Evening star., 1896-10-23
CAM PAIGN IN ALABAMA
Bryan's Majority Expected to Be Larger Than
Johnston's in August.
Regular Democrats Hope to Carry All
the Congressional Dis
tricts hut One.
Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

General Charles NJ. Shelley, state cam
paign chairman for the democrats. was
yesterday by The Star cor
respondent as to rhe situation as he was
able to see 1t. EIe WAS very sanguIpe Of
democratic success, and said that after a
careful canvass Of the state, through his
reports from county chairmen, he was
convinced tina. Bryan and Sewall will re-
ceive larger majority than did Governor
elect Johnston and the state democratic
ticket at the August state election, which
vas slightly over $500. General Shelley
says that from what he has been able to
gather the national democrats have not
made much Roadway, while the regular
party organization has received many re-
crrits from ainong the popuiists. He is
also reasonably ccrtlia Of the election Of
the democratic congressional candidates in
al but possibly one district. The doubtful
district, according to his calculations. is
the seventh. now represented by Congress-
man NJ. W. Howard, popuiist. w. I. Bull
loch, democrat, however, is making a
strong fight against Howard, and General
shelley regards that lac hls ii good show
to will. The seventh district Is a popu-
hist strongh oll. having siven a majority
Of something like 1000 for Howard in 1894,
but this majority was pulled down greatly
at the last state election.
Howard's Efforts to Win.
Howard is making strenuous efforts to
win his fight, but observant politicians
think that the odds are somewhat against
him. He has not the support of the re-
publ1caDs this time, as was the case two
years ago, the latter -having'a candidate
OF their own In the person Of James j.
Curtis. 1t was chiefly to help out Howard
that Tom Watson was induced to come
to Alabama for a couple of speeches this
week. Howard nominated Watson at the
national populfst convention in st. Louis,
and the Georgian naturally feels very kind
iy toward him. Watson also had an eye
to aiding DR.. G. b. Grove populist can
didate for Congress in the ninth district.
and also to put in a few words for the
middle-of-the-road electoral ticket. DR..
Groves friends think that the division Of
the democratic strength in the ninth dis
trict between Oscar W. Underwood. regu-
lar democrat, and DR.. Archibald Lawson,
national democrat. gives Grove a good
chance to win. This hope is based chiefly
on the large strength Of the sound money
element In the district, Who, 1t Is figured,
will withdraw from Underwood and go for
Lawson.
National Democrats Not BuOyant.
The national democrats. who had high
hopes for securing four or five congress
sional districts a short while back, are less
buoyant now. They say that they have
little money with which to conduct their
campaign, and consequently have not been
able to get a very strong organization or
to send out many speakers. They have al
most lost hope of carrying the ninth dis
trict. on which they were figuring, for this
reason. Their fight seems to have been
centered on the second district where
Thos. H. Clarke. speaker of the house of
Jesse F. Stallings, the regular nominee 1t
Is in the second, where Secretary Herbert
Is booked to make several speeches this
week most determined effort will be
made to pull Clarke through, but there
seems now to be but small hope for the
success of any of the other candidates of
the nationals. In the sixth district Bank
neads popularity, 1t is believed, can
scarceiy be overcome. while in the fourth.
where the regular republican nominee, II.
A. " 1son. withdrew in favor of Edmond
h., dryer. nominee of the nationals. the
1epubheans rep are not sticking up to Dryer
county only few days ago met and in
dorsed Thomas 8. Rlowman, nominee NJ
the regular democrats, which was a most
surprising occurrence. This seems to have
and 1t looks as If Dryer will not get many
01 their votes, but that they will be divided
between Plowman and Aldrich the latter
the boiling republican and non,,;st &C..
Lee. 0ii
Wheeler Has Easy Sailing.
In the eighth district it looks more than
ever as II General Joseph Wheeler, nomi-
zee OF the regular democrats, will have
easy sailing. The withdrawal of Day. the
pcpuilst candidate, has undoubtedly helped
MIN. Oscar r. Hundley, the republican n
candidate. will. it is believed. scarcely he
ao!e to poll any more than the usual re-
publican strength, while it is figured thar
Gereral Wheeler will get practically all the
populst votes The very fact that there
are Two sound money candidates in the dis
trict-Hundley, republican, and Callahan
HatlonaI democrat-reasonably assures Gen
Wheeiers triumph, SO his friends think.
In the fifth district the fight is close be-
l"sen congressman Goodwin, populist
and Col. Willis Brewer, regular demncrat
me actlon OF President Cleveland a few
days ago In removing Col Henry d. CLAW.
ION from the office of district attorney for
s,na sme middle district of Alabama for offen-
slVe partisanship. Clayton being the dem
ocratic nominee for Congress in the third
dlstrlct, will, SO Mr.. Clayton's friends
tninK, only strengthen his chances for elac-
.l'S .to.. IN 1act. they assert that it makes his
victory certain. However this NAV he Col
George L. Conner, the Candidate Of the ma
.ional democrats. is running CLAYTON a
lively race. "
Visit of Palmer and Buckner.
The visit of Gems Palmer and Ruckner
to Alabama, while it aroused considerable
enthusiasm for the time at Birmingham
and Montgomery, did not, SO conservative
politicians think, materially strengthen the
cause of the indianapolis ticket In this
state. At Mobile and in the extreme south.
ern part of the state no little displeasure
was manifested at the coming of the can.
oloates oy the ugly actions OF some of the
audiences they addressed. Even here in
birmingham, which has the reputation of
having the falrest people Of any City in the
state Wnen 1t comes to showing respectful
attention to political speakers of Ali
snaoes OF opinion, there was a decided sll-
yer sentiment running all through the
Palmer and Buckner meeting. 1t found
expression time and again in cries for
bryan and Interruptions of the speakers
and when the train ON which the Indianan.
Gus candidates were travelling pulled out of
the UNION depot here the last cries thai
greeted their ears were for Bryan.
Inc party lash ard the desire to he
regular has undoubtedly been effective
ouring the recent past in actually causing
uelec uons from the Palmer and Buckner
ranks. SO close observers think 1t is be-
l1eved, however, that the sound money
democratic ticket will poll at least ten or
h1teen thousand votes in the state, As
there is now no chance for the co-opera-
uon OF the republican and democratic
sound money forces on one electoral ticket
any possibility of carrying the state
against Bryan is gone. AS for the middle
of-the.road populists. 1t would appear that
detectlons from their ranks to the Bryan
ana SeWaH ticket will be large. 1t is NOT
improbable that even with loss of ten or
h1teen thousand sound money democratic
votes Bryan and Sewan will receive a ma
Jority Of forty-five or fifty thousand in the
state. - o
hHR