The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-15
ROOSEVELT TAKING
 SOCIALIST VOTES Debs Party Leaders Are Greatly Disturbed BURGER MAY LOSE The Party Had Hoped to Poll Million Votes But the Leaders Have
 Now Abandoned Hope
 of Doing So
Nv c. E. STEWART

Washington. october 14-tSpecial)-The leaders of the socialist party are very much perturbed over the news from al most every quarter that comes to them that Roosevelt, not contented with trying to swallow the republican party. is also turning greedy eyes on them. The so- claists' vote is going to be cut into heavily as the result of the progressive party movement this year. The best evil dence is the admission of the socialist leaders themselves. They fully expect it and frankly say 1t.
 The socialists were expecting to roll up million votes this year-that is they were expecting to do so before the nomi- nation of Roosevelt by the bull moose party. Now it is said they have given 1t up.
 They will consider themselves fortunate if they get as many as s00,Oo0 or 7o0,0o0. In other words they calculate that many of the votes they hoped to get will be cast for the bull moose. He has not only grabbed lot of their thunder, he pro poses to take a few votes with it. Four years ago the socialists rolled up vote of 420,000. They were very hopeful of
  They calculated before the conventions that if the republicans nominated Taft, and with almost any nominee of the dem ocratic party, conditions would be fla vorable to them for polling the biggest vote yet obtained.
 The situation, however, with the pro- gressive party headed by Roosevelt Is radically different and has upset their calculations. They note with a great deal of anxiety, a marvellous tendency on the part of their always reliable following to move bag and baggage into the camp of the bull moose whose doctrine listens good to them. The socialist party in 1t self Is "a protest against the present in dustrial and economic and social condi- tions." and lays these conditions at the doors of both the old parties. The pro gressive party is also a protest-a pro- test chiefly because Roosevelt was not the nominee of the republican party but at the same time while it is protest ing, 1t goes all the route and protests against everything in general and throws in a few extra protests for good measure and that goes d long way with the so- calists. Consequently there is little to be wondered at, that many of them have come to the conclusion that as a pro- tester. the socialists party looks like Piker when compared with the party of Teddy.
 The pOlltcal cOnultlonS are bad Tor the party of Debs, and that's all there is to 1t. They begin to realize it now, and they are desperately trying to stem the tide. It looks like the party might also lose out In Congress. They had great hopes of capturing half dozen or more seats in the House of Representatives in this campaign. but 1t now looks as though they would lose all they have.
 The indications are that Congressman Victor Berger of Wisconsin, the only so- calist now in Congress, will not be re- turned. At any rate he has a desperate fight on his hands and if he pulls through, he will very likely be the only one of his party running for the House that does. To lose out completely in the House means a great set back for the socialists and they fully realize 1t.
 With al lthese things against them. however, they contend that the party will get bigger vote this year than in the last presidential campaign, and in this they have their only cause for satisfae- tion