Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1912-11-05


election unique in the nation.
Three Presidential candidates with
so great popular followings have not
gone before the electorate in recent
political history. The effect is to
tax the election machinery of the
country to the uttermost, for with
the three candidates are sure to be a
great number of split tickets with
associated difficulty in tabulation.
Moreover the. heavy registration and
the weather mans promise of sun
shine over most of the country mean
an immense vote.
Every indication pointed to a vote
that will break all previous records.
With three active organizations at
work. to say nothing of the Socialists
and Prohibitionists, Ia, ,000,00 Amer
lean citizens, it was estimated, would
go to the polls.
This unprecedented activity, COM
bined with the days fair weather
conditions will come nearer, perhaps,
developing the full voting strength
of the American nation chan has a
national election since 1860. That
year the intense excitement over the
slavery issue called out every voter
who could drag himself to a polling
place. Four years ago the total vote
was a little more than Is, 900, 900.
OF that number Taft received 1875
90S and Bryan 6,4G9, l04. This gave
Taft popular plurality of 1863, S04.
The total Socialist and Prohibition
vote in 1908 was about 100000.
While feeling certain of a sweeping
Democratic victory in Maryland, the
party managers yesterday flooded the
city and counties with kilograms and
letters urging the workers not to be
overconfdent. The call was general,
and every original Wilson man was
urged to join hands with the organi-
cation forces and roll up an unprece-
dented plurality for the entire ticket.
With the election on Democrats
were more confident of an over
whslming victory than they have
been aG any time during the fight, but
they wanted Maryland to stand up in
the front rank of Democratic States
on the popular vote. This, they say,
could be done if every mau took al
active part in today's battle.
SILENT VoTE BIG FACTOR.
During the last few days party
workers and the original Wilson sup
porters have been making a quiet
but effective canvass in the city and
counties. They assert that the bulk
of the silent vote, which has been so
much discussed in this campaign, is
with Governor Wilson. This includes,
they held, four-ffths of the indepen-
dent voters, as well as hundreds of
Republicans.
For the last several weeks the Pro-
gressive managers had been claiming
the bulk of this silent vote, bat Dem
ocrats say chat their claims are base
less and were made to bolster their
cause. In fact, the Democrats said,
the supporters of Colonel Roosevelt
have been fighting in the open ever
since the campaign hogan and that il
was not difficult to guage the Colo
nel's strength in the State.
FEW DEMOCRATS To Tart.
The canvass also showed that
claims advanced by Republicans in
which they asserted that President
Taft would poll many Democratic
votes were absurd. As far as the
Democratic party is concerned, it j.
better united in this campaign than
it has been in any Presidential cam.
paign since the Cleveland contest in
1892.
Although they do not publicly dis
cuss it, managers of both the Roose.
velt and TAFT campaigns concede q
big Wilson victory in Maryland. In
fact, they believe that the election OF
Governor Wilson is as certain al
anything can be in politics. Their
chief interest is over the fight for sec
ond place. When asked for Their
views on the fight both sides invari.
ably said that their candidate will
run second not only in Maryland but
in the entire country.
RESULT To BE KNOWN EARLY.
The first votes to be counted are in
almost every State those for Presi.
dent. In the years when the voters
have had to choose between two can.
didates the people have known where
the wind blew by 8 o'clock. This
year, when the counters have tc
check up three candidates, the re.
turns will be perhaps an hour later.
In the event of a close election,
where, for instance, Ohio is the pivota
State-and there are many prophet,
who say that this State may decide
the choice the returns will be latel
still, for returns from Ohio are motor
iously late in coming in.
More than the presidency is Al
stake in the elections today. Th.
Republican forces concentrated then
efforts in doubtful states to prevent
oc rn-.f