Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-07-24
Confident Claims Of Managers Hardly
Justified.
State PRIDE MAY Save BRYAN
Virginia is Mixed on the Congress
sionaI Fight.
NDID ATES ARE SHY
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Douy Is now Ugurln8 on Wnetner Mr.. Bryan
will be able to carry his own state. and the
| figuring is done on data that Is shifting
and uncertain. Political conditions for
years past have been too mixed to afford a
| definite basis of calculation. With many
| republican leaders in Nebraska until recent
| ly supporters of free silver and with Secre-
| tary Morton's following of gold democrats,
| pointing to their record of consistent opposi-
| ton to silver, the situation does not become
| clearer.
| Enthusiastic friends of Mr.. Bryan have
asserted that the state was carried the day
| the Chicago convention nominated. Parti-
| sans Of Major Mckinley have declared
\ that just soon as the major makes few
| speeches they will be able to count up q
| 10000 majority. Actual conditions justify
| neither assertion. Nebraska is doubtful
| state, and seems likely to remain so until
| election day. For six years the republican
| and populist parties have warred on even
terms with the democrats, usually fusing
with the populists. Governor Holcomb is a
| populist chosen In 1894. when the republican
TIDAL wave In Nebraska, as in other parts
OF the country. was at its height. Probably
| he would not have won had not Editor
Rosewater and some of the republican
county newspapers opposed their own par
tvs candidate, but the populist vote was q
large one for other candidates on the ticket.
Bases of Calculation.
In 1902 the presidential vote in Nebraska
was as follows: Harrison. s7.21S; Weaver,
S,134; Cleveland, 24,943. Bryan's friends
insist that these figures are the only basis
on which calculations for the presidential
election In 1896 can be made. Bryan was
then In Congress and was supporting
Cleveland. Tariff was paramount and the
democrats were not so badly split up on
the money question. If President Cleveland
were a candidate this year no one imagines
that he could poll 250OO votes.
In 1894 the vote for governor was: Hol-
comb. peoples and fusion democrat. 97,sl5;
Majors. republican, p,613; Sturteva ant,
straight democrat. $685..
The split between the administration
SOUND money wing, led by Secretary Nor
ton. and the silverites under Mr.. Bryan S
leadership, was irreconcilabe in 1898 when
supreme judge and regents of the state
university were chosen. In that year Nor
val, the republican candidate, received 10 =
lo6 votes; Maxwell, independent and pep
pies, 1906; Mahony, regular democrat,
1886; Phelps, free silver democrat, 1O21i.
This would seem to show that the sound
money democrats outnumbered the free sill
Yer ones. but the explanation is made that
under the Australian, ballot law they sue
ceeded in getting their candidate on the
ticket as the regular democratic nominee,
and he received the votes of many who
thought they were voting for free silver
democrat. Nevertheless the disposition is
10 credit the strength of the sound money
democrats IN the neishborhood Of 1900.
Not all Of them are expected to bolt Bryan.
Some will vote for Mckinley. while more
are likely to refrain from voting. The pro-
ject of a gold ticket meets with little favor.
Populists Solid for Bryan.
Under the present circumstances it is
| safe to count the populist vote solidly for
Bryan. All his movements for a year past
led up to them. They looked upon his nom
ination at Chicago as their own triumph.
Nothing can happen which will turn these
Nebraska populists away from Bryan. With
the addition Of the free silver democrats
he will thus have a substantial support at
the beginning. The populist-democratc
party may fairly be said to start nearly
even with tie republicans in the presiden-
tial race How much will state pride and
personal popularity do for Mr.. Bryan?
State Pride as II Factor.
There is no questioning that members of
all parties are pleased to have the presi-
Dental nomination come west Of the Mis-
souri,. Nor can there be any doubt about
the esteem in which Mr.. Bryan is held by
his neighbors. He will get the votes Of
republican friends On personal grounds yet
| the number Of these is not likely to be
large enough to affect the general result
kinney has always been favorite with
Nebraska republicans. His popularity
dates back to 1883. They were aggressively
for his nomination, and their feeling of
personal loyalty has not been chilled since
his selection as the republican standard
bearer.
The issue will be settled in Nebraska on
the platforms If Mr. Bryan carries his
own state it will be because a majority of
Its citizens believe in the policies for which
he stands. This becomes palmer every day
and in the speeches which he makes the
candidate himself emphasizes 1t. Theoret-
icaliy there is a free silver majority in
Nebraska. With all the populists for
1t, many democrats and a goodly
number of republicans having gone
ON record. no other conclusion can be
| reached. But as a matter of practical pol
tics another phase is presented. The re-
publican national platform having declared
against free coinage and in favor Of main
tanning the existing gold standard, the re-
publican leaders in the state " ere shaping
their campaign to that end, though at some
sacrifice for consistency by many of them.
Bryan,s nomination took them by sur
lrise. and they are yet a little dazed. Bat
their plans will not be changed. Though
Senator Thurston has to meet silver speech
| es delivered by himself when he goes on
the stump. he will do SO.
The Issue to Be Met Squarely.
The masses of the party have not yet
| been swept away. The country press,
while having much to say on the tariff,
| recognizes that in Bryans candidacy the
Tree Silver ISSUE unuSt De met SQu6rely, and,
| as rule. Is doing so. 1t Is not unusual to
| hear republicans declare they intend 10
| support Mckinley on the gold platform,
Notwithstanding that they formerly held
views at variance with the financial part
| of that platform. Against these must be
| placed republicans who are talking Bryan
| and free silver. They are not numerous.
but they do exist. 1t is necessary to take
| their statements with caution In trying to
get at the silver republican VOTE because
many Of those who declare themselves as
| republican supporters of Bryan have not
affiliated with the party for years. Seventy
| five per cent Of the populists are said to be
| of republican antecedents. This Is prob
| ably true. Secretary Morton and his fell
| low democrats in Nebraska for many years
! formed a select and lonesome party. When
| the republican party began to be unwieldy
| from the size Of its majority few of the
men who went out of 1t became democrats
| Most Of them Joined the third party
The Antecedents of Boilers.
Now. whenever a republican IL quoted
| as coming out for Bryan it is necessary
| to ask whether he voted for Harrison in
| 1892 or for the candidate for supreme Judge
last year to determine whether he should
not properly be classed with the peoples
party instead Of with the recent converts.
| On investigation fair proportion have
| to be set down as outside the recent con-