The daily Nome industrial worker., 1916-12-29
THE ELECTION RETURNS.


 most characteristic feature of the> complete election returns that have been reported. That Wilson secured some recruits from the progressive party, from the republican party and from the soci- alist party (so-called) almost seems certain. The Roosevelt desertiOn of the Progressives compelled many ot the former Bull Moosers to vote for Wilson, and a good many republi- cans who regarded Hughes quite wrongly as the Germanist candidate eratifed their pro-ally Americanism by casting their ballots for Wilson also.
 There appears to be quite deser- tion from the socialisk parry stand ard.
 In the socialist party itself are all kinds of views. There are govern ment ownership socialists: there are citizen army socialists: there are an ti-preparedness socialists: there are socialists who are pure and simple reformists.
 In reality the socialist party is reform party, creating what it calls it's immediate demands which are re- forms of the most bourgeois charac- ter. and which differ from time to time in no way with sucn reforms as are developed by the progressive members of either the democratic or the republican party.
 It will be recalled that in 1912 the Milwaukee socialists delivered themselves of the wall that Teddy stole their policies. It need hardly be pointed out that were they social ists at all this vail would have no foundation in fact. But it had. The very policies which Roosevelt gath cred together as the policity Of his Bull Moose party were the key notes of the socialist party's individuality. This fact alone should have given some pause in the matter.
 The preparedness craze which swept over the nation following the European war found the socialist party members hopelessly confused and the orthodox pacifcists were at some trouble to oust those whose views did not conform with their own. Such men as Charles Edward Russell. as Victor Berger, not to mention some more decided lreaks, were subjected to the discipline or charges filed by other members or the party.
 Some of the socialist party papers were frankly pro-German as the Mil waukee Leader, which as German ist paper vied with the Fatherland in it's praise of such stage of state capitalism as'Germany had reached Others were not quite so frankly pro-Ally, but they were pro-Aily without permitting the determinism of their economic environment to find such candid expression,
 Now with this condition of things rampant. the socialist party vote lost itself in the dullest political campaign in years. And although Wilson and Hughes failed to develop an issue, they certainly created enough of political confusion as tc divert former socialist party mem bers from the Benson fold and take them to their own.
 The Adamson Bill saved the day for Wilson. It secured him a labor vote which otherwise might have gone for one or other of his oppo' nents. That it swept many off then feet seems now beyond question and the policy of Gompers of re warding friends never found fuller realization than in the deXterity by which the laborite vote was mani puiated.
 Wilson is a cleverer politician than most have been giving him ere dit for His prediction utterance: are now realized by some of his cam paign managers who before were II despair over such an uncompromis ing attitude, to have been exceeding ly shrewd and his delft direction o legislation into important politica channels, was really the work of a politician who could give that pas