| Show THE WEST IS NOW THE POWER perhaps the strongest editorial on the result of the election displaying the keenest insight is from the now new york post and is as follows whoever has carried the election and whatever the precise complexion of 0 the popular and electoral vote when all the returns are arc in the united states stands today in the presence of something like a political revolution it glares at one from the map the republican party is confined con fined to a fringe of states in the east and north even in them its former hold is broken look at new england the old assured republican majorities are gone only by the narrowest of margins was victory won and when we think of ohio and kansas lost and the confident republican in a dozen other states of the north imperiled or shattered we can hardly be blind to what is going on the scepter of power is passing to the west in conjunction with the south and southwest it came very near doing so visibly in bryans first campaign it he had not had a fatally weak issue the thing might have been done then now it is virtually an accomplished fact As clearly as monroe marked the ending of the virginia line of presidents or john quincy adams that of the new england line pierce was little more than a tool of the south the election of 1916 will be regarded by the historian as having written finis to a chapter of american political development its significance is more than geographical the alignment of the states on the physical map of the country is only an accident what really tells is the spirit the attitude behind the grouping the change is one of soul not of region this we see when we note how the shrunken majorities and how low a state of the republican party in new england correspond to the astonishing returns from western states it is deep answering to deep the verdict is in both sections against the stand pat policy of the republicans and the sit tight campaign of mr air hughes of him in certain portions of the west where he campaign edthe old cynical comment on henry clay might be revived that more persons came to hear him and fewer stayed to vote tor for him than in the case of any other candidate the field was ready for tilling by mr hughes it if he had in even one of his speeches risen to the height of his opportunity and shown himself a flame of fire to light the path to the future he need not have left the voters puzzled alienated dismayed but he never once seemed to perceive that the great awakening of 1912 with the breaking up of parties which took place in that year had any message for him ile he could easily have won a mighty response from the progressive west as it was lie he merely baffled and chilled it |
