Evening star., 1896-10-01
F U SION IN INDIANA
It May Result in Giving the Combine the
Legislature.
Not Likely to Hurt Mckinley In the
State-Republicans Conscious
of the Danger.
Correspondence of The Evening Star.

AA>bifANAIoLlS, september los,o-
1t is to be fusion at last. After thou
sand or more protestations by both parties
that they could not and would not yield.
both have yielded. and now the democrats
and populists will sail for a while in the
same boat. each one trying to hold the rud-
der. Two years ago the democrats polIed
2SS.0O0 votes and the populists 29.0O9. Each
party has a full state ticket in the field.
and as the price Of fusion the democrats
demanded that the populists withdraw
their state ticket. and in return offered
them two places on the electoral ticket.
The populists rejected this proposition with
the most intense scorn. and the wrangline
began. The democrats declared they would
give nothing more than the two electoral
places, and the populists declared by the
beard of the great prophet-Peffer-tha
they would accept of nothing less than
seven. The middle-of-the-road fellows de-
ciared that they were In the middle of the
highway, and there they would march until
the crack Of doom; that they would never
let the democrats swallow their party in
ina. KIND OF style' they We're fighting the
pattle OF the people, and that the demo-
crats were trying to steal their capital and
10 swallow their party, and they would
have none of ii.
The Terms of Fusion.
AT first the democrats did not seem anx-
ious to trade. They affected a lofty virtue
and declared that they had votes and to
spare; and while they were willing to ac-
cept of populistic ballots, they would not
purchase them at the sacrifice of party
But time came when lofty virtue would
not save them. when ballots We're of the
hrst importance. and they began to mel
low The division in their own ranks was
becoming SO broad that they begar to look
around TO see II there was not something
they could save out of the wreck that was
impending, and then they got anxious very
anxious, for votes no matter whence they
came or the price demanded.
United States Senator was to be elect
ed, and they saw chance TO save that
much, even should the state go Tor dc
hlnIey, but even that chance would slin
away from them unless they could GET
populistic help. so an offer was made If
hVe electoral candidates in exchange for
fusion in the legislative districts After
more Wransling this offer has be IN practi-
caliy accepted. To Mckinley or the reYuD-
mean state ticket there is no danger in this
fusion, but there is danger to republican
control or The general assembly. And
right mere is another evidence of how :.
party can cut It's own nose Off, when try
ing 10 dlsnSure an opponent In 1S.D the
democrats redIstricted the state for legis-
iatlVe purposes, and as a party rule IN
this state took for themselves the best end
CT the string. In the great revolution of
Il,
two-thirds Of the members of the lcsisla-
ture. Not satisfied with their success they
VI dertook to make gerrymander in their
own interests. 1t was foolish move un-
called for, but IL was temptation they
could not resist The Supreme Court over
threw their gecrymander, and to have a
revenge the republicans attacked the law
OF 1888. and it was also overturned. This
left IN force the law OF 1885, which gave
the democrats a dead sure thing, the only
drawback being the large republican ma
)ority OF hoiu-oyer senators elected two
years ago.
An Eye on Voorhees, Seat.
Since his defeat at Chicago Gov. Mat
thews has set his eye on the seat now oc-
cupied by Mr.. Voorhees,, and as the party
machinery is controlled by his friends he
has brought about the fusion with but the
one aim, that Of securing The legislature.
On the legislative ticket the fusion has
already been carried out II. about thirty
Of the districts, and with remarkable fore
sight close districts have been chosen for
the fusion, districts where the combined
votes of the democrats and populists equal
or exceed that of the republicans Sc e,a-
tors are to be chosen in twenty-five dis
trlcts, and at the opening Of the campaign
the republicans confidently claimed they
would succeed in fifteen of them, thus Civ
ing them thirty-four out of the fifty mem
oers. They also claimed they would be
able to elect at least sixty Of the one hun
dred members Of the house. They still ex-
press confidence in controlling the election
OF Senator, but are making no claims as
to majority. 1t is easy to see that tl.ey
are rot well pleased at the outlook If the
counties would vote a5 they did two years
ago the republicans would be easy winners,
put there is the rub. The complexion of
the next Senate may derend on Indiana $
vote, and this makes 1t much more import
ant. Up to within the last few days the
republican managers have paid but little
attention to the legislative ticket, bending
everything to carrying the state for Nc
hiHley, and this neglect of very import
ant duty may cost the republicans the con-
troll Of the next Senate. They have become
conscious of the danger and now are max
ing desperate efforts to make up for the
time Lest - -