New Britain herald., 1916-11-11
THE REAL ANSWER.
Great Newspaper Which Fought VIII
son Claims He Is Strongest Man
Politically In the Nation.

son CLAIMS He is strongest NISth
Politically In the Nation.
On the election night, when the re-
turns from those states which have
hitherto been regarded as pivotal in
national campaigns indicated large
majority for Mr.. Hughes The Tribune
editorially wrote of the result that
it was a reputation Of Mr.. Wilson
and an answer to his declarations Of
policy and purpose. The returns
which have subsequently been re-
ceived have demonstrated clearly that
The Tribune was mistaken in it's con-
illusions and that, far from repudia-
ton of Mr.. Wilson, the returns that
are now at hand constitute the most
remarkable personal Endorsement that
has come to a democratic president
since the days of Andrew Jackson.
1t is relatively minor thing
whether the few hundred votes that
will decide the electoral votes of Cali
fornia and Minnesota fall to Mr..
Wilson or to Mr.. Hughes. The very
/ fact that these great republican states
have been in doubt to this moment
indicates the extent of the failure Of
the republican candidate and his par
ty and not less clearly the amazing
triumph of Mr.. Wilson.
There is a tendency to overesti-
mate the influence of the west in the
/ decision and to ignore the verdict Of
! the east, of New England in par
! ticular. Yet the votes of Massachu-
sets and Maine, the almost unbe-
| levable figures from New Hampshire,
! indicate that the same spirit which
was abroad in Kansas and Minnesota
was to be felt and seen in New Eng
| land
1t is possible to debate the ques-
| ton as to whether the larger part of
! the result was due to Mr.. Hughes
personal failure as a candidate and
his resolute refusal to meet the great
questions of the campaign fairly and
bravely, or to a general enthusiasm
for Mr.. Wilson and for his policies
But such q discussion Is in the main
academic. However much import
ance one may attach to Mr.. Hughes
failure only deliberate and intention
al injustice could obscure the extent
of the personal triumph of Mr.. Will
son. He has done what none but hia
friends and partisans believed he
could do, and he has won an indorsc-
ment in portions of the nation which
have never before given a similar
tribute to a democratic candidate for
the pre-sidency, save in years of re-
publican factional strife.
Long befora election day there
ceased to be any question about an
affirmative ote for MIR. Hughes. Long
ago the single question Of the canvass
became that of the rejection or in
dorsement Of Mr.. Wilson. On cleo
ton day the real problem was not
whether Mr.. Hughes or Mr.. Wilson
would be elected, but whether the
public would accept or reject Mr.. Will
son. In the first hours of the count,
when Mr.. Wilson's defeat was con-
coded by the newspapers which had
supported him most Loyalty and was
written IN all the returns then avail
able, The Tribune said that Mr.. Will
son had been rejected and his policies
repudiated. In all this The Tribune
was mistaken. and 1t does not believe
that any such conclusion can now be
drawn from the election, even if Mr..
Hughes succeeds Mr.. Wilson by virtue
of the turn of a few hundred votes in
two disputed states
Such personal satisfaction as can
be drawn from the result belongs
to Mr.. Wilson; he is entitled to it.
The Tribune hoped there would be
a straight out issue between Mr.. Will
sons policies and those that it be-
1ieved were drawer and better. No
such issue was raised because Mr..
Hughes steadily declined to raise 1t.
Had such an issue been fairly raised
The Tribune believes that a different
answer might have been had. But
even this is open to challenge and
permits no proof.
Whether Mr. Wilson now wins or
loses the count, the real honors of
the election are his. Because The
Tribune has opposed him most bit
terly, it feels that it should recog-
nize this fact most frankly. If Mr..
Wilson finally loses the present cleo
ton he will remain the strongest
man politically in the nation, as
much stronger than his party as Mr..
Hughes was weaker than his, a man
to be reckoned with politically be-
cause of his hold upon popular i'm
agination and public approval.