Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-05-09
WILSON'S DEFEATS
[From the New York Sun. !

PRESIDENT wilson's political sup
porters can find no more comfort
in the result of the Baltimore city
election on Tuesday, when the Re
publicans elected their candidate for
mayor, than they can in the crush
ing defeat administered to his party
in the Michigan election in April
or in the Republican victory in st.
Louis few weeks ago.
Only twice before since the Civil
war have the electors of Baltimore
chosen n Republican for mayor.
This year the election was of UNI
usual importance because Greater
Baltimore is to be set up in business
by the incoming administration. But
neither the importance to the Demo-
Gratis of the city of success in the
election, nor the fact President Will
SONS adherents have loudly pro-
claimed that he was so popular his
party was sure to win, could heal
the breach created in the Demo-
cratic ranks by factional quarrel.
The Maryland Democrats were not
able to bury the hatchet to give an
Endorsement TO the President for his
proposed League of Nations, or even
to save their own skins. Demo-
cratic harmony and Democratic
solidarity were thrown out of the
window.
The official count of the ballots
cast in Michigan shows that in the
State election the Republicans
polled 5O6,S42 votes, against 221 ,S31
for the Democrats. Mr.. Huntsman,
whose letter recording this ava
lanche against the Democratic party
we printed yesterday, says in it that
never before have the Republicans
of Michigan scored anything ap-
proXimating such complete and
overwhelming victory" In the
election of a United States Senator
in November, 1918, Henry Ford,
running as Il Democrat, was able to
get enough votes to lead him to
contest the election of Truman II.
Newbcrry. Mr.. Ford was Mr.. Will
sons candidate and pollcd Il tre-
mendous vote in and near Detroit,
but even the Presidents backing
could not elect him. That was be-
fore the League of Nations consti-
tuition was first put forward. and
before Mr.. Wilson, about to leave
for France on his second trip to the
Peace Conference, said on March 4
in this city:
THE first thing l am going to tell
the people on the other side of the
water is that an overwhelming ma
iority of the American people is in
favor of the League of Nations"
To this the voters of Michigan
made answer in n way that cannot
be misinterpreted. The Democratic
candidates in Michigan were Mr..
Wilson'S fellow partisans. They
represented him and his policies.
In 1916 the Democrats of Michigan
polled 2S3,993 votes for President,
the Republicans 337952. In 1918
the Republican vote for Governor
was 266,73S, the Democratic vote
15S,142. The increase in the Re
publican vote compared with that in
the Democratic vote may be accept
cd as recording with reasonable ac-
curacy the sentiment of the Michi-
gan electorate toward Mr.. Wilson
and his policies.
These specific instances of Demo-
cratic disunion and defeat are sus-
tanned and confirmed by the obser-
vation of competent students of pol
iticaI affairs in all sections of the
country. Their findings are all to
the same effect. The voters of the
Northwest, of the Southwest, of the
Middle West arc impatient to oust
the Democratic party from the Gov
ernment. Mr.. Wilson'S excursions
into foreign policies, his conception
of a League of Nations, his appeals
to Democrats have not stayed and
cannot stay the progress of party
dissolution. The cooperation be-
tween the South and the West about
which Democrats boasted in 1916
was an unnatural union, produced
by abnormal conditions. The DEM
ocrats are beaten in the West, and
Mr. Wilson is beaten with them.