Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 64, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 April 1904 — The Political Pot. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Political Pot.

What the addition to the total number of voters in the country is likely to be this year is very hard to conjecture, for the reason that between 1896 ami 1900, so far as the election returns show, there was practically no gain in tho number of electors. From 1876 to 1880 there was a gain of 800,000; from 1880 to 1884, a gain of 1,000,000; from 1884 to 1888, a gain of 1,300,000; from 1888 to 1892, a gain of 500,000, and from 1892 to 1896, a gain of 1,900,000. Between 1876 ami 1896 the popular vote for presidential electors increased 65 per cent, or from 8,100,000 to 13,900,000. Apparently owing to tho fact that q vast multitude of voters did not go to the polls nt all in 1900, tho total popular voto in that yenr was only 40,000 greater than it was in 1896; ami, if anything like a full vote is polled next fall, there should be an enormous nnd unprecedented Increase in the total vote. In the eight years ended with November, 1896, this vote increased 2,400,000 and, ns the population of the country has been steadily expanding since 1896, the total vote this yenr should show a far greater Incrense than that of” 1888-96. It is none too enrly'for politicnl leaders nnd managers to grasp the fact that “first voters" nre likely to constitute a more important factor in tlie approaching campaign than ever before and, ns a consequence, that they nre likely to prove a greater unknown quantity thnn has ever been the case hitherto. Evidently both of the great politicnl parties will need to do a vast amount of missionary work if they hope for victory in November.—New .York Commercial.

W. 11. Thptnpson han declined to be n candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Nebraska. • , The New Jersey Republican State convention will be held at Trenton on May 10, nnd will elect delegates to the national convention. The Connecticut Republican State central committee has issued n call for lhe State convention to meet in New Haven May 10 nnd 11. Foraker men bolted the Republican convention in the Fourth Congressional District convention in Ohio nnd nominated candidates of their own.