The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1912-11-01
MS POPULARITY NOT SHOWN ~
THE VOTES He HAS RECEIVED.
REC0RD WILL SURPRISE MANY
IN New York When He Ran for Gov.
ernor He Did Not Get Full Party
support-Presidential Vote
When Analysed 70 Not to
HE Advantage.

Meet our county ticket" chorused the
Roosevelt shouters prior to the re-
continuation Of President TAFT. And
sven now. when. having failed to get
The Republican nomination for q
third term. he 10 heading . 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
tor. The belief which prevails in
some parts Of the country that Roose-
velt has q magic hold upon the people
10 not supported by the facts. Mr..
Roosevelt's own activity in self.ad.
vertfsing 10 largely responsible for the
belief.
Take. for instance. his home state
Of New York. Here are the figures
Of the Republican vote cast in the
three elections Of 1896, 1888 and 1900,
the two years before and the two
years after Roosevelt was a candidate
tor governor:
1896, Black ..............787,516
1898. Roosevelt ......... .661, 707
1900, Odell ..............8 O4,S59
When Roosevelt ran as a candidate
Tor 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
125,000 less votes than Black and
nearly 145,0o0 votes less than Odell.
This shows that in his own state he
Is not the vote-getter which he claims
to be.
Polled Less Votes Than TAFT.
Colonel Roosevelt received an enor-
nous plurality when he ran for presi-
dent In 1904, but that was because
1,2S0.0O0 Democrats declined to vote
for Judge Alton B. Parker. The real
test of Roosevelt's plurality is the
number of Republican votes cast for
him. He polled 7,623,4S6 votes, but
even this number was $4,000 less than
were cast for Taft in 1908 with
Bryan in the field and practical
Democratic harmony restored. Do
these figures show Roosevelt to be
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 of 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,e 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 305.00O, while Taft's
was only $4,000 in 1908. The fact is
that in 1904 Roosevelt received 632,645
votes. In 1908 Taft received 629, 1929
votes, SO that out Of about $50, 900
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 cited merely because It is
typical of other states.
Some Primary Figures.
Az Republican candidate for presi-
dent last spring, Colonel Roosevelt
polled 81 per cent Of the total vote
cast at the Illinois primaries, but only
1927 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 recent statement Colonel
Roosevelt said: 1.-THE primary in 1lli-
nois last spring definitely decided
that I 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 1898 per cent shall do with
bolter who denounced their party be-
cause It would not nominate him.
Similar conditions prevail in other
states.
The foregoing record proves that
Colonel Roosevelt, without regard to
his other essential deficiencies, is not
. powerful vote-getter. The "win-
with-Teddy" bumcombe Is quite popu-
lar with Colonel Roosevelt and his
supporters with the hope Of dragging
into line timid voters and pot-hunting
politicians The facts show that as
. vote-setter Roosevelt never had
been % strong % his party. He was
not a. strong 40 Black and Odell in
New York. where he 10 best known;
although running against cripple In
Judge Parker, he ran more than .
million votss. behind his party
strength; he WAS not - strong % 1Aft
in the country at large: and hs Was
not q strong . TAFT and Dsnssn IN.
Illinois. 81 545 i.
I. The current bsts4 stinulatel ~
sRoossvsl4b Swn expeesGfsas, that
Rsosevs,t = Z pswsefd vsaDOs1&es, 4.
lia1rax1a ~ - teta 4. nj,