Evening star., 1896-08-05
SOUTH STILL SOLID
Republican Politicians Marking OF
States in That Section.
EFFECT OF ALABAMA'S ELECTION
Effort to Control the Middle and
Western States.
AN APPEAL TO PATRIOTISM

1t is related of Mr.. Blaine that. when a
candidate for President he was entertain
Ing one evening a favorite lieutenant of
MS and they fell to figuring on the proba-
bilities. Mr.. Blaine added up the electoral
votes OF the south and set the sum total
In the opposition column. The democrats
have that TO begin with he said
But, my dear sir" protested the lieu
tenant there is good deal of discomfort
In the south. and you personally very
popular down there. Wen get some OF
those votes"
NO, Sir. replied Mr.. Blaine I'VE won't
get one. know the south. There is some
oiscontent down there, and 1 have many
warm Trends among her representative
men. But this will not appear in the No
se""er returns. The south, as usual will
be counted for the democracy"
Marking on Southern States.
The resul- In Alabama gives point to this
story. TIL more experienced of the repub-
hcan politicians ar marking of the great
bulk OF the southern vote now as Mr.
Blaine did the whole of it in 1854 They
see that there is no show down there In
the border states of Maryland, Missouri
Tennessee and kentucky the situatio is a
little different. The Australian ballot, and
the natlve-born republican leadership. give
some hope Of republican success but
throughout the south proper where poli:i-
cal battles have for years engendered bit-
Ter personal divisions the prospect is that
the democracy, as usual, will carry the
day.
state result. But il was obtained pract.-
cahy on national lines Captain Johnston
obtained his nominate as a silver man
he ran against sound money man, and
h
as silver triumph. He will soon be in
stalled In office, and will of course use the
great influence OF his office to strength hen
the cause of silver in the state. Returns
quite as large as those now given out are
expected IN November. And Alabama
goes whera there are many republicans
ana sound money democrats, so are the
otner southern states expected to go.
Middle md Western States.
Marking off, then, all the southern states
but the four border states mentioned The
republicans come back 10 their old problem
OF the west and middle states. They were
once supreme there. Indiana is the only
exception. Whenever they have carried
tnat at all ii has been 10y small ma joritIes
But they have carried Illinois. Iowa, Michi-
gan, KANSAS and Nebra ska more than once
D sweeping irajorties. And so they are
carefully going over the more recent his
tory of those localities What has caused
the loss of republican prestige there? Sl-
yer alone? Or have other things entered
into the disaffection. And, if so what
other things? And how may the injury
best De repaired?
An Appeal 10 Patriotism.
A sentence In Mr.. Reeds speech, in which
he puts tins camp aign upon the plane f
patriotism, and several references of a like
nature in NJ. Mckinleys speeches. are
thought to afford a suggestion of import
ance. The west and the middle states are
full OF old soldiers. The rosters of the
Grand Army posts Out there are very large
and the spirit of these men on the question
or country has aiw avs wsen appealed 10
been high. Can the prese'r issue he cf-
fectirely presented to the.i in that light?
Can they be brought to see that duty calls
as imperatiyely TO them now as il did in
lSG1?
The Cry of Bloody Shirt.
If the campaign should take this turn
there will, of course, go up the cry of
bloody shirt" But the republicans viii
not be deferred by that Silver finds is
chief support in the south. and the south
they charge, is kept solid on what is dis
tinctls the war issue. So, as the repuhli-
cans see it, the bloody shirt liz already in
service in silver'S interests. Why not use
it also, they ask, for the benefit of sound
money?