The river press., 1914-11-18
THE INDEPENDENT VOTE.

The result of the recent election in
Montana and other states demon
strates that many of the voters are
not influenced by partisan motives in
expressing their choice for sO-called
political honors. Several illustrations
of this new departure are presented
by the Missoulian in review of elec.
ton returns, which says in part:
Minnesota, while e1ecting solid re-
publican congressional delegation,
elects w. S. Hammond, her lone demo
cratic congressman, as governor of the
state.
| South Dakota, while returning re-
publican congressman, defeats Charlie
Burke the standpat republican candi-
date for the senate.
California re-elects Johnson, the pro-
gressive candidate for governor by a
landslide majority and chooses Phelan,
democrat, to succeed Perkins the
present republican senator.
Idaho re-elects Brady, progressive
republican as senator, but elects Alex
ander, democrat, governor over
Haines, the present republican incum-
bent.
Wyoming returns Frank Nondell to
congress and at the same time choos-
es the progressive-democratic candi-
date for governor of that state.
Massachusetts re-elects Walsh, the
present democratic governor by $4,000
plurality and fills the rest CT the state
house with republican officials.
In Michigan, Governor Ferris, a
democrat is elected to succeed himself,
while most of the republican state
ticket is elected. In the mean time
the upper peninsula. which formerly
was the republican stronghold OF the
state, elects bull moose congress
man.
The city of Chicago gives Rober
Sullivan 100000 plurality and sends
Medill Mccormick. the progressive
leader in Illinois, back to the legisla-
ture at Springfield.
Coming nearer home, Montana sends
Evans AMI Stout back to Washington
by 1000 plurality but re-elects Judge
Holloway to the supreme court by A.
900 plurality.
Not single, solitary county in Mon
tana last week, elected "a straight
county ticket" as was the custom in
some counties not many years ago.
All of which demonstrates the fact
that individual voters are looking.
more and more, to the qualification of
the candidate for the Office he seeks
rather than to the party label he bears.
Two years from now. here in Mon
tana, $4,000 women will be still anoth-
er factor in the game of politics.
How are they going to vote? We
predict, that in national politics, the
married woman will very largely vote
with her husband, the unmarried wo-
man with her father and brothers, but
in local affairs look out for still furth-
er disregard of party labels.
In our neighboring states of Idaho
and Wyoming, where equal suffrage
has prevailed for years, the gentle
man with the shady reputation has
largely disappeared from the field Of
local politics. in the role of a candi-
date. We believe the same result will
follow here in Montana.
The voter who has the moral cour-
age to vote for the individual best
qualified to fill the local Office, regard
less of his political affiliation, is per-
forming the highest duty of citizenship.
The day of the straight ticket is
past and gone in American politics, in
the states of the north and west.
South of the Ohio river, they still
take it straight from president to con-
stable, but even there the leaven is at
work.