Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-10-12
STRAW BALLOTS.

The last installment Of the straw
ballot being taken jointly by a num-
Der of metropolitan newspapers,
reaching from the Atlantic to the Pa
cific, shows Wilson far in the lead
and steadily gaining. with Roosevelt
running second and Taft third.
The explanation OF the relative po-
sitions Of Taft and Roosevelt may
be accounted for in part by the large
Republican vote for Wilson which
might swing back to Taft if he should
later in the campaign, give promise
OF being the strongest candidate
against Roosevelt. In such event it
seems that a considerable part OF
the Roosevelt vote would 60 to Will
son in order to defeat Taft, 50 which
ever way the political wind blows,
it promises to be to the advantage
of the Democratic nominee.
The straw ballots taken by the six
metropolitan newspapers, each in it's
assigned territory-the New York
Herald, Chicago Record-Herald, Bos-
ton Globe. St. Louis Republic, Gin
Enquirer and Denver Repub-
lican-up to Sunday aggregates a
total of 123,526 divided as follows:
Wilson, $4,000; Roosevelt, 35,49S;
Taft, 26,350; Debs, 1876. In the polls
by States Taft leads in Nevada and
Utah only while Roosevelt leads in
Idaho, Illinois and Michigan only.
The straw ballots, however, do not
indicate quite SO much as the ~analys-
Is made by the correspondents-ex-
pert newspaper men instructed to be
absolutely impartial and as nearly ac-
curate as possible. These show chang
es from each of the old parties TO
the other and to the new party, and a
chaotic political condition in all the
States, from which only one conclu-
sion can be drawn, and that is that
the Democratic nominee is safely on
the way to the White House and that
nothing short Of a sudden and alto
gether improbable revolution in pub
lie sentiment can prevent this trium-
plant entry.
1t is noted by some correspondents
that while the Bull Moosers are most
noisy and eager to be counted in the
poll the Republicans are somewhat
reticent and undecided. While for the
most part they favor Taft and would
Loyalty support him with their bal
lots if persuaded they could elect
him, they regard Roosevelt as 50 Sc
rious a menace that many Of them
would cheerfully vote for the Demo-
cratic nominee If by so doing they
might contribute to the overwhelm-
ing reputation OF the third-term pre-
tender. There are, however, many
Republicans in the East who are es-
pecially antagonistic to President
Taft on account Of the Canadian re-
ciprocity treaty, but so welded to
the Republican protective tariff po-
Icy that they would not vote for
Wilson and the Democratic platform
under any circumstances. Earlier in
the campaign some of these were in
clined to Roosevelt, but are now said
to be swinging to Taft.
Summing up the results Of straw
ballots and political analyses the cleo
toral votes are thus assigned: Will
son, 362; Roosevelt, A; Taft. %;
doubtful, 100. There are 531 votes
in the electoral college and 362 will
be necessary to elect.
The States conceded to Taft are
Nevada, New Hampshire. Utah, Yer
mont, and Wyoming, with a total Of
23 votes; to Roosevelt, Illinois, Mon
tana, and Washington, with a total
of 40 votes. The States classed as
doubtful are Arizona, Idaho, Maine.
Massachusetts,, Michigan, Minnesota,
North Dakota, Oregon and Pennsyl-
vania.