The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-03-01
~ ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.

The result of the straw vote conduct
cd by the Indianapolis Star for wom-
en- has been announced and is most
Mr.. Theodore Roosevelt outdistanc-
cd every other candidate.
For some occult reason Roosevelt
has always been popular with women.
Although many object to his violent
race.suicide propaganda.
And II must be admitted, Roosevelt
is C. little coarse and primal in his al
legged attitude on this issue" to make
G bad bull.
But throughout his former reign
the women were always for him. You
could get up a discussion any time
during that period and most OF the
women would range themselves on
Roosevelt's side.
When asked to give good and sum-
Gent reasons they generally side-step-
ped and said they didn't know.
And maybe they didn't.
At the present writing, however.
very excellent reasons are handed out
by the fair ones for their support Of
Roosevelt and. indeed, some very logi-
cal ones for knocking him out OF the
possibility ring.
But nonetheless it Is sufficiently ap-
parent the way the political sympa-
t!,ies Of the women Of Indiana veer.
For out of a total Of 1906 votes
cast, Roosevelt received 1922. Even
women whose political Affiliations
were rather with the Democrats and
Prohibitionists marked their ballots
:or him.
1t is curious the hold he seemingly
has on what has been often vaguely
termed the public"
He represents, perhaps, more than
any other, the element OF that force
which Is secretly the average ideal.
Roosevelt is admired very much as
John L. Sullivan, or some other popu'
lar pugilist, is admired.
Physical prowess, for some reason
or other, always ranks any other
phase of the individual
War Is a thousand times more fas
cinating than any other form OF hui
man activity.
Weigh war and love-and war out
balances love every time.
Any man would rather point with
pride to his spurs won on the battle
field than to his amorous conquests.
When It comes to a choice between
Joining the army in time of great
popular and patriotic exciteme and
staying home with your sweetheart
there is but one contamination.
The sweetheart is thrown into the
discard.
Its when he Is lying wounded on the
feld that visions of his sweethear,
float before him and realization o.
the god of things as they are assails
him.
It IL Roosevelt's physical force. hi
ti;antic smiles, his bomb-like utteran
ces that take the attention.
1t 10 impossible to regard him as In
sincere, a vice with which he Is &C
credited by his enemies.
1nsincerity is, generally, associated
with soft. devious, sinuous and lnslnu
ating department.
Not with poundings and bawling'
ard teeth-grittings and facial contor
tons.
"He may have his faults" you think
hut he's honest
And merely because he bombard'
you with statistics, denounoings ant
forceful utterance.
| Roosevelt, however, leads the val
among the women Of the state II tn
Stars presidential primary is any cri
terion. And its apt to be as much OF
one: az could be legitimately ascertain
ed.
The strong running made by Charles
scsnlon, of Pennsylvania, the prohib1
ZIONIST candidate for President. wh'
received over 1900 votes. showed tn
activity Of the temperance women. o
rather, of the members OF the w. Z. 1
IU. who entered his name almost
week after the beginning of the tw'
weeks vote. Incidentally 1t showe'
the campaigning ability Of the lndian
women, at least Of some of them, sine
Scanlon's name was not mentione
and little known outside those of hi
political Affiliations.
Mrs. Stanley, of Liberty, who too
scanlon's candidacy in hand. prove
herself a militant lady and one to b
reckoned with in the event OF the bt
stowal of the franchise upon the fem
nine citizens of this commonwealth.
The fact that J. Frank Hanly. grea
IA, orite of the temperance people i
this state for his grandstandings o
the subject of the "nquor trafac," wa
not deemed of sufficient importance b
his confreres to "stand for the primo
Dle." but. even at that, received owe
$500 votes. may or may not prove se'
cral interesting things.
That Taft received almost fou
thousand votes shows that he IL not q
together lost in the shuttle although
may be that lot OF women-as di
two known to the writer-voted ia
him because they felt sorry for him
Taft arouses the maternal instinct
ike a large. fat. good-natured. helple.
baby.
Mr.. Eugene V. Debs, although ne
mentioned in the beginning. receive
sos votes-several hundred more tina
<ha dovioua Eorn wh0 Rto06 thir