Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-05
Mr.. WILSON MAY WIN
Chairman McGraw Figures Out a
Coed Majority for Him.
FROM ALL OVER West VIRGINIA
Gossip as to Senator Camden's
Successor.
WILL BE A BITTER FIG HIT


very hot fights before, than the week just
closed. The activity has all been among
the republicans and democrats, for in no
district have the populists or prohibitionists
done any work worthy the name.
From the start, it has been looked upon
as the grand final contest between protec-
ton and tariff reform, and those are the
only issues which either side has allowed
to appear. Outside the state most OF the
attention has been drawn to the fight In
the second district where Representative
William l.. Wilson, and Aston Gordon
Dayton have been doing a splendid sys-
tenn of maneuvering for position of ad-
vantage Tuesday next. This Is quite
natural. for Wilson IL a national character,
but within the state, this fight has not
monopolized the attention sof the politicians
by any means. They recognize that aside
from the moral support which Mr.. Wilson
will give tariff reform, If elected, there are
three other districts which will vote just
strong in Congress as the second. Con-
sequently. the money and time has been di-
vided very evenly, Wilson's district getting
very little the best of local contributions
and oratorical support.
In the first district, there is little change
the past week. and election day will roll
round with neither side able to count any
thing sure in the way of majority. Both
sides claim to have sure thing, but neith-
er has any figures worth considering, which
they will give out Both sides have made
a complete poll of the district. and both
polls show small majorities for tire sides
making them. The past week has been one
of the hardest kind of work. Both Dovener
and Howard have spoken twice at least
every day, and several days, have made
speeches morning, afternoon, and evening.
There have also been numerous smaller
meetings In various parts of the district,
addressed by local speakers of reputation.
There have been no big guns from abroad
in the district this Week. The main work
of the closing week has been done by the
smaller workers; the ward men, and coun-
try politicians, who have been making the
still hunt, which has been popular with
both sides. The A. p. "A. movement has
been charged with taking an active part
in the latter part of the canvass, but both
sides deny having any sympathy with The
organ ization or it's methods. If there Is
any strength In the A. p. A. vote, Dovener,
the republican candidate, will get 1t, for
Howard is a Catholic, but Dovener has de-
clared on the stump that he would rather
be defeated than elected by that element.
The democratic majority in this district at
the last election, was 1885, so that a very
slight change will seat a republican in the
next Congress.
Mr.. Wilson's District.
In the second district, the contest between
Dayton and Wilson has continued to wear
the same features that it did earlier in the
campaign. The democrats have had big
meetings almost every day, and so far as
outward show goes, they have very decided
ly the best of it. The past week has seen
a very general increase in the number of
big republican meetings also. and they
seem TO have put off till the last week the
doing of most of their public work. There
have been forty-seven democratic speeches
made in the district the past week, and all
of them by people of more or less promin
ence and ability. The republicans have had
fourteen meetings., all of them well arrang-
ed, and well attended. Mr.. Elkins has
shown his ability TO get up big demonstra-
lions, and has proven that he preferred the
still hunt to the fireworks parade. The diff
ference in the styles of campaigns conduct
ed by the two parties makes 1t almost i'm
possible to predict which has the better of
It, While the democrats have made their
fight along the line of big demonstra lions,
there nave been no republican demonstra-
lions to which they can be compared. Also.
since the democrats have done very little
man-to-man work, they are not in a posi-
ton to show how many men have been won
away from them by the private arguments
and literary treats, such as the republicans
have given them. Col. John Il. McGraw,
the democratic chairman, and one of the
most astute politicians in the country, de-
clareS that his party knows how every man
in the district Is going to VOTE and that
Wilson will have at least 1000 majority.
On the other hand, Mr.. Elkins, who Is
leading Dayton's campaign, says that his
man will have small majority, but still
enough to elect him comfortably, and so
safely that even a close democratic Con-
gross will not dare try to GUST him. The
democratic meetings at Fairmont and Graf
ten to close the campaign were the largest
ever held in the state, and drew together a
ma jority Of all the democratic voters in the
district. A conservative estimate gives
txrttt @l.Ll
one-half what he had two years ago. This
will be very creditable, for he has had
forces to contend with which were never
presented in a campaign in the second dis
trict.
Anderson Well in the Lead.
In the third district the past weeks work
has put Anderson, the democratic candidate,
further in advance of his republican oppo-
nent, James l.. Huling. Huling's campaign
was started with blare of trumpets, and
for three weeks made splendid progress
The fight was not made exactly on the
level a pugilist would say, and the re-
suits of the discovery and publication by
the democrats of several shady schemes
have been very derogatory to Huling's
chances. One Of these, q plan to buy popu-
lists of republican tendencies to work on -.
democratic populists, and keep them in
line, has lost Huling 500 votes. The repub-
lican headquarters have been about as good
as closed for three days, and nothing has
been publicly done. few stumpers are
still in the field, but the democrats have all
the best Of 1t, and Huling will not save
much from the wreck. The normal demo-
cratic majority is over 1000, and Anderson
will have that many, If not more, in spite
of the hard times in his district, and the
excellent opportunity for the preaching of
the doctrine of calamity, and charging it to
the democrats, which the republicans Of
this district have been doing with consider
able effect.
In the fourth district Judge Thos Harvey
and Warren Miller. the democratic and re
publican candidates, respectively, are both
gentlemen In every sense of the word
and throughout the campaign neither has,
SO far as the public knows, done anything
under the license of politics which was in
compatible with the dignity of gentleman
Neither has ed the other personally
and while the policies which they repre-
sent have been torn to pieces and de-
nounced, each has retained his respectful
attitude toward the other, and, no matter
which wins, there will be no hard feelings
The past week has been one of hard work.
both for the candidates and their support
ers Governor MacCorkle and Ex-Governor
Fleming and host of other men notable
in the state have been working night and
day for Harvey. Miller has not had as
eminent men on his staff. but he has had
more Of them and they have been able
to cover more ground. The fight closes
with neither side confident except for out
ward show. The democrats have made
poll which G alleged To show that the nIrn-