Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-24

SETTING CONGRESSIONAL CALcULATIoNs-MANY
DOUBTFUL DISTRICTS.
A peculiar feature OF this campaign, looked
at from the standpoint of the congressional
headquarters here. is that neither party is par
ticularly confident OF victory.
There are so many elements of uncertainty
in the canvass that the managers of both
parties arc puzzled. At the opening of the
campaign very few republicans thought that
there was any chance of their carrying the
next House. but they have gained courage as the
campaign has advanced. How the people are
going to receive the tariff law Of the last session
Is question no one can answer. Every partisan
knows how he thinks they ought to receive it,
but that gives no assurance. It is very boldly
alleged that in the northwest the increased
prices resulting from the passage Of the bill
operate to inJure the republicans. and the fact
that many republican papers i'll that section
are conducting campaign rather on the de-
fenslve Is cause of apprehension for that
party The congressional committee is putting
forth tremendous efforts to overcome this
trouble, whether real or supposed, and they
have no means of measuring the result Of their
efforts up to this time. They may be fighting
at wind mill, or 1t may be pretty consider
able-sized cyclone they have to contend with.
They have on their cyclone suits.
BOTH PARTIES HAVE THEIR TROUBLES.
The democrats, believing in their own tariff
theories, arc looking for a popular uprising in
protest against the Mckinley BILL but thoy are
not quite certain that the uprising is going to
materIalize In addition TO this doubt they
are perplexed with many uncertainties as to
what Is coming out Of the Farmers Alliance
business in the south. They have no assurance
that the alliance will support the regular dem
ocratlc nominees, who beat them in con-
ventlon.
But the republicans have a few things to
annoy them which the democrats are free
from. In the first place, at the last election,
which was presidential as well as congressional
they put forth all their efforts to get the House
and succeeded by a narrow margin. They
then did the best they could and they have no
especial reason for thinking they can do better
now But since they won that slender victory
there has been some redistricting which puts
them at a disadvantage. They have more work to
DO TO accomplish the same result they brought
about IN the last campaign. Again. they are
now annoyed in nearly every district by some
quarrel over the post Office appointments, and
In districts where the vote is close dsaffection
on this account may influence the result Sew
eral districts may be lost to them in this way.
sPECULATIoSs AS TO SEVERAL STATES.
The general understanding is that the state
republican committee of Pennsylvania and Mr..
Quay are doing nothing at all to help on the
congressional canvass in that state, and it is
openly stated by republicans that he is ready
to sacrifice everything to secure the election of
Delamater as governor. The trading off of
congressional districts for this purpose is
strongly limited at.
In New York about as bad a state of affairs
Is said to exist. The republican state COM
mlttoe are paying no attention to Congress- but
are devotlnS themselves to the local elections,
and the national congressional committee are
at sea IN all their calculations. They have no
sort OF idea what to expect from either New
York or Pennsylvania.
In Indiana the republicans expect to gain
two members, and they expect to hold their
own in Connecticut, New Jersey and Massa-
chusetts. In Illinois they are afraid of losing
one member and also one in Wisconsin 1t is
evident that they have very little hope of elect
ing Mr.. Mckinley in Ohio. but they think the
democrats will not get more than thirteen of
the members from that state. In fact, the
democrats are in danger of not getting more
than eleven out of the fifteen districts made
democratic by the last gorrymander. Cosgrove
may be beaten in Cincinnati. Ex-Gov Foster
is almost certain to beat his democratic oppo-
nent. Lewis, the labor-republican candidate
Is very popular in the Hooking district, and
bingham, the republican-farmers alliance can
didate, stands chance OF election IN the
Boothman district