The record. [volume] (St. Maries, Idaho) 1913-1918, 1914-12-08

being one ofthe few states show
ing reactionary tendencies. Butt
in the yeaP.i9 fA when the stand
patteTs are recovering some of
their lost ground, Idaho seems ITO |
have Pepented its lurch toward
standpatisn and showed signs Of |
Willingness to try the democrat
10 party. Iteelected demo-
cratic governor by a handsome
plurality. From the time the
FIRST bulletins of the returns'I
started coming in there never was
any wayeFing of AIexandeP's lead;
and on some of the other Offices
It looked fore while as if some
OF the democrats had been elect-.
ed, and the official totals show
that the pluralities of none of
the republican officials above the
Office of state superintendent
i.ve., the offices Of political im-t
p0rtance-were very large.
In 1912 FPench's plurality for
congress man was 23,i64 and
Smiths i3.393. In the year 1914
Smiths pluarity was 5000 and,
McCFacken's 4f82s
For theofIice Of governor there
was $500 more votes cast than. in
f9t2, when the7vote was divid-
edlas sfollowss Haines S5, 056;
Hawiey 33,992; Coblentz, ff09fy
Martin, 24325. This year the.
severar candidates stood: Haines
40,349: Alexander, 47,6i8; McEl-
roy. 1888; CobIentz 7 ,967; Head
ley. prohibitionist, 1896. Alex
ander made a gain of nearly a.
GOO over his pafty's candidate of
two years ago; Haines a gain of
little more than 5O00--about a
thousand 9of which was in Bonn
ner county-McElroy a loss of
$4,000 over his party candidate
iIt s9f2; Cobientz a drop of 1924
from his own vote in the 1912
baIloting. The prohibitionists
had no candidate infi9t2, Nc
ElPoy received his party vote this
time while Martin two years ago
ram about 9000 alieadeuf the re-
mainder of the progressive cana
dictates on the state ticket. The
plurality of the republican can
dfdate for governor two years ago
was 1904 the plurality OF the
democratic candidate this year
was 1859, his vote being the
largest. on the entire ticket One
Of the surprises of the lection
wae the slump of the socialist
vote in oth6 state, amounting I'd
about rs per cent of the total
polled in 1912, which exempts
them from the application of the
direct primary law.
AAstudy Of the figures on thC
other state oflleers--lieutenanl
governor, secretary of state, aud
itoFs treasurer and attorney gen.
eraE. VINO help ito shape the pol
icies of the stats government
reveals most interesting changes
The republicans carried these
ave state Offices two years ago b.
pluFalities totaling l2,708 votes
averaging over 5000 to the office
In the present year their tota
qualities, for these offices was
42s8fss or an average of abou
2500 Ito eachrofFice. The pro-
gFessive vote for these Offices
average 1885 b. showing tina
they easily hold the balance o.
power. This average Of 49,.
a35 fails less than 5000 below thu
average Of the party's candidates
for the. same Offices in 1912, bu
the average this year was raise
by the heavy vote of Van DeuseI
and BroxoR. The real part.
strenetH of the pregPessives il
the slate appears 10 be about TO-.
SOB. or two-thirds OF their vot
IN 1872. which Indicates that en-
party has by no means collapse,
a. some have pretended, sine
they stlli have enough TO com
under the state primary law.
The socialist vote two year
aeO averaged 1854 10 the one
for The Offices mentioned abov
wtlii8 IN 1874 their average 70
this same oifces was 6i78, Al
average decline OF 1856.
notwithstanding the decline il
theRote Of the socialist party an
the progressive party, the repub
licane have made but little gail