Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-31
Chairman Baboock Says Wisconsin
is Surely Republican.
CLAIMS The NEXT HOUSE
Sarcastic Over Mr.. Faulkner's Ante.
Election Prophecies.
IN DIFFERENT DISTRICT S

| Congressman Babcock, chairman of the
republican congressional committee, return
| ed to the city last night from Wisconsin,
where he went about ten days ago to look
after his own campaign. On being relieved
| from his temporary charge of the commit
tee Vice Chairman Apsley, who has had
| hold Of the reins during Mr. Babcock's alb
| sencS, left this afternoon for Massachu-
sets. Before going he said that he had no
| doubt about carrying his own district by
over 5000 plurality.
| Mr.. Babcock did not express any marked
agitation when the statement and claim Of
Senator Faulkner, chairman Of the demo-
cratic committee, printed in last evening 3
| Star, with reference to Wisconsin, was
given him. On the contrary, the Wisconsin
Representative smiled broadly and said:
1T is a novelty to come away from home
| to learn news from there. That is news
| indeed, that the democrats are going to
| carry the state ticket and a majority of the
| delegation. II Mr.. Faulkner's information
| on general matters Is no better than that
| from Wisconsin upon which he based his
claim, then his campaign must indeed be
wholly hopeless If l were not certain that
| this claim is a great bluff should think it
| huge joke, directed at me, for my return
was anticipated. / cannot understand how
Mr.. Faulkner should have been so badly
| misled in his estimate about the state
| ticket. There is no confidence among the
democrats Of the state. and even the chair
man OF the democratic state committee,
Boss" WALL who owns the democratic
part Of Wisconsin, has practically given up
| the fight. Just before l left l heard that
| the best he could do toward keeping up
| front was to bet 81 900 that the republican
| state ticket would Tot be elected by more
| than 2O,OOO majority.
Rosy Prophecies.
"As to the congressional fight, I cannot
say anything stronger than that the fight
| Is in better shape this year than 1 ever
knew 1t to be before. We shall have more
than a majority of the seats from that
state. l never saw such activity among
| the republicans and the anti-administration
people. Where there is any activity what
| ever among the democrats it is over the
burning question Of whether to vote at
| all or to vote the republican ticket. AS a
| matter Of fact, there is the most hopeless
| Indifference among the members of that
party. There Is little or no populist senti-
| ment In the rural part of the state. Gu
riohsly enough. l found it to be concen-
trated in the large cities and towns like
Milwaukee and Racine, where the populist
tickets are being supported by the old labor
voters, the disgruntled people and the
greenbackers They draw four democrats
to one republican The Germans, who are
great power in my state are breaking
over to the republicans in all quarters.
1t is almost stampede. One German club
sistently voted the democratic ticket has
declared almost in body for the republi-
can state ticket and the republican Con-
gressmen. One hundred and fifty-four of
the members so voted the other night max
ing total gain in one quarter alone of
over 300 votes. The Germans are advo-
Gates OF honest money and they are losing
no opportunities to declare for the repub-
lfcan party the best exponent of that
principle. Hitherto the German vote has
generally been heavily against us, and the
fact that 1t Is going to be almost solidly
ours this year is another fact to convince
me that this will be a republican year in
Wisconsin There is no especial dissatis.
faction on the part Of the people against
didate for third term, but he is not so
popular in some parts as it has been repre-
sented that he is. Then, too, there have
been some very hard times in the state
during the past year or two, and the people
want a change.
LAS an indication of the sentiment, 1
want to tell you how enthusiastic the
voters have been in getting out to listen to
the speakers. There was not meeting
that held that was not crowded to the
doors. Then, too, they would stay until the
last word had been said, standing, many of
them, in the aisles, for two hours and
sometimes for three, eager for more infor-
nation. They would hardly permit us to
stop to take breath, but would call out:
Go on! Give us more talk like that
Congressional Claims.
THAT is sample of what Mr.. Faulkner
claims to be democratic territory. 1t is cne
of the surest republican states in the coun-
try, and l hope, for his sake, that he has
better Information about Indiana and Him
ois and West Virginia than he has about
Wisconsin. When 1 went away made an
estimate, based upon the most reliable in
formation at hand, that the republicans
would have 100 seats in the Fifty-fourth
Congress l have been gone, as you see
over ten days, and so there has been time
for the estimate to have tested itself.
have just got through reading the accumu-
lations of mail and reports received during
my absence, and hearing what Mr.. Apsley
has had to tell me Of his turn at the wheel,
and l can see no reason to change my
statement in one particular, with this pos
sible exception: The latest returns show
that districts that were considered as hope
lessly democratic when l left Washington
are now felt to be probably republican, and
districts where we felt we had a fighting
chance are now almost certainly republican.
There las been no diminution in the
trend toward our success, and the 'republi-
can wave instead of receding, is growing
higher every day. There Is going TO be a
big surprise in Virginia. We are sure to
make inroads there. AS to New York there
is nothing further to say. Mr.. Faulkner
is Simply keeping up his bluff when he
says that the democrats are in real danger
in only one district in Brooklyn and one
in New York, and that they will carry the
Elmira district. We have advices this
morning from Mr.. Gillet, who now repre-
sents the Elmira district, to the effect that
he will surely be elected. There is going
to be a break in the city delegations, and
the state is ours
Scattered Districts.
A letter was received at the republican
headquarters this morning from Gen. Cogs-
we'll, the representative from, and republi-
can nominee in the sixth Massachusetts,
district, saying that he is now practically
recovered from his recent severe illness,
which has prevented his active participa-
ton in the campaign, and that he hoped to
be out on election day in order to cast his
vote.
Mr. P H. McCaull, the republican candi-
date in the eighth Virginia district, which
includes Alexandria, was at headquarters
this lnorning, full of confidence and hope
He is to address a large meeting at the
Opera House in Alexandria tonight, and
If he carries out his promises he will make
things very interesting. Mr. Meredith the
democratic candidate in that district, was
recently quoted saying at democratic
headquarters that 1t was pure presumption
for McCaull to attempt to come to Con-
gress from the district that has been repre-