The Donaldsonville chief., 1912-11-09
i DEMOCRATIC sWEE.

pdfkiSdu enthusiasts whose hopes an
zeal beclouded their judgment, bu
!, there was little expectation or belle
that the triumph of the Wilson Mar
shall ticket would be as overWhelm
ing as the outcome has proved. Ac
cording to the New Orleans Plea
yune's tabulation of returns received
/ up to late hour Thursday night
4 the Democratic candidates for presi
i dent and vice president carried thirty
eight states, with 426 electoral votes;
the Progressive candidates, Roose
velt and Johnson, carried five states,
with " electoral votes, and the Re.
publican candidates, Taft and Sher-
man, carried only three states, with
/ II votes in the electoral college. Two
! states-California, with Is electoral
votes, and Wyoming, with 3-are
elassed as doubtful, the count thus
far showing a close race between
the Democrats and Progressives.
The states which gave a plurality
to the Progressives are Michigan,
| Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Da-
lkota and Washington. The three
states that gave Republican plural
tiles are idaho, Utah and Vermont,
each having four electoral votes. 1t
was confidently expected that Illi-
uois, California, Kansas, and several
smaller states would roll up Progress
siye pluralities, but it is probab Bile
the Democratic ticket leads in them
all, as also in Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Wis
sonsin and several other states where
the Republicans had hopefully look
ed for victory
There are 531 votes in the elector-
al college and 266 are necessary to
a choice, hence the Democratic can
didates appear to have 160 more
than were required to elect them.
This is a greater electoral majority
than has ever before been obtained
iil the country's history.
The Democratic majority in the
lower house Of congress has been
increased by the landslide, returns
received up to Thursday morning in
aicating that Of the 435 representa-
.tives composing the new house, 288
will be Democrats, 113 Republicans
and IA ProgressiVes, with the re-
suits in fifteen congressional dis
tricts yet to be reported. This gives
the Democrats a majority Of 156 over
the Republicans and Progressiyes
combined. IN the present house
there are 394 members, of whom 22S
are Democrats, 162 Republicans, 1
is a progressive Republican and / a
Socialist, with 2 vacancies; Demo-
cratic majority over all, "a. The
Democrats have therefore made a
net gain of 80 votes in the house.
In the senate the Democrats will
gain several seats, but whether the
number will be sufficient to over
come the small Republican majority
and change the political complexion
OF the body cannot be decided un-
I'll definite returns have been re-
ported from three or four states
where the control Of the legislature
is. yet in doubt It seems assured |
that there will be a Democratic gain
OF two in Colorado and of one each
IN Montana, Kansas, Delaware and :
New Jersey. West Virginia was
counted on to maintain it's senator
ial status, there being two Demo
Gratis now in the senate from that
state, but the Republicans claim con-
troll of the new legislature, in which
event a Republican will be elected
TO succeed Democrat whose term
expires next March. The member
snip OF the present senate com
Drises 81 Republicans and Al Dem
1erats, with one vacancy.
From indications at this writing it
S not unlikely that the new senate
will be tied as between the two
parties, counting the Progressive
senator's as Republicans, but even
n such a case it is reasonable to
assume that the Progressives will be
disposed to cooperate with President
wilson and the Democratic majority
n the house to an extent that will
'nable the general policy of the ad- !
to be carried into effect. ,
senator LaFollette Of Wisconsin !
tated some time ago that if DR..
wilson should be elected president,
nd his policies proved to be pro-
ressive, he, the senator, would give
hem his support. Several other {
ei1olOla $i1llGu * 4WILH Lie IIOSIGSSlFG i
arty will probably assume a. SINH >
II attitude. :
The Democratic party is primarily S
ldebted to Col. Theodore Roosevelt D
II its great victory, for the figures j
ON most of the states outside of
le solid south indicate that but Ii
u the refusal Of the colonel to v
lbmit to the action OF the Chicago
epublican convention, and his de- .
'rmlnation to resent that action to :
ae extent of organizing a new party =
lat split the Republican vote in !
vain, the Republicans would have
cured a decisive majority in the :,
ectoral college. It seems as plain =
a pikestaff, also, that if the man !;
gers OF the Republican party had D
'cognlzed the popular sentiment of /,
elr organization as shown by the
suits OF the primaries in great Re
lbllcan states like PENNSYLVANIA, IL
lois, Ohio and a number of the
astern states that sent Roosevelt tn
Legations to Chicago, and had per- !
ltted the convention to nominate the II