Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 September 1908 — A VERY SIGNIFICANT VERDICT [ARTICLE]

A VERY SIGNIFICANT VERDICT

The Vote for Senator Last Thursday Demonstrated That the People Wanted “Farmer” Law. Analyzing the vote for State Senator last week in the district composed of the four counties of Jasper, Newton, Starke and White, one can but reach the conclusion that the principal cause of the defeat of the republican candidate and the election of a democrat was in the popularity of one and the unpopularity of the other. This is shown in the vote of the home counties of the two candidates, where each were born and raised and where they are best known and their merits and, demerits were duly considered. There are thirteen townships in Jasper county and the county- gave Hanly, republican for governor four years ago a pluarality of 764. Of these 13 townships the republican candidate carried only two, Marion townships, nearly two to one republican and his home for the past seven or eight years, returning a majority of 34 against him, and the entiree county going against him by a total majority of 66! Newton county, the home of the democratic candidate all his life and which gave Gov. Hanly a pluarIty of 791 four years ago, gave the republican candidate for state senator. but two townships, McClellan and Iroquois, and returned a net majority against him of 162! Mr. Law’s own township, Washington, gave Law a majority of 50, and there are not a large number of voters in that township either, it being a strictly agricultural township with no towns whatever in its borders. Could a candidate ask for a better endorsement from his neighbor farmers than this?

Starke county, which returned a republican plurality of 366 for Hanley four years ago, the democratic candidate is wholly unknown and the republican candidate only partially, gave the latter a majority of 6 votes. In White, where Hanly had a plurality of 561 four years ago, and where neither of the candidates are known to any great extent, especially Mr. Law, the republican majority was but 166. The total plurality of Gov. Hanly four years ago in the four counties was 2,482, yet Mr. Law carried it last Thursday by 55! Figures cannot speak plainer than this, and it will not do to say that republican defeat was because of the stay-at-home vote, for the stay at homes were in the country and had there been a, full vote cast the defeat would have been more overwhelming sjill. Every effort possible was made to get out the republican vote that was favorable to the candidate. Automobiles were run in Jasper and White counties to get the republican vote out, and the voting inmates of the poor asylums in this and White counties werp brought out and voted for the republican candidate Thousands of personal letters were written by the republican local committees.' the Anti-Saloon ally and the republican candidate, urging republicans to come out and vote for the party candidate.

On the other hand little effort was made to get democrats out, and a greater per cent ®f them staid at home in Jasper county than republicans, and this was true in the other counties. Republicans here who were on the election boards and even some who were hauled in by automobiles voted against the republican candidate. The moral to be gained by the result is simply this: The people did not want the lawyer candidate sent to the legislature—there are too many lawyers there now—and they did want the farmer candidate—of which clasfe of men thpre are too few in our legislature—and they voted for him, hundreds of republicans in this city and county voting for Algie J. Law. They will do it again In November, too, although the majority Is something huge to overcome where there are other candidates on the ticket, and it behoves the people who favor Mr. Law to be on their guard and work unceasingly for him among