Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-05-20
The Campaign Is. ARGUS
ing Unusual interest.
Gov. BurIeigh's Candidacy for
Senate Is Endorsed
BY Maine Men al Washington, as
Well In His Own State.

WASHINGTON, -. L., Mdy Ao.--tf ole-
Fighting inside the party goes
on at just as serious clip as ever and
many good and well meaning folks are
in despair. Cheer up! 1t is not half
as bad as it seems. If one turns back
the pages tribe, he viii be buoyed
by assurances that in years of much
wrangling and contention within the
lines, there is a sustained interest and
a great outponring of voters in Mo-
vembeI.
This year it is going to be like the
campaign of 1896. Many Of the same
political scenes may be re-enactea-
Don't forget that year how uaere was
walk -out at the Republican conven-
ton In St Louis. The free silvertes
walked out and they took the delega-
lions from several states along with
them. The Democrats had a bolt in
their ranks and n third ticket was put
afield later. after the Chicago con-
yention, that nominated Bryan, had
adjourned
The Republicans won that year, aft
CT the most strenuous campaign prob
ably in the history of politics in the
United States. Factionalism was ram
pant in many quarters. There was
great personal bitterness. Friendships
of long Standing We're sacrificed. II
looked as though the Democratic party
might go 10 the hpwwows and at one
stage of the campaign, 1t looked as
though the Republican party might go
to the bowwows.
We'll. the result you will all recall.
The vote for Mckinley was the largest
that had been given for a Republican
candidate for President up to that
time. And the vote for Bryan, as the
Democratic nominee. was the largest
that the Democratic party had ever
poled, even in the years when Cleve7
land was elected President.
The voting at the primaries is bear
ing out the same conclusion. Massa-
chusets polled larger percentage OF
the registered Republican list than any
other state and the President and the
ex-President had been in there, fight
ing almost hand to hand. The primary
vote in Maryland was of pretty GOOD
proportions also. although not sufti-
GENTLY large to be representative of the
Republican party.
But here Is the point: Compare the
Republican vote in the various state
primaries with the Democratic vote.
cast at the same time, and 1t will be
usually several times larger than the
Democratic That is because a Presi-
dent and an ex-President are out goug
ing and hitting one another. 1t may
not be an elevating spectacle but IL
arouses the public interest and induces
the voters to come out. And while
Presidential election is supposed to
bring out more voters than any other
contest at the polls, there are yet many
Presidential elections when the per-
centage of stay-at-home votes is con-
siderable The actual number of polls
that are not accounted for in the vot-
ing at a Presidential election runs into
hundreds of thousands and even into
a million or more votes, when there is
n Presidential election of little inter-
est to the multitudes.
There are plenty of predictions that
great numbers of Republicans will for
get to vote, this year, but all that Is
a little premature. And il ticket Is
nominated which does not meet with the
approval of a goodly portion of the vot-.
ers. the fractional feeling will undoubt-
eddy run sufficiently high to stir the In
terest to fever pitch. And very many.
who say now they will not vote so and
so will change their minds before next
November. As a matter of fact the Re-
publican fight for the nomination has
gone to such a point that every Repub-
liean will want to vote and the prospects
are that the party will poll an enormous
vote, next November.
There is generally much buncombe in
predictions that Republican candidate,
who gets the Presidential nomination,
cannot win the election. Very few men
nowadays can bark back to the time
when President Lincoln was serving on
the last year of his administration. The
national convention of 1864 met in Balti-
more and there was so much doubt in
the minds of politicians about Lincon's
ability TO win a reelection that it look
ed as though he would not be nominated
There were days and days when the po-
litical prophets said Lincoln could not
be renominated and, if renominated,
could not be reelected.
And does not all that have a familiar
sound to come of the young folks of this
day and generation? And yet Lincoln
was renominated and triumphantly re-
elected and has gone down in history as
one of the very greatest of our Presi-
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