Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-31
Not Yet Certain What the Election
Will Bring Forth.
APATHY IN THE COUNTRY DISTRICTS
PopuIists and Republicans Who
Decline to Fuse.
WHAT DEMOCRATS RELY ON
correspondence Of The Evening star.

The general vote in this state remains
doubtful. This is as true today as it was
two months ago. The effort of the repub-
licans and populists has been in the line of
making their fusion more thorough.
Especially during the past two weeks have
they applied themselves to this task. The
Intolerance Of the republicans who are taxi
ing part in the fusion movement towards
those who for a straight ticket Is be-
coming more marked daily. In a number
of cases republican straightouts have been
rudely treated and last Friday a colored
republican narrowly escaped mobbing. His
friends, to the number of 100 or more,
formed an escort, and said they would kill
any one who interfered with him.
The fact is that the republican and pop
ulist chairneh have issued orders to their
followers that there must be fusion in
this state and the republican national COM
mttee is backing the fusonists with all
it's power. A tremendous pressure has been
brought to bear upon the colored VOTE and
the newspaper the stump speaker, and the
preacher have taken part in this effort to
make the colored vote solid for fusion, and,
by the way, the colored preacher is a power
in politics. He breaches it from the pulpit,
gives notice of republican meetings, and
comments upon opposition candidates with
just as much zeal as he handles his text.
The colored church is to much greater
extent than most white people KNOW the
place of dissemination of politics.
Apathy among country democrats is the
thing that party mas to fear. 1t was the
boast of Chairman Butler of the populists
two months ago that mis- party had made
great gains in the rural districts, and that
these gains were at the expense of the
democrats. The populists really cut no
figure in the towns and their work has
been done almost entirely in the rural dis
tricts. The alliance has no doubt been
made as great a factor in this political
work this year as IL was two years ago,
though far less has been said about the
alliance. Chairman Butler, of course, has
a powerful leverage. he is the president
of the National Farmers Alliance.
What Democrats Rely On.
The democrats rely for their success upon
the lack of completeness of fusion. This is
the case in a nutshell. In some counties
there are straightout republican clubs, and
some counties have Endorsed straghtout
republicans In no counties have the pop
ulsts refused to irdorse any persons whom
their leaders have ordered them to support.
To show that fusion is not complete II Is
only necessary TO mention the fact that eX-
Congressman Buck Kitchen, who is one
of the leading populist campaisners, sWears
that he will not vote for the republicans on
the fusion ticket, and that eX-Congressman
John Nichols, republican, swears that he
will not vote for the populists on it, AS
soon as any republican sets himself against
fusion the cry is Immediately raised that he
has been purchased by the democrats
1t was the frank confession TO your cor
respondent three weeks ago of both the re-
publican and populist state chairmen that
they really did not know exactly who would
be on their tickets. The process of putting
on and taking off names on those tickets
has gone on steadily from that day to this.
For instance. ten days ago Thos. G Mllii-
KEN republican nominee for Congressman
in this district, was said TO nave WITH
drawn. He Indignantly denied this, and
said that Republican State Chairman Hol-
ton was trying to drag him down, but that
he would not come down at the bidding of
any one save his congressional committee.
Yet two or three days ago Chairman Hol-
ton sent out quite long circular letter
from Millken, in which the latter said that
after a careful review OF the whole situa-
ton, he had decided to withdraw. and
urged his followers to vote for Stroud, the
populist nominee The fusionists pulled
make Oscar Spears, republican nominee in
the third district, come down from the ticket.
Spears has just published card, in which he
swears most solemnly that he Will not re-
tire The republicans of one county-Cra-
ven-where they are nearly. all colored. on
Saturday Endorsed Spears action. Observ-
ant people have come to be very doubtful
as to what may be done by the fusionists;
for instance, Spears may come down at
moments notice.
Diycrting Democratic Votes.
The fusiohists are only keeping two can
didates in the field in those congressional
districts in which they think a double
ticket will hurt the democrats. In the sec
ond district they are thus keeping in DR..
Freeman, populist, in the belief that he
will draw votes away which would go to
Woodland, democrat If Cheatham, republi-
can were in the field alone.
The leading democratic paper in the state
virtually admits that Settle. republican
nominee for Congress in the fifth district.
will be reelected. There are good reasons
for believing that this is the truth.
1t seems reasonably sure that the demo-
Gratis will elect their state ticket by from
5000 to 10000 majority. and that they will
elect a majority of the legislature with
the senate much closer than the house.
To do these things they will have to work
with all their might until the closing Of
the polls and they will also have to poll
their full vote.
The fusion tickets were sent through the
mails and by express last Friday and
Saturday, about two weeks later than the
democrats sent out theirs. The populists
have their tickets, and so have the repub-
licans. but these bear the same names in
nearly all cases-the only exceptions being
as to few congressional candidates.
Walter A. Montgomery, who was put on
the fusion ticket as a nominee for asso-
ciate justice of the supreme court, accepts
the nomination in letter to the public.
He was virtually nominated a democrat,
at least he was put on the ticket in place
of Henry G. Common, who Is q democrat,
and who positively refused to accept the
nomination. Mr. Montgomery was asked
the direct question IL he was a democrat,
and replied that he thought he was, but
was Disguised with the leaders of that
party. He was spoken of a day so ago
by prominent populists as a liberal demo-
crat." The democrats deny his democracy.
The campaign increases in interest and in
effort day by day, yet the fact remains
that the amount of apathy is greater than
in past campaigns. The popullsts are in a
peculiarly angry and discontinued frame of
mind. In fact, a prominent democrat terms
the populsts party "the party of discon-
tent" A day or SO ago populist who
had sold his cotton went into bank to OBJ
tain the money on a check. He was ten
dered gold, but positively declined to ac-
cept IT. nor would he take silver coined
after Cleveland's Inauguration. This little
incident shows the obstinacy as well as
the folly Of populism The populists are
more bitter than ever before, and prouder
of their bitterness and of their enmity to-
ward all not in line with them. This ex-
plains why, in this state, the democrats
hate them now as much as they ever hated
the republicans in reconstruction days
Winding Up the Campaign.
Republican Chairman Holton remarked a
day ago that he would not issue any
mere circulars or addresses before the cleo
ton, but would confne himself to work.