The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-11-08
THE ELECTION.

dOuDtS as TO what Will actually De the
result of the presidential election,
enough returns are in to indicate that
it was the most surprising one in the
history of the country. and that will
still remain the case regardless of
whether Mr.. Hughes or Mr.. Wilson is
returned the winner.
Here is New York state with it's
Governor Hughes and yet President
Wilson is declared by many of the po-
litical experts to have much better
than a fighting chance for reelection.
The political annals of the nation fail
to record any other instance or occa-
sion where a presidential candidate
ever had a smell of a chance without
the big electoral vote of New York on
his side.
Undoubtedly. it was the early indi-
cations of how New York was going
that led to the assumption in all quar-
ters, almost. that President Wilson'S
chances were anything but bright, and
as late as 10 o'clock last night there
was a dispatch from Shadow Lawn
that the presidential party which was
receiving the returns there were al
ready hoping against hope.
With New York and New England
safely for Hughes, and with Illinois
following suit, there was naturally
feeling in Republican circles and the
the same sort of a one, no doubt, in
Democratic centers, that it was all
over but the shouting fer Hughes.
1t was confidently expected by the
Republican managers and the cleo
ton experts that the erstwhile rock
ribbed Republican states in the GEN.
trail and far west would be safely Re-
publican.
But during the late hours of the
night and the early ones of this morn
ing the surprises of the election began
to put in an appearance, and none of
them were more so than what hap
pened in Kansas.
Kansas is normally a Republican
state. This will probably be admitted
on all sides. And here it is apparent
that President Wilson has carried it
by majority or plurality of from TO-
900 to 10000 votes. And this in the
face of what is a rather astounding
fact in comparison that Arthur Cap
per, the Republican candidate for gov
ernor, is reelected to office by a vote
that assumes almost the proportions
of a landslide, his plurality being esti-
mated at anything over 100000 and
up to 1000 votes.
This is an election anomaly that is
rather difficult to explain. But there
are many Republican leaders in Kan
sas who are expressing the opinion to-
day that perhaps Mr.. Capper contrib
uted in some measure to the success
of Mr.. Wilson in the state because the
extensive campaign he made was de-
voted almost exclusively to his own
interests, and that during his cam
paigning he gave little if any actual or
pointed support to the Republican
presidential candidate.
There were other contributing fac
tors, of course, even if it is rather diff
ficult to place ones fingers on them.
Possibly the high prices that the
farmers are getting for their products
these days influenced the large agri-
cultural vote in the state for President
Wilson, altho he and the Democratic
party are no more responsible for
them than is the man in the moon,
1t is not to be gainsaid that the
country is in a thriving condition at
present and therefore the lee-wen-
enough-alone idea is naturally a COM
polling one in the political considera-
tions of many.
But a rather inexp1icab1e feature of
the situation is the woman vote, that it
is rather difficult to explain in view
of the vigorous and apparently sue
cessful campaigns that were waged
for Mr.. Hughes by various organiza-
lions of women of national and state
scope.
The 'He-kept-us-out-o f-war'' s1o-
gan of the Democrats must have made
its strongest appeal to the women
They may have figured it out that a
change of administration now would
mean in due time the dispatch of a bic
American army into Mexico to clean
house down there, and such thoughts
would not encourage many mothers tc
vote in a manner that might bring
about such condition of affairs
1t Is most significant fact that
President Wilson is making his best
showing, and his most unexpected
one, out in the belt where the suffrage
states are the most numerous, and il
would appear only reasonable to sug.
gest that 1t must have been the peace.
at-any-price stand of the president.
that influenced the woman vote. Ger.
tainly his attitude on woman's suf
frage is not one that should have en-.
couraged the women to support him
on such a score.
Most of these suffrage states ar,
agricultural states. too, and perhap,
the unusual showing that Presiden