The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1922-07-23
State Runs
to Form in
Election
Selection Of Howell for Sen.
ate Race Considered as
Evidence of Nebraska's
Progressivism.
Democrats Fad to Gain
Progressivisn
By PAUL GREER.

Once more the indifferent citizen
who says that it would not do any
good for him to ,vote-that his ballot
would not have any effect on the re-
suit OF the election-has been proved
wrong. The Importance of voting
never received better demonstration
than in the Nebraska primaries OF
last Tuesday.
A mere handful OF votes could
have changed the results in at least
half dozen important contests in
the republican and democratic par.
ties. That is only another way OF
saying that the last few hundred bal
lots decided the fate of the eandi-
dates.
Interest was more intense and
competition for nomination was keen
er in the republican primaries than
in the democratic. The question pro-
pounded by the disappearance OF the
democratic vote in the last presiden-
tial campaign has not yet been an
swercd. The Nebraska primaries
have not proved that the democratic
party has recovered its old strength.
The final returns will show about
$4,000 more republican votes than
democratic votes cast in the prima-
ries.
Dire Predictions Fail.
On the other hand, the dire pre-
dictions OF the disintegration OF the
republican party were not borne out.
The three congressman who were
candidates for denomination on the
republican ticket were victorious. In
the case Of Representative Evans,
this was in the face of an aggressive
attack by opponents of the Hard
ing administration within the party.
The same sort of a fight on the
McKelvie state administration, waged
by A. H. Byrum, left him the low
man in the governorship contest. His
opposition to the code and budget
system, and his emphasis of the tax
alton issue failed to raise the response
that some anticipated. 81
Vote Debacle Surprising.
The biggest surprise of the cleo
ton was the debacle of J. N. Norton,
who ran for the governorship nomi-
nation on both the democratic and
the progressive tickets. The poll of
the third party was negligible and
the vote received by the fusion can
didates, who also filed on the demo-
cratic ticket, likewise was trifling. In
many counties the progressive party
votes were so few as not to be con-
sidered worth counting in advance
of the official recording. On the ba-
sis OF returns at hand it appears that
in the senatorial contest Judge Ar
thur G. Wray led A. H. Bigelow by
two to one, while the fight for gov
ernorship honors between w. J. Tay-
lor and Mr.. Norton was so close as
to be unsettled. Unless the third
party nominates new set of candi-
dates, under the state law It will not
be represented on the ballot for those
positions in whHh it fused with the
democrats.
Where Did Vote Coz
These details are mainly interesting |
in their bearing on the question OF |
where the progressive vote went. The
only possible explanation is that what
may be called the bull moose strength |
remained in the republican party.
This is demonstrated by the re-
turns on the senatorship. Here the
only candidate who could by any
stretching Of the term be called
standpatter was A. w. Jefferis. He
ran a poor second to r. B. Howell
and was closely followed by Clarence
"A. Davis. C. H. Gustafson, long
known as farm leader in Nebraska,
attracted more than $4,000 progress
sive votes. :,
1t is on the strength OF the Howell
victory that George Grimes. editor
of the Platte Valley Daily News of
Scottsbluff, makes the following
comment:
Nebraska republicans are the
same kind of republicans as those
of Indiana, and Iowa. and North Da-
kota. and Pennsylvania. They ART.
progressive republicans. So much
was indicated by the premaries OF
Tuesday, when the old guard, as rep
resented by A. w. Jefferis, was un-
able to take advantage OF the split
in the opposition ranks, and lost the
senatorial nomination to K beecher
Howell"
Drawing Much Comment.
This was an event that aroused
national interest and is drawing COM
mem from newspapers everywhere.
The New York Evening Post, under
the heading, Nebraska Reathrms
Her Faith" leads itse editorial col
umn with these remarks: |
an naming R. B. Howell as their
candidate for the senate, Nebraska
republicans are not staging party
revolution. The sensational outcome
of Tuesdays primary would nave
been Mr.. Howell's defeat. For dec
.de Howell has been republican ma
tional committeeman from Nebraska.
Moreover. Nebraska's one republican
senator is George w. Norris, who
comes close to being the leading
republican in the senate
tJnder these circumstances, tor Ne
traska republicans to have nominat-
ed a standpatter to make the race
against Senator Hitchcock would
have been a step backward. In
wear in which progressives are WIN
ming victories in unaccustomed places,
il would have been strange phe-
a. p- 49, rol.~u Fives III