The Washington times., 1912-11-04
ON THE EVE OF THE BATTLE.

1t may be set down with confidence and all as
surance that Governor Wilson will not be elected
President tomorrow if ne does not carry New York.
This, not because New York is necessarily so
important in and by ITSELF not because it is math
ematically impossible for ma orty of the Electoral
College to be made up without New York.
But the great cosmopolitan, composite Empire
State is the most accurate reflection of the national
mind. Despite the provnciasm with which it is
so often and justly charged the fact remains that
New York is not single provncialism, but an
aggregate Of great number OF provincial groups.
which, in the aggregate, expressing themselves
through one vote to man, give most accurate
summary of the community sentiment of the nation.
"As goes New York, so goes the nation was
true in the time of George Clinton and Aaron Burr
it has been true since.
Not because New York is locomotive that drags
the rest of the nation after it, but because New
York is a political barometer beyond compare fer
accuracy.
Therefore, the things which New York presents
to tine observing eye and the analyzng mind in
these last hours before the voting, must be accounted
as of the utmost significance in their bearing on the
result of tomorrowS polling.
If New York, the most highly organized political
unit in the country, shall break away from BOTH
the traditional organizations and give its support to
the Progressive party that fact cannot be isolated,
studied and appraised alone. The causes nat would
produce such effect would be at work in every
other community. They would product like results
elsewhere.
If New York does not 60 to Wilson then either
Roosevelt will be elected or else there will be no
election in the College of Electors, and the decision
will be thrown into the House.
On the brink of the election New York is conceded
u oc
certainty The Democrats are in condition approx
imatng panic The Republicans would be if there
were enough Of hope left in them to make panic pos
sble The last fortnight has seen precipitation OF
Sentiment in favor of Roosevelt which has admittedly
wrecked all calculations Nobody knows what will
happen. The great mass Of plain voters have fairly
lunged toward the Progressive party. The metro
potan newspapers, even those which are most hostile
to Colonel Roosevelt have admitted this without quail
iicaton or reserve in the last few days. The Demo-
cratic managers have conceded that if there two
more weeks of the campaign ahead, nothing could
stop Roosevelt They are trembling lest in the last
hours the crystallizaon in his favor may be accom-
plished despite all his efforts.
The indications of this condition in New York arc
so plain that they cannot be missed. Last week
group of newspaper men polled the workmen on &
skyscraper that has recently been incosed and il
being rushed to completion by small army of work
ers. There were over 900 men in and about the
place--plumbers gas filters electricians carpenters
gazers, teamsters, all classes of plain workers. They
polled with great care and Roosevelt received
more than three times many votes as the next can
didate, Debs running third and Taft fourth.
Such incidents might be multiplied indefinitely
Varying in degree, the tendency indicated by all tn
straws is the same The wind everywhere blow
toward Roosevelt
The figures in the betting the forecasts of man
ayers, whose business is to forecast only one result
mean nothing The people will get their say tomor
row, and only when we have heard from them vii
we know.