Evening star., 1896-10-29
CLOSING Week Or THE CAMPAIGN. =
CHANGES IN INDIANA
They Are Particularly In Reference to the
Congressional Delegation.
In One District They Favor the He.
publicans, in Another tho
Democrats,

Correspondence Of the Evening STAR
INDIANAPOLIS, October q, 1896.
The last forty-eight hours have made
some changes In the political situation,
especially az to the congressional delega-
tion. In the first district the changes are
favorable to the republicans, and in the
fourth to the democrats. Every effort Of
the democrats to secure fusion with the
populists have failed in the first district,
and the candidate Of the populists is max
Ing an aggressive fight against Duncan,
the Bryan candidate. The popuIist vote in
the district two years ago amounted to
about $500. The republican plurality in
the district was 2,2OO. A fusion between
the two opposing parties would make 1t a
doubtful road for the republican candidate,
and the republicans have been watching
the enorts to secure fusion with a good
deal Of interest. The populist candidate,
Rev. Josephus Lee. has just issued circu-
lar letter. declaring that under no circum-
stances will he withdraw, and this Is ac-
companied by a circular letter from the
chairman of the populist committee urging
the populists to stand by Mr.. Lee. Two
years ago Mr.. Duncan, the democratic can
didate. was chairman Of the party commit
tee In Gibson county, and 1t Is charged
that he was then sound money man. and
MADE speeches against free silver, and that
ne was the author Of the democratic plat
form adopted by the county convention,
IN which one plank severely denounces the
populists as anarchists. and declares that
the success of their principles would end in
national ruin. All this has tended to anger
the populists Of the district and it is be-
lieved that many of them will even refuse
10 support the fusion electoral ticket 1t ts
deemed certain that none of them will vote
for Duncan
"oeh"ay's Election Almost Ger.
Th1s not only puts the election Of Mr.
Hemmenway among the possibilities, but
makes 1t almost certain. With the excep-
ton OF Evansville, the district is entirely
agricultural, and the democrats have been
expecting to make large gains: but the
latest information from the various coun-
ties fs to the effect that the republicans are
standing pretty steadfastly to Mckinley,
and but few advocates of free silver are
found among them. Vanderburg is the
largest county in the district, and two years
ago the populists polled 1,4SO votes. The
democrats have been expecting that this
large vote would be cast for Bryan. and
that through Its aid the republican plural
ity OF two years ago would be cut down to
200. On the other hand 1t Is claimed that
the county contains not less than 800 sound
money democrats, of whom at least TOO will
vote for Mckinley. AS the German vote
Is very large in the county and as they are
neatly unanimous for sound money, the
calculations Of the republicans may not be
out OF the way. State Treasurer Scholz
lives IN that county. and asserts that, in
stead OF losing. the republican plurality in
the county would be increased at least 300
Mr.. kercheval. the member Of the state
committee from the district is not quite so
sangufne. but says Mckinley will have at
least 1,2OO in the county, even If all the
PC pulists vote the fusion electoral ticket
He ais" says that Mckinley will make
substantial gains in the other counties of
ha hyrt
enough to offset entirely the combined vote
of democrats and populists. but that Mr..
Hemmenway will be elected beyond ques-
ton.
Judge HOlman's Chances Increasing.
In the fourth district the persuasions of
the democrats have prevailed and the pop
ulist candidate for Congress has been
withdrawn in favor Of Mr. Holman This
reduces the chances Of Mr.. Sulzer the
republican candidate, very materially. The
district is normally democratic, and two
years ago the populists polled about 300
votes. They will pretty nearly all vote
for Holman this year, the only disaffec-
tions from him being among the populist
soldiers. The republicans two years ago
carried the district handsomely for their
state ticket. and Mr.. Sulzer claims that he
Will make gains among the farmers. The
sound money democratic vote, especially
in Columbus and Madison. the two largest
cities in the district will be quite large,
and through their help Mr.. Sulzer may
largely against him. The situation as it
now stands will give the democrats the
second, third and fourth districts but the
republicans still believe they can elect in
both the second and fourth.
The Gas Belt for Mckinley.
In the gas belt the tide Is strongly for
Mckinley and the republican gains Of two
years ago will be more than duplicated. The
Bryan managers have been claiming that
they would make gains in Grant county,
but careful survey Of the field discloses
the fact that the free silver republicans TN
the county number only sixty, while the
list of sound money democrats who will not
vote for BryaE Is 27O, and Of that number
$50 are actively for Mckinley. Mr.. Hiram
Brownlee, one Of the delegates at large to
st. Louis, lives in that county, and he Is
firmly convinced the republicans will in
crease their plurality of two years ago by
fully one thousand. He says the men in
the factories are almost unanimous for
mckinley. The same Is true of Anderson,
Elwood, Muncie, Kokomo, Alexandria and
other gas cities. A poll taken in some of
the factories at Anderson shows that out
of 1,G28 voters working in those factories
only 137 are for free silver.
Mckinley's Probable Plurality,
The total vote of this state will reach
575,OO0. Conservative estimates place the
Palmer and prohibitionist vote at 25,OOO,
leaving $4,000 to be divided between Nc
kinley and Bryan, and the same conser-
vative estimate gives Mckinley SO per cent
or 2l 800. leaving Bryan with only 25s, 500,
the Mckinley plurality being $4,000. This
by no means reaches the calculations of
the republican managers, but is the best
opinion from conservative republicans and
SOUND money democrats. who have as good
opportunities for knowing the feeling as
any persons in the state,
Gen. Palmer Cheered.
Amid artillery salutes and the cheering Of
thousands the special Palmer and Buckner
train drew into Creston, Iowa, shortly af-
ter noon Yesterday. An escort of several