevelt-Taft vote, here is
falling off of 374, 900 or nearly five per
cent. Where did the 374, 900 go? Some
to the Democrats, some to the Socialists,
and some to the woods. Roosevelt led
Taft SOL, 900 and polled about 27 per
cent of the total vote, while Taft polled
about % per cent and Wilson about 43
per cent. The figures serve to show
precisely what Roosevelt has done to the
Republican party, but the exutation of
himself and some of his supporters over
its alleged death is premature. The Bull
Moose ratio is only 81 to %. A party
that can poll above 3, 300, 900 votes under
such circumstances is far from dead or
moribund. Taft got more votes than
Roosevelt in twenty States, and in some
he had long lead. One of these is New
York, which is Colonel Roosevelt's own
State but in which he received only $780,.
600 votes to $50, 900 for Taft. Taft had
at the same time 273,00O in his own
State of Ohio to 209, 900 for Roosevelt,
but the latter succeeded in giving the
State to Wilson as he also succeeded in
turning over Indiana to the Democrats.
California presents perhaps the most
interesting individual study among the
States California was supposed to be
the most rampant Bull Moose of all. 1t
had lately enfranchised the women, and
it was assumed that they were wild for
Teddy. Moreover Teddy's running mate
was from California. and as roarer
johnson was quite a match for the 9TH
err. He was to carry the Golden State
for the new ,rty by 100, 600, but the
Democrats appear to have won it by
scratch. How did they do the miracle?
Study Of the figures and putting Two
and two together show how Taft car
ried the State four years ago by more
than sc, 900, and his total vote then eX-
ceeuSu Ll4,UUO. III the recent election
he received but a beggarly 2340. The
total vote of the State was then 1856, 900;
it is now nearly $4,000, almost evenly
divided between the Democrats and the
Bull Moose. What is the explanation of
such radical change? Here is an in
crease of $4,000 or more than 40 per
cent in the total vote in four years. Wo-
man suffrage accounts for that in most
part of course. But why should Roose-
welt have polled but $1,000 more than
Taft had four years ago, the respective
votes being 283,000 to 2l4,00O, while the
Democrats more than doubled their vote?
Bryan's vote in 1908 was 1877, 1872, and
Wilson's is 1888, 374 in 1912. The answer
is plain. The Armageddonites stole the
name and place of the Republican party
on the official ballot in California, thus
shutting the Republican ticket from the
ballot altogether and forcing the Re-
publican voters either to write in the
names of dozen electors on their bal
lots or vote the Democratic ticket, or
stay away from the polls. A very large
number of them appear to have chosen
to rebuke the sharp practice and make
their protest against the third term the
most effective by voting the straight
Democratic ticket. Besides, the women
were far from being a unit for Teddy