Omaha daily bee., 1916-05-08
Nebraska
DENIS SEEK TO
COMFORT SELVES
Efforts to Find Solace in Primary
Returns Do Not Meet with
Success.
FIGURES WITH REPUBLICANS
IRON a starr correspondentl

From Staff Correspondent
LINCOLN, May 7,-(SDooial = Efforts Of
atste honSs democrats 10 got comfort out
OF tho results Of tho primary aro bagin-
ming 70 b. interesting because after
numorous attempts to compare, add and
subtract they find themselves back nj
tho starting point with condition fnclng
them which does not tend 10 add much
jos 10 the occaHion.
Before election everything centered on
fight by certain democratic leaders 10
defeat W. j. Bryan. Now that they have
defeated him they are wondering what
they are going 10 do without him.
The result Of the primary showed that
tho republicans east i0275 votes. while
tho democrats cast but $3.50 something
Ike 1900 lesa than tho republicans they
attempt N Bccure comfort from tho fact
that the per cent Of democratic gain over
tho primary vote Of 1919 wan considerably
larger than the republican vote. How.
ever, with all the Increase in tho per
eentage, tho fact still remains that with
primary vote. which IL supposed 10 con.
fine voters TO tho ticket or their own
party. they fail far short Of enough 10
win and furthermore with the total vote
out II Indicates that Nebraska Ia nor
rnally from 1000 to 5000 republican.
Pointing 10 the past in-order 10 bolster
W courage for the future is an old demo.
cratic trick, and while they may be- ex-
poeted TO Point with pride TO tho past
and Wow with alarm the present" they
cannot get away from the fact that Ne.
hraska Is normally republican state.
and with conditions existing as thoy do
at the present time may double lts normal
majority NJ tho polls next November
Another condition which appears 10 eivo
state house democrats courage "a that
q majority Of tho nominees Of the repub
lican party como from Douglas and Ian.
caster counties. This is q condition for
which no one Is to b8mo but the voters
ihemselyes. The Inauguration Of the
statewide primary was for the very pur.
pose Of letting tho people select candf-
dates. II Is n condition not theory and
the theory which the tlp1id ones arc put.
ting out that Douglas and Lancaster
"hoRged all the offices" In order 20
prejudice the rest Of the state against
Tho two big counties amounts 10 nothing.
in state convention selecting cand 10
dates, II IL possible to put up balanced
slate, but IN n primary tho result Of The
late selection Of candidates Is nothing
moro than what must be expected.
Douglas and Lancaster counties arc the
two counties IN tho state which poll big
najortles and have the largest ropub.
lican population. II Is easy then 10 IN.
derstand whore a primary fight f. close
that unless these two counties would be
important factors In tho outcome. The
democratic party has no maIoritles in any
county that Will anywhere near compare
with the two big Nebraska counties, and
an there were rh very close fights be-
tween candidates the result was aa II
turned out. and the outcome comes solely
from giving the people chance 10 vote
without bringing location Of candidates
Into consideration.
Had Lancaster republicans stood BY
heir candidates for governor as Douglas
county stood by It's candidates the result |
might have been different Had they not
persisted In voting for the Douglas county |
instead 81 their own candidate
10 would have been nominated and n |
would have taken less than 10 votes
hanged 10 have done so. However, no |
BODY but the democrats appear to be very |
much wrought up about It and this IA |
loiely because they see the handwriting |
IN the wall and already foresee the de-
eat % the democratic party In NebraIa. |