Evening star., 1896-09-11
The State Committee Said to Have
Committed Blunders.
M'KINlEY MAY GET TIE VOTE
All Now Appears to Be in Confu-
sion and Uncertainty.
THE GOVERNORSHIP FIGHT


was any doubt that the democrats would
carry the state, but today Tennessee Is de-
batable ground. This is all due to fool
hardy leaders who run roughshod over
democrats who differ from them and make
futile Efforts to conciliate populists. Your
correspondent has already written fully of
the situa ton In the congressional districts
and the dissensions among democrats in
four of these districts. These dissensions
have now been traEsplanted into general
state politics, until it Is extremely doubtful
whether the next governor of Tennessee
will be democrat. and whether the elec-
toral vote Of the state will go to Bryan.
Meddling of the State Committee.
When the democratic state committee
was reorganized several months ago J. M.
Coleman, a country magistrate Of this
county, WAS made chairman. F1attered,
possibly, by his elevation to this position.
the squire has come to the conclusion that
the democratic party rests exclusively upon
his shoulders. Accordingly he has blunder-
ed into everything. He has peremptorily
summoned congressional contestants be-
to decide who was and who WAS not the
nominee OF a particular district He has
been particularly meddlesome in this dis
trict, where Josiah Patterson has been
w. Carmack was selected by a convention
called by q self-cOnstituted executive COM
mittee. 1t Is. OF course, thoroughly under
stood that the state committee has no more
business interfering in a congressional con-
test than 1t would rave in a county elec-
ton. The reason Of its being ia to further
the fortunes of the nominees for state Of
hces- But be that as 1t may, Carmack and
Patterson were called before 1t. OF course
1t was brace game. The committee Is
made up entirely Of silver men, and these
people have longed for the scalp Of Pat
terson with a deep and hungry yearn.
Patterson's friends, the regular congress
slonal committee, paid no attention to the
state committee. but Carmack and his COM
mlttee were present and decision was rem
dered In their favor. Now Josiah Patter-
sen will probably carry Memphis by a piu-
rality OF 5000. and his friends are so angry
with the state committee that they viii
give Bob Taylor the cross of gold Wher-
ever the state committee has meddled II
has sown trouble for the state ticket And
1t has aroused democratic disgust in an
other way. The democratic presidential
electors were regularly nominated by the
democrats Of the state some time ago.
There is no authority to discharge any OF
them and fill their places with populists
except through another democratic con-
yer ton, Ior has the democracy Of Ten
ne ssee ever conferred upon the state com
mittee any authority to negotiate a fusion
But the irrepressible squire who is at the
head OF the committee wrote to a COM
mittee OF populists the other day offering
to scratch four of the regular democratic
electors from the ticket and fill their places
with populists. This unauthorized sacri-
fce of Sewall has been denounced by near
ly all the democratic dailies of the state,
and Chairman Coleman is perhaps the
most discredited politician in Tennessee
II the republicans can manage to have
the democrats retain him they will have
out little trouble in carrying the state.
Democratic Gnbernntorial Candidate.
The demo cratic candidate for governor Is
Ex-Governor Robert L. Taylor who Is one
OF the NEST effective stumpers in the south
He Is an eloquent. nappy-go-lucky fellow,
who always puts crowd in a good humor
he was nominated for this purpose, as the
de mocracy of Tennessee had been in a very
bad humor for some time Bob TayIor
Is mountain product. and it is popularity
supposed that he wins the fugacious voter
"nn wonderfully persuasive fiddle as
ever seen that fiddle or heard him pIay on
1t. and 1t Is probable that it is as much Of
a myth as the Tyre Of Orpheus. He has
Deen governor before, and 1t cannot be said
that lie makes good one. He has but
little executive ability, Is easily pulled
one way or another. and is rather Inclined
20 be monkey, but he certainly can car
tCre crowd.
His Republican Opponent. e..
His opponent, the republican nominee. ia
Mr.. G. N. Tillman Of Nashville, who is re.
lated by marriage with Congressman Josenh
E. Washington. Mr.. Tillman is an able
lawyer, and a vivid contrast of Bob Taylor
He Is man Of dignity and high social DO
sit1on. and he will canvass the state in q
serious and sensible way. If elected there
Is no reason to suppose that he will not
make an excellent governor. His nomina-
ton left some heartaches with other renuh
lcan leaders who aspired to the honor, but
vote.
The POpulist Nominee.
The populist nominee Is Prof. a. L. Minis.
a scholarly and reputable man, who entoys
the respect Of all parties. AS there will he
no fusion between the populists and the
eemocrats, owing to the failure of the nego-
Gatlons started by the state democratic
committee. and as the spirit in which the
negotiations have been conducted by the
democratic chairman has greatly irritated
the bewhiskered cohorts they will poII their
full strength for Bryan, and they will nut
out ticket Of presidential electors. The
popullsts OF tennessee can cast a vote of
$4,000 any day in the year, and 1t is safe to
say they Will cast 1t In November
The Recent Election.
In the recent election Of judges of the
court OF chancery appeals the populists had
10 candidates, and in view of the fact that
free silver and the republicans for the gold
standard. 1t is calculated with considerable
show OF reason that the popuiists voted
pretty generally for the democratic nomi-
nees. In that election the democrats cast
l41.OOo votes and the republicans 115OOO in
round numbers The republicans were only
mildly interested in this election, and IT ia
safe to say that they will in November cast
fully 12oOOO votes, and that they will re-
ceive from 1000 to 5000 democratic votes
1t would not be at all unreasonable, in view
OF the disturbed conditions now prevailing.
to estimate the vote for the republican,
ticket in November at 10000. The demo-
Gratis and the populiSts together will proba
biy cast 15O,0OO votes. 1t Is hardly possible
for Minis to get less than 10000 votes and
that would give Taylor 10000. AS to the
presidential election, the 15O,OOO votes would
probably be divided up as follows: The
populist electors. 25,OOO: Palmer and Buck
ner. 10000; Mckinley, perhaps, 5000. and
Bryan and Sewall, 10000.
The Mckinley Democratic Vote.
The Mckinley democratic vote is rather
hard to estimate since the Indianapolis
convention. but there are good mauy cit
izens Of Memphis who are going to take
the cross-cut and vote for Mckinley. A
young business man told The Star corre-
spondent recently that in the block where
ne lived there were nine Of ten democrats
VINO would vote for Mckinley, and he said
that he had learned that the same disposi