Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1912-09-27
The Colonei's Swing.

In each of the States through which the
Roosevelt train has passed the New Yorl
Times correspondent has questioned meT
of all parties who were in a position tC
know the conditions in their respective
States. and the consensus of opinion may
be summed up as follows:
l. In every one of these States except
Utah Taft is out of the race and will run
an extremely bad third.
2. In most of them Wilson is well in the
lead.
8. In States where La Toilette is strong
numbers of La Toilette men will vote for
| Wilson.
4. In the other States many Taft men
will vote for Wilson, and in some States,
such as Nebraska, virtually the whole Taft
vote is turning toward the Democratic
candidate.
S. Nearly all these States are normally
Republican. AS things now are the per-
sons interviewed hold that the only nearly
certain State that Taft has is Utah the
only nearly certain State that Roosevelt
has is California. II is declared that in
some of the States Roosevelt has a chance,
but that Taft has no chance in any of
them except Utah of running even second.
9. The PrOgressives are handicapped in
several States. notably Iowa, by the run
ming of Bull Moose State ticket. A large
number of the Bull MOosers want to vote
for Roosevelt and yet preserve their party
regularly in State affairs. In Iowa this has
deprived the Bull Moose of the services of
the most influential man in the State,
Senator Cummins, who will vote for Roose-
welt, but cannot come out against the State
Republican ticket.
7. In some States such as Arizona,
where Roosevelt has personal claims on the
gratitude or affection of the voters-it was
he who gave Arizona the Roosevelt dam
he will get many Democratic votes. As a
general rule, however, he seems to draw
most of his support from the Republican
party, and If this condition continues this
split among the Republicans will give
Wilson most of the States so far traversed.
8. Generally speaking. the rural districts
are much more strongly for Roosevelt than
are the cities. The country people seem
to be wild about him, and there Is no di-
vision OF sentiment. as there is in most of
the cities which gave him good receptions.
g. In all the States which Wilson has
not yet visited his candidacy is hampered
by the lack Of knowledge of the people
about him. They know Taft and ROose-
welt, but they have no definite conception
Of Wilson the man, and consequently there
is little enthusiasm for him personally.
10. There is strong feeling in favor of
Roosevelt personally throughout the West,
based on the fact that he is the man who
understands the needs of that section of
the country as no other Eastern politician
does. Yet most Of the Democrats who en-
terrain that feeling will vote for Wilson sim
ply as party men. Roosevelt has made a
strong bid for that vote by repeating over
and over again Its time you had Presi-
dent who knows an irrigation ditch from a
dry farm and to whom alfalfa has more
than merely mystical meaning" and the
response Of the crowd invariably shows that
the shot has gone home.
II. The Bull Moose movement has been
hindered in many States by the weakness
of its local tickets. The Colonel must be
aware Of this, for he repeatedly points to
the nomination of Hiram johnson and
Oscar Straus as an earnest of what the
Bull Moose means. Such nominations as
that of Hodge in Washington or that OF
Stevens in Iowa do nothing to strengthen
the ticket
| IL. In many States. notably New Mex
leo, it is observable that the young men
are for Roosevelt, while the oldtimers stick
to the old parties. There are traces of this
even in Utah.