Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-11-05
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| 1 to close has presented many exceptional
features sure to make it historic, and the contest
in its different stages has marked the transtorma-
ton of our political methods in this country. Con-
trasted with local contests every presidential cam
| paign is battle royal in the political arena 1t
comes but in four years, but even then is not
always real fight, such as this one is, for often
| conditions are such as to pre-ordain the result
| beyond question. A one-sided political CAM
| paign is as undressing as a one-sided match
on the base ball diamond or in the foot ball field
or on race track An exciting campaign is the
one in which the forces are fairly evenly bal
anced and an interest sustained by possibilities
| that might change the result.
NY memory goes back rather indstinctly to
the 1880 campaign that ended in the election of
Garfield and Arthur. Of course, was a mere
boy, but | recall the yells and slogans for the
republican candidates and counter yells for Han
cock and English. 1t was not, however, until
four years later that I was drawn into the po-
litical vortex. That was the famous fight waged
between Blaine and Logan for the republicans
and Cleveland and Hendricks for the democrats,
and there was much oratory, parades and red
fire. Up at the High School, where was pupil,
the boys under the Leadership of Wallace
Broatch, formed Blaine and Logan club and
we all marched proudly in the procession, carry
ing kerosene torches that. drpped all over our
clothes and left US with the odor for week
thereafter. ! recall that there was one flambeau
club equipped with fire-spitting mechanisms
which were our awe and amazement. We all
yelled ourselves hoarse for Blaine and Logan on
election night and the next day joined in putting
on political mourning to signify our sad disap-
pointment at defeat
When the 1888 presidential campaign came
on ] was in Baltimore attending Johns Hopkins
university, and being enveloped in a thick DEM
ocratic atmosphere, watched merely as an on
locker, and this was true in a lesser degree Of
the 1892 contest, which found me in New York
City pursuing my studies at Columbia uni
versity. did then, however attend quite few
of the big political meetings-heard Chauncey
Depew for example, then At his best-and
watched the returns come in down at Tammany
Hall, on Fourteenth street, whose big, bright red
campaign banner, bearing the names of all the
democratic candidates, seemed to become still
! redder as democratic victory was bulletined.
By the time the 1896 campaign was opened |
was here in Omaha on the job with already lit
tie apprenticeship in politics and went in with
full energy Never before was such campaign
witnessed and never since for the idle people
then had nothing else to do but fight it out all
day long on street corners and wherever group
OF people gathered. Farnam street and Fifteenth
and the whole business center of Omaha was one
succession OF curbstone political meetings from
morning to night and it was not question of
starting an argument but of avoiding one. There
were also big talkfests and torchlght professions
and all sorts of demonstrations There were gold
badges. and silver badges, full dinner pals and
the hole in the doughnut. Nebraska went over
whelmngly democratic for Bryan, but he was
beaten badly in the other states and retired to
immortalize his first battle" in book.
The 1900 presidential campaign was fierce
conflict here in Nebraska, although tame one
for the country at large. There never was any
question about McKinley's reelection, but in
spite OF adverse odds We were eager to put Ne
braska on the map again by bringing it back into
the republican column. 1t seemed hopeless al
most up to the last minute, but unremtting and
undaunted zeal succeeded in achieving the object.
Besides the presidential electors and the COVER
nor and state ticket two United States senator
ships were at stake and the republicans swept the
whole platter although the governor was pulled
across by less than 900 plurality. To resort to
the vernacular, that was some campaign
The 1904 contest was again republican walk
away. In this state II was triangular perform
ance, the populists still cutting figure with their
votes for Watson and Tibbles and affording a
convenient getaway for Bryan democrats who
wanted to knife Parker. That explains the CO.
lossal plurality chalked up for Roosevelt and
Fairbanks and the election Of the whole republi-
can ticket in Nebraska from top to bottom.
For the 1908 presidential campaign my ac-
tivties were transferred to the national field as
one OF the party managers attached to the Chi
cago headquarters The work was carefully plan
ned and Systematically prosecuted and while there
were one or two .scares," the election of Taft |
and Sherman over Bryan and Kern was hardly in
doubt at any time. Nebraska slipped back into
the democratic fold ostensbly out of loyalty of
his home state, to Bryan, but actually for other |
reasons as insiders know. Mr. Bryan himself
is said to have been convinced he was to win,
but no one else shared his belief and even Mis-
souri, came over and joined the republican pro-
cesson, more than making up for the loss of Ne |
braska.
Needless to say the campaign of 1912 could
hardly be called fight after the republican party
had been split in two. 1t was this division that |
permitted the democrats, with Wilson and Mar
shall, to march into power The republicans sup
porting Taft waged but a perfunctory campaign |
The progressives, backing Roosevelt put on quite |
head Of steam chiefly to make showing II |
the democrats could not have gathered in the |
prize under these conditions it would have been |
in order for them to disband.
The present 1916 campaign had its lines de-
termined by what led up to it. On the republi- |
can side 1t is, in fact. two campaigns in one-tbe
regulars and the progressves-merged, it is true |
yet requiring double machinery. Keep this in |
mind when making comparisons For the first |
time since the fight against Cleveand's re-elec- |
ton the republicans have had to stand as an oppo
sition party and batter down the entertainments |
OF the party in power. 1t is this that explains |
the methods OF attack. Then again, never before
was the political battle line so extended The
advent OF the direct primary in the interval how
ever, has done away with the old spectacularism |
the red fire and the excitement has been want
ing on both sides. 1t has been, for the most part
sober appeal to reason, real campaign of edu- |
cation, And the effective reasons which are all |
on the side Of Hughes are plainly telling.
/ have written out thought or two sug- |
gested by the death of my old friend, Max Meyer |