Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-11-11
FAR.REACHING EFFECTS

SON as President of the United States
last Tuesday was significant. 1t
shows that man can be elected to
that high office without receiving
the electoral votes of New York. IL
SHOWS, too, that while the south re-
mains as Gibraltar the solid north IS
more suggestive of a rope OF sand.
The President upset all precedents
in American politics. States hereto
fore republican helped to retain him
in the White House, and New Eng
lands rock-ribbed republicanism al
most cracked under the strain. Pro-
gressives also aided in rolling up the
majority.
The Philadelphia Record, which
supported Mr.. Wilson in one Of Mr..
Hughes's strongholds, observes that
repeated efforts by the Republicans
to break the solid South have failed.
They have Haunted the blessings Of
protection before the gaze of South
ern States in which manufacturing
is Of growing Importance without
avail, except that West Virginia voted
for Mr.. Hughes. The industries Of
that State are, not those which make
the most plusible plea for protec-
ton, but they are those in which very
large numbers of men are employed
by a-few corporations, and it is pos
sibie that this has something to do
with the Republican gains there,
But the President has pretty eff
fectively broken the solid North.
Though he lost his own State, and
most of, perhaps all of, New Eng
land, he won eight States which are
usually Republican, and he won them
by large majorities. When the State
Of Ohio gives majority Of $4,000
for a Democratic candidate for Presi-
dent; when Colorado gives Mr.. Will
son a very large majority; when
Kansas gives him $4,000 majority,
and the Republican firtations with
the Mormons prove worthless, and
sheep-raising Wyoming goes Demo-
cratic, and the State of Washington
gives the President majority Of
$4,000, something has happened, and
it should set the politicians of both
sides to considering what it was.
Frank Hitchcock is Republican
politician of very considerable ex-
perience. and he has been doing
little thinking, the conclusion of
which is that the Northwest is break
ing away from the Northeast and
joining the South. 1t may take an
other election to determine whether
this is the fact, or whether Mr.. Viii
son is more highly regarded in the
West than in the East. But if Mr..
Hitchccck's inference be correct
very notable change in the political
centre of gravity has occurred.
The West and the South together
Can always control this country. If
they have combined, the political
power of the Northeastern corner of
the United States has permanently
departed. There have been several
times in the past when it seemed
that the West was about to combine
with the South. but the event has
proved otherwise. Now we have
Democratic candidate who may lose
New York and yet win by carrying
Ohio, Nebraska and Kansas and
few other Western States. New York
with its As electoral votes, ceases to
be pivotal and New England IS on
sidetrack.
Both the West and the South ceas-
ed many years ago to be exclusively
agricultural. They have very large
commercial interests. They have ex-
tensive industries. They have far
larger variety of intepests=-than the
Northeastern States which consist
almost entirely of a counting room
ard a shop. The Northwest and the
South. nave the counting room and
the shop, but they also ! have ,sthe
sfore tha fornst tho Ininp and eS-
pecially the. farm. They have Hhe,
same business interests, iahdsHefare
inclined to believe that Frank Hitch
cock is right and they are Erealiz-
ing that lhss common political
interests.
., NJ .e-.,-s-------,
: y Col. Rooseveit's sole
comment. x i on the reelection
of PRESSES issison was: Excuse