The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1912-03-22

Roosevelt. the Wisconsin senator poll
ing. according to present returns,
!. nearly two votes in every one cast
for he colonel. Senator LaFollette
expresses particular satisfaction with
the results in the "cof country, where
the colonel himself used to roam and
where he was supposed to have
stroag following. My friends in that
state" says LaFollette, cannot be
fooled by mere talk
But, of course, the Roosevelt peo-
pie have an explanation of the whole
business. Having had their own pre-
scribad test on thsr chosen ground
and having failed to make good their
boas:ing, they 90 behind the returns.
The democrats did it. They claim
that the democrats, in the desire to
embarrass the coloners candidacy, vo-
ted in the republican primary and
ran Up the vote for LaFollette. This
may be so, but if it is it only serves
to show that a preferential primary
which the colonel has recently been
claiming is the only fair III of the
sentiment of a party, is AA more
liable to false expression than con
vention. That fact has been demon
strated by the experience of the DEM
ocrats of Pennsylvania, and it was
brought out at the last national con-
vention of the democrats in the con-
test ever the seating of the Gnfey
delegates. 1t was shown that re-
publicans had voted in the democra-
tic primaries, held to choose delegates
TO the state convention. The pos
sibilities of this sort of thing are
very easily realized, and the uncer-
tainty, therefore, of primaries as true
expression of the sentiment of par
ties, except in sections, as in the
Southern states, where there is prac-
t1cally but one party, is very great
But Colonel Roosevelt should be the
last man to plead inefficiency of the
primary system. He has said that it
is he very acme of political perfec-
ton, and if the results in North Da-
kota had been favorable to him, though
all the votes cast in the republican
i primary had come from democrats,
/ We should have heard no complaint
from his side of the fence. 1t is
only when he loses that there is any
thing wrong with the rules of the
game
/ Granted, however, all that is al
legged in this respect of the North Da-
kota primaries, and admitting tn t as
many as one-third of the votes cast
III The republican primary were polled
by democrats for LaFollette, Where
does the colonel come out? It is es-
timated that the total vote in the re-
publican primary did not reach more
than $4,000 and that of these about
$4,000 were cast for LaFollette ana
10000 for Roosevelt. In the presi-
Dental election of 1908 North Dakota
polled $4,000 republican votes. If one
third of the votes cast at the repub-
Ican primary Tuesday were polled
by democrats, $4,000 republicans. at
the smallest calculation, stayed at
home. Is it unreasonable to assume
that these were mostly Taft support
ers, who, being persuaded that the
primary yesterday was essentially a
progressive" contest between Lafol-'
lette and Roosevelt did not trouble. to
vote at all? If this be true it is
possible that the colonel might have
been made third in the race If the
Taft forces had exerted themselves to
give expression to their sentiment in
the Urinary. At any rate it is clear
enough that only about 25 per cent
of the republican voters of four years
ago cast their votes for the nomina-
ton Of Roosevelt in a state in which
he has been supposed to have pecui-
lar strength.
If this is the best the colonel can
get in progressive state. what is
coming to him in states where Taft
sentiment is asserted and real ex-
preston of the republican voters is
made? 1t looks very much as if he
is to have what he has failed TO give
everybody else, that is to say "a
square deal"