The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1912-12-05

- Wnllo the national Socialist
vote mas been nearly doubled in four
years, the party's most conspicuous
local candidates around the country
have gone down to defeat. Socialist
papers simply attribute this to a
combination of the "capitalistic'
parties wherever the Socialists have
become really formidable. Only
slightly different is the interpreta-
ton in the New York Times (Ind.
Dem:t Nothing was risked," it
says, 'in voting for Debs, since he
had no chance of election But cit
seemed different whenever there
was chance that vote for a Social
list might elect him" That is, accord
ing to The Times, many are willing
theoretically to vote for the beauti-
ful impracticabilities which they are
unwilling to have imposed upon
them in fact" Among the surprizes
was Schenectady's unwillingness to
send her lively Socialist Mayor to
the lower house of Congress, and
the defeat Of Victor L. Berger of
Milwaukee after one term as the on
ly Socialist Congressman, But the
Socialists are for the most part IN
clined to overlook such local set
backs, and to exult in the fact that
their party, whose first Presidential
candidate received only some 1000
votes in 1892, after polling 1868
votes in 1900 ard 438,688 in 1908,
lis estimated to nave po1led at the
lowest estimate 10000 votes this
year. Socialist editors also point
out that in Mississippi the Socialists
came in ahead Of the Republicans,
and that their gains in Kansas,
Pennsylvania, Illinois, and other i'm
pOrtant States were phenomenal"
I'm Minneapolis the Socialist candi-
date for Mayor lost a close race. The
New York Call (Socia1ist) calls the
roll of eighteen new Socialists in
State legislatures as follows: 1.-TWO
Senators and four Assem- blymen ia
Nevada, four Assemblymen in Illi-
rois, one Assemblyman from Craw-
ford county, Kansas, one Assembly
man in Minnesota, and six Assembly
men in Wisconsin" The Call is by
no means discouraged
Here and there Socialist officials
have been displaced by a combina-
tlon Of capitalistic elements, but the
movement itself has made steady
progress, regardless of what may
have befallen individual candidates.
AND that it will continue to do so in
che future there is little doubt
con several occasions during the
campaign this journal pointed out
that the Roosevelt decOy would have
a serious effect in holding back the
Socialist vote, that it would attract
and intercept multitude Of the I'M
ripe in various stages Of 'socialistic'
development, and the returns indi-
cate that this view has been con-
fFmed.
cat the same time the Socialist
vote has increased almost certainly
by 80 per cent, and may perhaps
double the figures Of 1908 when the
official returns have been made pub
lie
1t occurs to the New York World
IDem.) to remark, apropos Of this
growth of Socialism:
eff the Socialist vote has reached
fhe million mark, as Socialist leaders
claim, the party must be regarded as
at last established on practical
basis. 1t is now full-fedged and in
a position to make deals and trades.
The Socialists, with voting
strength of these proportions, have
sbrokon in They have proved their
right to receive the respectful atten-
ton of the older parties, and hence
forth must be reckoned as a factor
in national campaigns"