Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-02-19
OUTCOME OF THE ELECTION

the polling OF large vote, but there
{ was only about a two-thirds vote cas-
as compared with that of the general
election. The district was carried by
Herman Marth, socialist, by about
700 over e. A. Dunn, who was the re-
publican nominee. The city was car
ried by Marth by over 600. There is
a good deal of speculation as to just
what caused the landslide to the
socialist candidate, some attributing e
it to one thing and some to another
The Pilot is not going to attempt to
enumerate them; suffice to say that
local conditions as to the dry and
the wet situation, cut more of a
figure than most imagine 1t does
not indicate, by any means, that the
socialist movement has gained any
strength.
Opinions of various citizens on the
result are as follows:
G. D. JONES
''It was an unfortunate piece of
business. 81 do not believe, however,
that it fairly represents the sentiment
of the community on the war. There
were some local matters that entered
into the result.
The result does not represent the
patriotic sentiment, though there is a
dissatisfied o-German element I'm
| til the returns were in, | do not be-
lieve they expected to elect their
candidate, as they did not have enough
votes without other causes. OF this
I am sure, the result cannot be taken
as a reflection of the attitude of this
community in support of the national
administration"
A. w. PREIIN
"Mismanagement of the campaign.
They tried to ram their arguments
down the peoples throats, and they
would not stand for them. | do not
believe that the loyalty issue had so
much to do with it. One reason for
the result was that the republican
candidate did not define his position
on the election or appointment of SEN
ator."
A. P WOODSON
81 hardly think the loyalty issue
was responsible. While there has
been some German feeling, l believe
the people are now pretty firm in
support of the country. l think, from
what l have been told that other
causes affected the result"
JOHN RINGLE, JR.
after the democratic candidate had
been nominated in the primary a few
republican leaders went to him and
persuaded him to resign from the tic
ket, without the rank and file know
ing anything about it. The campaign
was placed on very poor grounds, all
who did not vote for Dunn being
branded in advance as un-American
and pro-German. The result was that
many people resented it, the labor
men especially, and it changed a lot
Of votes. 1t goes to show that the
American people like to be left to do
their own choosing.
Then the report was circulated
that Dunn favored the drys, not as
an open issue, but it had something
to do with it just the same. I feel
chat the election result would have
been better had the democrat re-
manned in the race"
PAT STONE
at was a pro-German victory.
After the primary it was shown that
Dunn, running against German in the
republican primary, had won by but
fourteen votes. | believed that if we
both staid in the campaign, the social
ist candidate would get the German
republican vote, and defeat us both.
That the district went socialist be-
cause / got out, is all nonsense. The
nature OF the victory is shown by the
figures from some of the towns. In
two of the democratic strongfSolds
where / received the vote in the pri-
mary, the voters solidly supported
Dunn in the election as the loyalty
candidate. In republican town,
where last fall there were sixty votes
for Hughes and eight for Wilson,
there are in this election approximate
ly the same poll, except that this time
it is sixty for the socialist and eight
for the republican. This shows how
the German vote has been going.
Besides that, the republicans went
through this district last campaign,
criticizing Wilson because he did not
declare an embargo on arms and tell
ing the voters that he was against
Germany, and now they are reaping
the harvest"
HENRY MILLER
81 am astonished at the result, but
l cannot say what was the cause. Il
cannot understand what made the
voters return socialist"
c. B. BIRD
"Of course, the socialist candidate
received some pro-German votes. But
hA ~ hxy
means be a majority on a straight
issue. The voters paid too much at
tention to petty considerations rather
than to the larger issues involved.
AS a result, the socialist received far
beyond the normal socialistic vote.
In the primary the socialists polled
sol votes, the republican nominee 532,
the republican contestant sos, and
the democrat 267. | think the social
ist vote in the primary represents
large share of the normal strength
of the party.
The issue of pro-Germanism cut
some figure, but l do not believe
enough to elect a socialist assembly
man. l think the result was deter
mined by local issues"
A. L. KREUTZER
"A good many factors entered into
the election. Tie result is no indi-
cation of the socialist vote, nor is it
pro-German victory A good share
of the vote received by the socialist
was II the nature of a protest against
the manner in which the election was
carried on. The outcome would prob
ably have been different if the demo-
crat had not pulled out in the election
and if the contest had been allowed to
| proceed along the usual party lines"
The above interviews were secured
and published in the Milwaukee
Journal.
METER WHICH REGISTERS
TELEPHONE CALLS
A recently invented telephone meter