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Show Men Rather Thia Hida-Douni Mt&snres. It may be a little late to speculate on the result of the recent election, but one fact gains in emphasis as the days go by. Men rather than measures appears ap-pears to have been the rallying cry of the voters. Roosevelt was chosen President by the largest popular vote ever given a candidate for that office. It ap'peared almost as a spontaneous outburst for the man who succeeded to the seat held by the lamented la-mented McKinley. If this fact were not apparent, the further fact that Democratic' Governors were elected in balf a dozen States carried by Roosevelt would make, the assertion good: Men rather than measures influenced influ-enced the voters. In Massachusetts, which Roosevelt carried by a plurality approximating 75,000, Douglas, a Democrat, Demo-crat, was chosen Governor by a plurality of 35,000. - In West Virginia, which Roosevelt carried, a Democrat was chosen Governor, ' : - Missouri, which for the first time in its history gave a plurality for the Republican electoral ticket, elected Joseph W. Folk, a Democrat, as Governor, defeating the remainder of the Democratic State ticket . ... ' - Colorado gave Roosevelt a plurality, but defeated Peabody, the Republican candidate for Governor, electing Alva Adams, a Democrat. Minnesota elected a Democratic Governor, while giving the Republican electoral ticket the usual large plurality. Montana gave its electoral vote to Roosevelt, but chose J. K. Toole, a" Democrat, to preside over its State affairs. ?k Nevada returned to the Republican column in the electoral college, but elected Van Duzer, a Democrat, Demo-crat, to Congress, there being no State ticket in the field. There, was little division between the parties on national questions. The line of demarkation -was so faint as to show but little trace. The personal popularity pop-ularity of Roosevelt" caused "many, votes to- be cast for him that, with the issues more clearly marked, would unddubtedly have gone to the Democratic nominee. His strong personality contrasted strongly with the negative qualities of Judge Parker. In most of the States named the personal equation equa-tion entered strongly into the races for Governor, and the Roosevelt landslide failed to carry the Gubernatorial Gu-bernatorial contests. The men chosen best represented repre-sented the ideas of independent voters as to the control con-trol of State affairs, and in nlost cases the pluralities were so large as to leave no question of accident or fraud. Americans of today are inclined more and more to vote for men of strong personal characteristics, clean and honest in their views and . record, rather tharyto abjde by hide-bound party measures. It is a hopeful sign. |