The Alaska daily empire., 1917-01-12
LIGHT oN A PARTYs FUTURE
CSt. Louis Republic)

Fn,re of inc Republican party What it's tenden cies? Is its vitality increasing m those StHeS ims m which it still commands the support of purahles' it vigorous party in temporary eclipse or uec'ue" party? , ,,4 ,r tbe returns from the IS States which MT. Hughes carried in the November election. They included all New England with the exception or & Se" mugS"g the Middle Atlantic States of New York PennSyNana, New Jersey and Delaware, with which we misht SIoup West Virginia: the Middle Western Common"eaIth2 of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin MnheSol9 and Iowa the prairie State of South Dakota and Oregon, on the Pacific seaboard -,,.,..
 These IS States represent all types of political life ranging from the wirebound standpatism of Rhode Island Vermont and Delaware and the scarcely less immoyable regularity" of great machine,q0mnateu I States like Pennsylvania and New York to Wisconsin Minnesota and Oregon, the most advanced salient of the far-flung battle line of progressivsm.
 These States are, politically, alike in but a single thng-technical Republcanism. We beg pardon: Ihey are alike in another thing also Every one oi them is a nursery Of growing Wilson sentiment Every one of the IS showed increased vote TOT NsOh' Oy com harrison with the vote of 1912, and In every one except Wisconsin, where the rates equal the Wilson vote showed a more rapid increase that the Hughes vote, con,nared with the combined votes for Roosevelt and Taft in 1912 Delaware showed the smallest increase of the Wilson vOte-S per cent, in the state or ule Duponts and the Addickses. Rhode Island, however gave Wilson 34 per cent. more votes Tn lSlO than m 1912 Pennsylvania 31 per cent more, New 1Ork 10 Der cent more and New Jersey IS. In New Eng!anu' Vermont the State that accompanied Utah in giving Taft a plurality in 1912 showed a 49 per cent lh- crease for Wilson, Maine 9 per cent west Nlrglnia' manufacturing State like PenhSy'"hIa ''C'e"'e" it's Wilson vote 24 per cent !
 Coming to the Middle West, we see increases Of 14 Der cent in Indiana r in Wisconsin, l9 in Iowa, while in Minnesota the Wilson gain was 69 per cent over 1912 and in Michigan 1t reached the imposing figure of 90 per cent. of I34 per cent. If take away 100 per cent m view of the advent of suffrage and divide the remainder by two. we shall have l' per cent" WHICH judging by the result in Wisconsin and Iowa. cannot be far from the figure. South Dakota increased it's Wilson 20 per cent, and the Oregon return the Pacific Coast gives an increase or v per cent" after being subjected the same process as IIlnols
 That there is nothing sectional about the growth of the Wilson strength evident by running the first half of the list of Hughes States arranged in the order of rate of increase of their Wilson vote They are: Michigan. Minnesota, Vermont Massachusetts. Rhode Island, Connecticut Pennsylvania oregon ana Maine.
 We now come tothe comparison of the Hughes with the combined TaItRooseyelt vote or 1912 or the IS Republican states, nne-JuSJ haIl Ihe Hu' ber-shOw a loss by comparison of the popular vote for Hughes with the combined vote of Roosevelt anu Taft This ranges from II per cent in the case of Massachusetts and Vermont down through per cent. in Michigan and Maine, per cent. m Minnesota and in Pennsylvania, Co thTee-tenthS or per cent in Iowa
 In a class by themselves are the Suffrage States of Illinois and Oregon; the Hughes vote was so per cent larger in Illinois than that cast TOT IaII and Roosevelt and 75 per cent larger in oregon. the electorate doubled in these two States this rep relative loss of 10 per cent in Illinois and
 Of the States showing a gain for Hughes over the Taft-ROOsevelt vOte Wisconsin tops the list with r per cent Next comes New Jefsey, 15 per cent; Indiana and South Dakota, g. West Virginia, D. New York Connecticut and Delaware 4 and Rhode Island,
 Look at the Republican machine strongholds con- pairing the Wilson with that of Hughes. Delaware shows the least gain for Wilson but her vote for Wilson has grown twice fast the Hughes vote ] grew, by comparison with the TattRooseYet vote.
 Rhode Island increased her Wilson vote $4 cent and her Hughes vote over her TafrRooscyclt vote stNtenths of l per cent Pennsylyanias Wilson increase is 31 per cent, compared with per cent. | on the other side. Illinois, allowing for 100 per cent increase in the total gives Wilson r cent
 
 is F per cent. less
 If these figures showed different conditions in different sections Of the country, their meaning would be fair subject of controversy But it is not neceS- sary labor details They nowhere show Rcpub- Nine of the IS Republican States show a Republican loss in the popular vote; Wisconsin shows equal rate of increase; New Jersey shows Wilson growth somewhat preponderating, while In south Dakota anu Delaware the Wilson vote grew twice fast as that of Hughes Tait-ROOsevet; in West Virginia five times as fast; Connecticut eight times Pennsylvania Ilmost I5 times; Rhode Island 50 times.
 Democratic sentiment, as represented by Woodrow Wilson is everywhere on the increase, and nowhere more notably than in the States which still Republican strongholdS; while Republican sentiment IS represented by Charles E Hughes, is everywhere ,n the decline and nowhere notably than in States like Rhode Island Massachusetts, Vermont Mich gan and Minnesota.
 The very principle of growth seems to have de. c arted from Repubcanism. The inertia of habit is c ts principal remaining asset No wonder it's leaders nXously the future. To Democratic observer would appear that the time has come for an end f the "gOOd-SandpaergOOd-PrO policy of the ecent campaign and equally of the attempt to use the i'd weather scarecrow of Democratic free trade" to tighten mid public. The leaders ought 10 get to- ether decide upon creed consistent with itself and ayiug irrelevenCy to modern problems and y eeds; and then take like the consequences of W tandng by that creed. If the forces whose work is gc hown in the impressive facts just marshaed continue In work unchecked, what will there be left of the O.. p. by 1920?
 We know men who are so eager to keep worried v nat they are wondering who the Republicans will nom. late for President in 192O.-CLos Angeles Times) al
 Tn other .,vor5s prosi5onf Wilson asps tbo man.