Arizona republican., 1912-09-14
Primaries and Straw Votes

The straw vote and the primary are running a neck and neck race for the reputation for unreliability as an indication of party strength and the comparative popularity of candidates for office. We do not see why news papers, as many of them do, take the trouble to hold these straw elections which in the past have generally been reversed at actual elections.
 The Albuquerque Journal just now, is trying to find out long in advance Of November 3, the relative strength of Wilson. Roosevelt and Taft. within it's jurisdiction. So far, Wilson is in the lead with Roosevelt a close sec nnd while Taft appears a mere speck in the rear distance.
 In nearly all straw votes that have been taken to determine popular sen timent with respect to Roosevelt and Taft. the former has been shown to be a strong favorite, Yet. in such actual tests, those which count, as in Vermont and generally in primaries since the conventions where the issues have been so pronounced as to bring ogt considerable vote, Taft has made the better showing and in states and districts where the Roosevelt sentiment was known to be very strong. the president has made d much better showing than earlier straw votes indicated
 So far as the primary of last Tues day concerned the followers of Taft and Roosevelt, it was nothing more than a straw vote and it was treated as such by the republicans. Hundreds of them walked by polling places without taking the trouble to enter or without manifesting the slightest interest in the proceedings. The in quries with which the telephone wires deluged this office the night after the election related almost entirely to the democratic electoral ticket. Now and then someone wanted to know about the Roosevelt Taft votes, but such in quiries were very few.
 The progressives made some effort 10 get out their strength at the pri- maries. They kept workers at the polls and made an extensive use of automobiles. especially in the Phoenix and Osborn precincts. Yet, the pro gressive vote in Phoenix exceeded the republican vote by only three
 It must be taken into account that less than one tenth of the republican vote in this precinct was brought out unless we assume that the progressive vote was entirely cast by former re- pubIicans in which case, less than one-fifth of it was cast at the pri- maries. But former democrats con- tributed to the progressive showing In the second ward, the only one in which there seems to have been any notice taken by the members of the board of such changes of party, five well known democrats voted the pro- gressive ticket.
 We do not mean that it shall be understood that the progressives de- veloped their full strength last Tues day though they made an apparent effort to do so, while the republicans made no effort at all. No doubt, there are many voters, democrats as well as republicans. who intending to vote for Roosevelt, preferred the se- cIusion of the election booth for that purpose But the primaries left the republicans with an apparent greater measure of reserved strength for the real election.
 The fact is, republicans seldom take part in straw elections. They have probably been defeated in a large majority of them that have been held within the last fifty years Every four years the democrats have based their predictions of victory on straw votes It has been the plan of the republicans to do nothing uselessly They habftually hold their fire unti there is something to shoot at ant then they sweep the field with grape and canister