Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-09-21
The Situation In Indiana.

The Situation In Indiana.
The republican leaders deny that the result Of
the Maine election has had any damaging effect
upon their canvass In Indiana. AT any rate
they are not relaxing any of their efforts to
carry the state. The democrats are fully as
active, and political meetings are being held
every day and night all over the state The
most remote and inaccessible interior villages
are Illuminated with bonnres, and the villagers
minds fired by the most intense partisan
oratory. The democrats state that they have
made the most complete ante-election poll Of
voters ever known In the state, and that ft
shows reliable democratic majority Of over
seven thousand for the democratic ticket. The
canvass OF the republicans, 1t Is said, indicates
majority OF two thousand for their party.
But the truth Is that Ii Is almost impossible for
either party TO estimate certain majority, at
this time, because OF the large element OF uncer-
tain or doubtful voters In the state. At the
last election in 1878 the greenbackerS polled
39,415 votes and II is beyond the ability OF the
smartest HoOsier politician to predict how this
vote is going TO be cast at the coming election.
The democrats lost the state In 1863, but car
ried 1t in 1862. The next democratic victory
was won In 1870 by majority OF 1855, out OF
total vote OF over 81, 600. At the october cleo
tiOn of 1872 the democrats won by q majority of
Has, but before November the Greeley move
ment went to pieces, and In the latter month
Gen. Grant got majority OF 22,515. Ia 1874 the
democrats regatned the ground they had lost By
the Greeley fiaSco and carried the state by
17,252 majority, out of a total vote OF 3iI, 900
In the october election OF 1876 the democrats
won by plurality OF $780, That year was the
first appearance of the greenback party In the
contest, and 1t cast a vote OF 1870. Not dis
mayed by their October defeat the republicans
c9ived only plurality of $685. a gain Of .l6 over
the October democratic vote: but In the
November election, that year. the greenback
vote fell off from 1910 In october to 1888.
showing that over 1900 of that party did not
vote at the presidential election. In ISIS the
democrats WOn by plurality OF 14,113 That
year the gTeenDacker5 cast 80 Ais votes. This
year the greenback vote Is an uncertain duan-
tlty, and therefore the unreliability OF calcula-
lions as TO the result of the coming election.
The managers of the republican and demo-
cratic state canVasses agree that the greenback
vote VIII fan off this year from the figures OF
ISIS. The republicans assert that the di5rup-
ton OF the third party will largely increase
their vote. Their estimate is that tSo-th;rds
OF the greenback vote Of 1873 was cast by dis.
satisfied republicans; that the return of bust
ness prosperity has shown these men the folly
return TO their former political organization and
vote the republican ticket The democrats While
admitting the probable decline OF the third
party vote deny that this will materially
strengthen either the republicans or democrats.
They say that the returning wanderers from
the greenbacS fold will be pretty equally divided
between the two old parties and claim that the
democratic plurality will be increased several
thousand by recruits from republican ranks.
who are brought over by the nomination o T
Hancock. The claim that falling off In the
greenoack vote helps the republican party or
hurts the democratic Is not entirely borne out
by the past elections AS shown above, the
greenbackers cast over 5000 less votes In No
vember, 1916. than in october, yet at the presi
Dental election the democratic plurality was
increased This may have been caused by the
fact that the result Of the October election had
shown the republicans that they were almost
without hope in contSndlng for the cleo
toral vote OF the state. In the state cleo
tion of 1875 the figures go to show that the
fnbrease In the greenback vote did come
largely from the republicans, as the vote OF the
latter fell OF more. In proportion, than that Of
the democrats, who more than doubled their
plurality OF 1876. The latest estimates seem to
fix the greenback vote OF Indiana In the coming
election at from 10000 to $4,000. This is be-
yond The early computation, but the greenOaek
leaders have exhibited more energy and acttv-
ity than 1t was believed they would put forth
and 1t Is thought they Will be able to hold two
thirds OF their voting strength The greenback
leaders insist that they Will increase their vote
OF ISIS, but there Is nothing to support this
PREDICTION. The republican and democratic
managers have party lines distinctly drawn.
and it Is evident that the old regulars On each
Side stand firm and true to their respective
principles; but there are 10000 or 10000 voters
In the state who are not enlisted under either
banner OF the two opposing political armies,
and 1t Is this element that Is being SO hotly
contended for. These few voters, compare
lively, hold the political destiny Of the state
and possibly the nation, within their power.