Evening star., 1896-10-30
he Estimates McKinley's Majority in
Chicago at $4,000 at Least.
SO-CALLED DOUBTFUL STATES CLAIMED
He Says Every One in the List is
Perfectly Safe.
WHATTHE REPORTS INDICATE
Special Fiom q Staff Correspondent.

Special From q STAFF Correspondent.
| CHICAGO, ILL.,, October 3O.-The republi-
| can national committee is much better sup
piled with figures than are the democrats
III the claims of Chairman Hanna based
| on these figures. are right, McKinleys cleo
tion will be a landslide, not a mere victory.
II these claims are put out for the influence
| they may have on the vavering votes who
| want to be on the winning side they are
not scientific. There is too much I'm them
| that will not be accepted on a mere decla-
| ration Mr.. Hanna strikes ore as alto
sether too shrewd a man to make this mis-
take. III ne were putting out a claim mere
ly TO influence votes, he could easily make
| a more conservative claim that would be
| more impressive. He understands this well
| er orgh 1 am led TO the belief, therefore,
that he is not clustering, but is submit
| ting his honest conclusion, drawn from a
study of The reports before him. This i'm
preston is strengthened by talking with
him. He has great faith in the vote of the
gold democrats, and therefore thinks it is
not weak credulity to believe reports which
give Mckinley certain democratic states
| He has faith I'm his own methods. and
where he has done certain things to stop
the silver tide in the doubtful republican
| states, he believes the reports which say
| that the result is satisfactory. He is a man
| who is not alarmed at big figures. He is
| used to large transactions.
When i'm summing up all his information
| he finds result far beyond common ex-
pectations, he is not led by the largeness Of
the result to doubt its accuracy. Ii his
| figures give him Missouri, Tennessee or
North Carolina, he is not afraid to trust
to them.
Prospects I'm Illinois.
He estimates McKinley's plurality in Ili-
| nois at between 100000 and 10000. He
said that the plurality in Chicago would
| rot fall below 1900
| 1 asked if the vote in this city that could
not oe ascertained was not unusually large.
| He had just said that this method OF ascer-
| tanning the vote was near perfect as
possible, and expected him to answer my
Question in the negative.
But he did not he said: Yes Il is unu-
| sually large. There is an element of sullen
| malcontents, who have made a failure in
! life and are not satisfied with their condi-
| ton. They maintain silence. I'll give them
| all to Bryan; I'll give him 75,0oV of them
and still Mckinley will carry the city by
| 10000 They all the votes Bryan Will
get"
This ar swer gives a good idea of the sort
| Of man Mr.. Hanna is and of his way of
| looking at things.
L asked If there was not a very uncertain
| situation in Michigan, and he replied that
| there had been, but that the national COM
| mittee had taken hold, and that now the
state was safely within the Mckinley coll
| umn. So on through all the so-caled doubt
full states he acknowledged where there
had been weakness but there was not one
III the list that he did not claim as perfect
| ly safe.
This was not formal interview. but a
/ general conversation, running loosely over
| the political situation. 1t is only because
| what he said was in no way inconsistent
| with his former statements that L feel
| free to qGote him.
The following claim of Mckinley plurali-
| ties, based en- republican reports, is pub
! lished this morning:
Mckinley Pluralitfes.
| New York.. 100000
| Maryland 2o,pJ
| West ia.............-..-.......... 11.0D0
ONO ......-.................-... lVo,ND
| lfuldna G3.tpD
| Michigan -.......................... 10000
! Iowa ..--.-..................... 10000
| minnesota l5,vc0
4 South Dakota. 5000
| Kansas -....-.-..-..-------.-..--.- S,ob
NepraSka ---....-...---.....--...-..... lS,oW
| But Missouri, Tennessee and kentucky
might have been added TO it on the same
| authority.
Reports from Missouri indicate serious
| situation for the democrats.
| What seems to be most trustworthy in
| formation shows the gold democratic or
| ganization TO be strong, and their vote
heavy, and indicates that If il were not for
| the republican silver vote which is particu-
1 h.
border. the state might go for Mckinley.
Other Western States.
Outside the republican headquarters /
cannot find satisfactory warrant for the
claim by the republican committee of Ne
| braska and Kansas. The general opinion,
not confined to democrats, is that these two
| states are pretty safe for Bryan, and there
are strong indications supporting this opin-
| ion.
| No one around democratic headquarters,
except Mr.. Walsh claims Iowa. The re-
ports they get claim the state very posi-
| lively, as do those from Wisconsin; but it
| is evident that Chairman Jones rejects the
| claims as too improbable, yet there are
| certain marked indications that it is to he
| not utterly improbable that Iowa will go
| for Bryan. The republican committee have
| undoubtedly had reasons to fear il, and
| from republican sources comes Information
| favorable to Bryan in that state.
One indication of the strength of silver is
| in the claim of the Missouri republicans
| that if it were not for the strong silver SEM
| timent stopping over the border from Iowa,
| Missouri would surely go for Mckinley.
| One Missouri republican said to me: "A
| bucket must be very full that runs over at
| the edges"
Illinois is apparently not close, but doubt
| full on account of the uncertainty as to how
4 certain classes of votes will be cast.
| Indications Favor Mckinley.
The democrats of the state claim it and
| those of the national committee are more
| nc opeful but the surface indications are
| st'n favorable to Mckinley.
The undercurrent is apparently not run
| ming altogether according to surface indi-
cations, but it is idle speculation to talk
| about what is goirg on where you cannot
| see.
] Bryans swing through the city has, be-