Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1912-03-28


| md won the warm Intention 81 the greai
body Of the plain u III Of lIew Jsrsey.
he talked 70 them u lie need Of drag
4 ging public business out of private
rooms where secret i1<ekests and pro
8fessionaI political hsts c0nbpire; ID.
70 tia open air k4fe ia might BEE
! what Il being ddnt &c The need Of new
| political nnaehine11 that The people
might resume the 81 troll Of their own
affairs; be talked s. III ysst social aud
| Industrial changes ot tha East twenty
years, making necsrsar1 ths renovation
OF al our old soct1i nn1 industrial ideas;
Of the need 81 nsW relations between
workin9men and fieir Sn,pl0yers. now
| that these are W. of Great corpora
tions. 81 the id h IlSxlha strictly
those coruor. Ealked simply.
straiohtforwarily. if III manner of
specific public things ia I way chat
brought them home to the individual
voter with d new sense Of his own per-
sonal concern in them and awakened in
him new realization Of his fnty. his
power, and his opportunity. He not
only did this: he lifted political discus
sion to : new plane, TIL atevery meet
Ing the audience was thrilled with the
consciousness that the problems Of to-
day are gigantic. critical. Bio with the
purposes Of Providence, as they heard
this man picture them on che broad
background Of history. In the inspira-
ton Of 4 soul aflame with love Of com
mon humanity and faith ia its progress
toward splendid futures.
One incident 81 the campaign was the
candidates reply to ! list Of questions.
presumed to be embarrassing. asked
him in an omen letter bv 4 Progressive
Republican. MI, George l.. Record Mr..
Record put into careful form nineteen
queries. reouiripg Mr.. Wilson to de-
clare himself d, such subjects as pub
lie service commission with power to
fix rates: the rhpsical valuations pub
lie service corboration nroperties; ji-
rect primaries:' popular election OF Unit
ed Senators: ballot reform: corrupt
practices Iepislations employers, liabiii=
ty for workinrmen 4, il inriah; and final
" his own oninion Of the Democratic
bosses. namelv Emith. Nnoent and
Davis.
With instant readiness. with audaci-
GUS gIee, Mr.. Wilson gave his answers:
he accepted the whole Progressive Re-
publican programme aud asked for
more; mo- Republican could satisfy a
Progressive Remocrst 8 appetite for re-
form. ~ TT Smith, y Npgent, and
Davis, he would join anybody in de-
nouncing theni they differed from
Baird, kean, Stokes. and Murphy in.
this, that the latter nare in control Of
i the government Of the state. while the
others are not, Grtd cannot be u the
present Democratic tlcket Is elected Mr..
Wilson Vent furtheri he asked himself
twentieth question which Mr.. Record
had been too polite TO ask What would
be his relations with those menlf elect
ed Governor = shall always welcome
advice and suggestions from any citi-
zen, whether boss, leader, Organization
man or plain citizen, but all suggestions
and advice will be considered on their
merits. ! should deem myself forever
dlsgraced should !, IN even the sligth-
est degree, cooperate in any such sys-
tenn or any such transactions as the
boss system describes
Election day was November 9th, On
that day the people Of New Jersey, for
many years a Republican state, chose
Woodrow Wilson for Governor by a
plurality Of As, $50. Two years before,
Taft and carried the state by plurali-
ty of 81, 900. wilson had changed the
political mind Of Sc, 900 ont of 4sS, 900
voters. You aciH hunt hard to find the
IKE Of that in Aqnericaa politics. At
the same ratio, if the neD Democratic
National Convention soere to nominate
him for the Prestdeucy. wilson ,co,tld
transform Iaft's 1908 plurality Of zero, :
0o0-tbat nsarvelous, almost unparalleled
pl4rolity-iqsto Democratic triumph by
1, $50, 900 popular votes.
On the same day, the majority Of
those Democrats who took the trouble