The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1912-10-28
RECORD WILL SURPRISE MANY
IN New York When He Ran for Gov.
erhor He Did Not Get Full Party
Support-Presidenti Vote
When Analysed = Not to
" He Advantage.

even now. when, having failed to get
the Republican nomination for q
third term, he Is heading q boiling
Third Party organization. there are
many Republicans who seem to think
that he has strong hold upon the
people. The fact Is the record shows
that he is not successful vote get
ter. The belief which prevails in
some parts OF the country that Roose-
velt has magic hold upon the people
is not supported by the facts. Mr..
Roosevelt's own activity in self-ad-
vertising is largely responsible for the
belief. ft
Take, for instance. his home state
of New York. Here are the figures
of the Republican vote cast in the
| three elections of 1896, 1898 and 1900,
the two years before and the two
years after Roosevelt was candidate
for governor:
1896, Black ............ .787,516
1898, Roosevelt ........ .661,707
1900, Odell ............8 04,S59
When Roosevelt ran as a candidate
for governor he had behind him his
prestigate of service in the war with
Spain. He made a spectacular cam
paign with a number Of uniformed
soldiers riding with him upon the
rear platform of his special train
Even with this advantage he polled
| $4,000 less votes than Black and
nearly $4,000 votes less than Odell
This shows that in his own state he
il not the vote-getter which he claims
to be.
PoIIed Lees Votes Than TAFT.
| Colonel Roosevelt received an enor-
nous plurality when he ran for presi-
dent in 1904. but that was because
100000 Democrats declined to vote
for Judge Alton B. Parker. The real
test Of Roosevelts plurality is the
number of Republican votes cast for
him. He polled 7,623,48 votes, but
| even this number was $1,000 less than
we're cast for Taft in 1908 with
Bryan in the field and practical
Democratic harmony restored. Do
these figures show Roosevelt to be a
great vote-getter?
The figures as to Illinois are also
interesting and Instructive. In 1904
the total Republican vote for Roose-
welt was 632.645, but this was 1884
less than were cast for Charles s.
Deneen for governor. Roosevelt was
supposedly the idol 1T the Republican
party while Governor Deneen's nomi-
nation was secured at the end Of a
three weeks convention in which bit
ter factional fighting developed. Yet
Deneen, as stated. received 1884
more votes for Roosevelt.
An attempt Is made to demonstrate
Colonel Roosevelt's popularity by cit
ing the fact that his plurality in ILL.,
nois in 1904 was $685. 900, while Taft's
was only l79, 900 in 1908. The fact Is
that In 1904 Roosevelt received 632, 645
votes. In 1908 Taft received 629.929
votes. So that out of about $4,000
votes the only difference between
Roosevelt's popularity and Taft's
popularity as shown by the total Re-
publican vote was 2,713.
Illinois is ci merely because 1t is
typical Of other states
Some Primary Figures.
AS Republican candidate for presi-
dent last spring, Colonel Roosevelt
polled 81 per cent Of the total vote
cast at the Illinois primaries, but only
42.37 per cent Of the Taft 1908 vote.
A majority Of the Republicans of H.
linois have not expressed a prefer.
ence for Colonel Roosevelt for presi-
dent. In a recent statement Colonel
Roosevelt said: "The primary in ILL.,
nois last spring definitely decided
that was the choice Of the Illinois
Republican voters for president"
Colonel Roosevelt should be informed
than 42.37 per cent Of the Repub-
lican vote in Illinois does not decide
what 1888 per cent shall do with a
bolter who denounced their party be-
cause It would not nominate him.
Similar conditions prevail in other
states. ...z4
The foregoing record proves that
Colonel Roosevelt, without regard to
his other essential deficiencies, is not
a powerful vote-getter. The twin.
with-Teddy" bumcombe Is quite popu-
lar with Colonel Roosevelt and his
supporters with the hope OF dragging
into line umid voters and pot-huntine
politicians. The facts show that as
a vote-getter Roosevelt never had
been as strong as his party. He was
not as strong as Black and Odell m
New York, where he is best known;
although running against cripple in
Judge Parker, he ran more than a
million votes behind his party
strength; he was not as strong as Taft
in the country at large; and he was
not as strong as Taft and Deneen in
| Illinois.
The current belief, stimulated by
Rooseveit's own expressions, that
Roosevelt Is a powerful vote-getter, is
disproven by the facts.