Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1916-09-20
THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.
The Vote i'm Maine as an Indicator of
How the Coming Election
Will Go.

tables OF 1912 will disclose, was
marked by the closing of the gap be-
tween the republicans and progress
Isives. The majority received by the
republican ticket was only half that
given Taft in 1908, but If the same
percentage of progressives goes to
the republican ticket all over the
country, there will be little doubt as
to the election of Mr.. Hughes in
November. The Register & Leader
sums the coming election up in the
following:
Shortly after Vance Mccormick
was named chairman of the demo-
cratic national committee, he made
an optimis' C prediction of demo-
crate success, based ON the acces-
sion to the democratic party of from
20 to 80 per cent in various states
of the bull moose vote of 1912.
Names vote in 1912 was Wilson
51,113, Roosevelt 4S,493, Taft 26,
545. With Two nar.ioS i'm the field,
the democrats would need 24.3 per
cent of the Roosevelt vote in order
to carry the state by the barest mar
gin. In the recent election, the sum
of the republican majorities for con-
gresham. 12,5O0, may be accepted
as true index of state feeling on
national politics. The vote indi-
cates that the democrats polled 1873
per cent of the progressive vote of
l1912.
Complete reliance cannot be
placed in the Maine result as an in
dication of the action of progress
sives throughout the country, but it
lis probable that in majority of
states, the men who voted for Roose-
welt will divide between Hughes and
Wilson in about the proportion
found in Maine. If they do, the
prospect of the election of Hughes is
reassuring to republicans.
Ohio In 1912 cast 425.0Oo votes
for Wilson, 100000 for Roosevelt
and 277,O00 for Taft. If Wilson
polls 1873 per cent of the Roosevelt
vote, Hughes will carry Ohio by 6S,-'
1000 plurality. ee5 cssi 'the =" '''
If Wilson polls 1873 per cent Of
the Roosevelt vote in New York,
the state will go for Hughes by
vote of 100000 to 100000.
The same distribution would give
Wilson an easy victory in the occa-
sionally doubtful but usually demo-
cratic states of Maryland, Kentucky
and Missouri, while West Virginia
would go for Hughes by the narrow
margin of 800 votes. In Missouri,
however, the German vote has been
counted against Wilson, and shift
Iof $4,000 on the war issue would
send the state into the republican
column.
Curious results are obtained by
applying this same criterion to Cali
fornia and Indiana, due, however,
solely to the conditions which pre-
vailed in 1912. If Wilson polled
1873 per cent of Californias 1912
progressive vote he would carry the
state by $4,000. But if Wilson poll
ed 1873 per cent of the 1914 pro-
gressive vote in California, Hughes
hn utatn fn hn
of $4,000 plurality This is due
to the fact that Taft's name was not
on the ballot in 1912. and over half
of the 2S3,000 votes cast for Wilson
were from republicans. In 1914,
lCalifornia cast 10000 democratic
votes out of total of $4,000. Con-
ditions are chaotic. but conditions
would appear to favor Hughes even
without the aid of his position on
woman suffrage, which is potent
factor in California.
Indiana would go 1900 demo-
cratic on the basis of the 1912 vote
lor $1,000 republican on the basis OF
1914, if 1873 per cent of the pro-
gressives voted the democratic tic
ket In 1912, Indiana had candi-
date for vice president on the demo
cratic ticket. This year, both par
ties have Hoosiers for second place,
and the relative popularity of Fair
banks and Marshall in their home
state may decide the issue.
In Iowa, Hughes will have a mar
gin of $4,000 il the Maine division
Of progressives prevails.
This showing, when compared with
the electoral table of 1908, shows
what the democrats are up against.
If the republicans carry New York,
they can win even though they lose
1Arizona, California, Indiana, Mary
land, Missouri, New Jersey, New
Mexico and West Virginia in addi-
tion to all the states carried by
BRYAN in 1908 Or tho rom hlica No