Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-09-12

the election Of Woodrow Wilson by an
overwhelming majority in the electoral
colleges Whether those who have been
republicans are going to divide between
Taft and Roosevelt In the proportion or
70 to go or 80 to 40. or 10 to 90. or 80 to 70.
r. a matter Of merely academic interest
for the purposes of this campaign pro-
vided Wilson polls the full democratic
vote. Under all these hypothesis alike.
the democratic electors would carry the
day in every debatable State in the Union.
OF course. we are far from asserting
that the result In Vermont Is conclusive
on this head. September is not Novem-
ber and, what Is even more important.
Pennsylvania and Illinois and New York
and California are not Vermont For the
! democrats to begin now to look upon the
result In November as a foregone conclu-
sion would be the height Of folly. The
Vermont showing may Justly be viewed by
them as In the highest degree encourage
ing. but 1t should animate them to re-
moved energy and increased detormina-
ton to make victory sure, not lul them
into dangerous sense OF security THESE
are strange times. and there is no telling
/
The difference between what did hap
I pen in Vermont and what many shrewd
observers thought possibly might happen
| " simply ths-there might have been
shown a powerful undercurrent, sweeping
great masses of people. irrespective OF
party, into the Roosevelt whirlpool, and
there was not. Practically the whole of
tho Roosevelt strength proved to he de-
| ri I'd 1frap Administration.
mighty and irresistible popular movement
gave sign Of its existence. How emphau-
caly this is true becomes the more evil
dent the more the figures are studied
The election with which that of yester-
day is to be compared is the September
election of the last presidential year,
1908; and. II further comparison is de-
sired, this should extend to the Septem-
Der elections of previous presidential
years The total vote for governor yes
tertay was about $500. The correspond
ing total In 1905 was 6i,3s7: in 1904 1t was
&C.. 500: in 1900. II was $500; In 1896 1t was
t9.922 Thus there Is certainty no lndi-
cation OF a mighty ground-swell in the
size of the aggregate vote. And how
about Ito apportionment among the
parties? In 1908. the republican candidate
for governor polled 1885 votes. trifle
over 70 per cent. Of tho total; in yester-
days election. the taft candidate and
the Roosevelt candidate together VIII
muster up only about 1900. or about 81
ner cent. of the total on the other hand,
the democratic candidate has about 2O,oC1
votes, as against 1888 in 1905, showing
the substantial gain of about 1000 votes
a gain greater than the loss OF the
Joint vote of the Taft and Roosevelt can
didates in comparison with the vote OF
the republican candidate in September
1908. And substantially the same kind OF
showing would appear II We took In the
earlier years. Thus 1t is clear that ir
saying that the democrats have more
: than held their own We are understand
ing the case; and 1t Is equally plain that
the Bull Moose strength was confined al
most entirely to republican defections.
Z AS to the further question Of the pro
portions in which the republican vote /:
l. divided, and the arithmetical Inference.
I to which this division may tempt the
y nmble political statistician, a few re
: marks may be not wholly without inter
lest. OF what now may be called fol
convenience. the republican vote-th'
. joint vote Of the regular republican can
ddate and the Bull Moose candidate
the Taft man got about Is per cent, thu
: Roosevelt man IS per cent. Our goot
=. neighbor, the Tribune very natural,
. points to the Vermont returns as show
., ing that Roosevelt has no chance o
Il election; but what 1t goes on to sa!
- about the indication the same figures at
ford as to the chances Of Taft and VII
a son Is only not comical because 1t Is b
-, pathetic. IF in other States" says tn
Tribune. the democrats can hold thei
n vote together as we'll as they have don
in Vermont. and If the progressives cal
y. divide the opposition in the same pro
=, portion, they will probably give the vic
- tory to Mr.. Wilson" That probably
" is delicious. If the democrats simply poi
their full vote OF 1903 'in other States
and they have done decidedly more tina,
this in Vermont-while Mr.. Roosevelt
takes away So per cent Of the republica
- vote, leaving Mr.. Taft only 65 per cent
- how many electoral votes does our frien
the Tribune think would be cast for MI
. Taft? Just IA; Mr.. Wilson would hay
the other $751; Well. this Is not precisel
what is going to happen: but that
where the arithmetic OF Vermont woul
- carry us. All those who are friends c
-. solid progress, political sanity and ger
~ uine reform. and who are convinced tina
" Woodrow Wilson represents the BET
20 hopes of the American people at tn
" critical time. are entitled to derive froi
W the Vermont result redoubled assurano
." of a great victory in November; but IL
y" them remember the Cromwellan MAXI
~ which enioins us to trust in God. bi
VI keep our powder dry.