Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-04-28
N. Y. ELECTION
ISPOLITICAL'
WEATHER VANE
by FREDERIC j. HAsKIN.

Washington. April 27.-Recently
a special election was held in New
York state, and while it was only
to fill the uneXpired term of a sin
gle congressman II was watched
all over the country with the great
est interest 1t is taken by some
to be the first straw to show how
political winds may blow in No
vember.
In this district, for some years
represented by Alanson u. Hough-
ton, the republican vote is normal
ly large. In the special election
Lewis Henry, republican won.
but by q greatly reduced major
| ity,
The recent primary elections in
Illinois are taken as being of great
interest as indications of the feel
ing on questions before the coun-
try. These were held at the same
time, with the result that there
were two upsets in sitting con-
gressmen--lra G. Conley and Cliff
ford ireland. However, the New
York election Is taken as better
material for Judging feeling In the
country, as republican votes beat
Mr. Copley and Mr.. Ireland. Is
sues confined to their districts
entered largely into the fight, al
though some significance Is seen
in the fact that both We're defeat
ed by "wets' as both Mr.. Copley
and Mr.. ireland have voted "dry"
consistently.
Around the capitol, republican
II a nriting xtsIn 10 &,.,, o. IL
ceive themselves know that there
is dissatisfaction with congress
throughout the country. The de-
lay in the passage of the tariff bill
is one of the great causes of this
feeling. And because the average
citizen does not pause to analyze
what is causing the delay, he
groups his grievance under a gen
cral crouch against congress as a
whole,
This displeasure is being felt by
house members who will come up
| for reelection this autumn. The
business men want the tariff
settled thing. They feel that the
uncertainty as to exact provisions
the law will contain when It Is fin
ally approved by the president Is
adversely affecting business. Il
cannot properly settle down to
pulling out of it's present situa-
ton until this is done. The house
passed the bill along to the senate
months and months ago. 1t is in
| the senate finance committee that
/ the delay Is being experienced. Yet
the house members are feeling the
wrath Of constituents on this and
| other accounts
Election for Short Term.
The election in the New York
district was held because Mr..
Houghton resigned to become am
bassador to Germany. His vote in
1920 amounted to $4,000, in round
numbers, his democratic opponent
received in the neighborhood of
10000 votes. In the special cleo
| ton the democrat, Frank Irvine,
received about 1900 votes, the
successful republican about 2O,OOU
votes.
As the election had the wet and
dry issue in it, a great deal OF i'm
| portance has been attached to the
tremendously reduced majority in
this normally strong republican
district The dry element has been
worried about it, and the vets per-
haps more jubilant than the show
ing would justify.
The situation is compared with
the mistaken idea the country re-
ceived in 1904. Then Theodore
Roosevelt won by a popular ma
jority of 2,544,343 votes over Judge
Alton 3. Parker. This was hailed
at the time as tremendous tribute
to the personal popularity enjoyed
by the late President Roosevelt.
However, on that occasion wise
politicians analysed the vote in COM
parison with the presidential vote
four years before. and discovered
some rather startling facts. William
Mckinley, running for the second
time in 1900, received a popular
vote of 7,219,5S0, while William ].
Bryan, the democrat. polled $685.
OIL votes. Mr.. McKinley's popular
majority, therefore, was less than
100000 votes.
However, when Mr.. Roosevelt
was elected, Judge Parker polled
but 5,0S4,491 votes-roughly l.
100000 less votes than Mr.. Bryan
received four years before. The
total republican and democratic
vote in 1900 was 13,577,601. Four
years later, despite the fact that
hundreds Of thousands of voters
had come to legal age in the in
Itervening years, the combined pop
ular vote of Roosevelt and Parker
was 12,713,325, roughly $4,000 less
than the vote in 1900.
Politicians whose success In that
game for decades gives their opin-
ions weight, point to this as mean
| ing that in 1904 democrats had
reached a state of disgust, and while
they would not become turncoats
and vote for republican candidates,
they refused to vote at all. The
| figures would appear to bear them
out in this argument.
The special election in the old
Houghton district in New York
state is taken by these old timers
to mean that the republican voters
may sulk in their tents, and that
large numbers of them will refuse
to vote at all. In the special cleo
ton for congress, only 40 per cent
of the normal republican voting
strength could be gotten out to the
polls. However, there was some
falling off in the democratic
strength-17,0O0 against about 20,-