The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-01
FORECAST OF THE BIG FIGHT.
STORIES ON THE OUTLOOK IN Sew
ERAL OF THE STATES.

The Balance of Power in North Car
OIina Held by the POpuIists and
the Result in That State Very I'm
certain-F1Orida, Alabama and
Louisiana All Regarded as Safely
DcmOcratic-The Democrats Also
Confident That There Is no Dam
ger in Tennessee.
Raleigh, N. c., Oct. S1-The populists
absolutely hold the balance of power in
North Carolina. They have fused with
the democrats on the electoral ticket, and
upon their adherence to that contract de-
pends Bryan's success. They have fused
with the republicans on the state ticket,
save governor and Hetenant governor,
and on the congressional, legislative and
county tickets. The republicans are to
an almost equal degree dependent upon
them. None of the chairmen, republican,
democratic or populist, will venture an
accurate prediction of the result, state or
national, and all admit that the mystery
is i'm the silent rural vote. Evidence s
that both republicans and democrats are
to secure populist support. w. A. Guthrie,
the populist nominee for governor, an.
tagonized his state committee by arguing
in all his speeches that the populists
stultifed themselves by voting for gold
republicans. The matter came to a crisis
this week, when he issued an address to
the populists, calling on them to stand to
their principles, and not support republi-
cans. His committee responded in an ad-
dress which was intended to virtually read
Mr. Guthrie out of the party, and de-
clared the populists were under no obli-
cations to vote for him, and that his vote
must by no means be considered test of
the populist strength. Republicans have
shared with populists in sending out these
attacks on Mr.. Guthrie. and it all forms
the exciting episode of the sensational
campaign.
The populist leaders claim that Guthrie
will not now get over 1900 votes. The
question is whether the leaders control
the rank and file, and their state chair
man admits that he is not positive as to
this He says he is reasonably sure DAN
lei r. Russell, republican nominee for
governor, will carry the state; that the
fusion part of the state ticket will be
elected by very heavy majority; that
five populists and four republican con-
gressmen will be elected in accordance
with the agreement, and that the legisla-
ture will be anti-democratic, the larger
number of it's members being popuists,
and that the latter will see that a silver
senator is elected to succeed Senator
Pritchard. The populst chairman also
expresses the belief that all the Bryan
electors will be elected, but he declines to
estimate the majority.
The republican state committe estimates
that Russell will receive 10000 plurality
that the democrats cannot possibly elect
a congressman, and not over thirty-six
out of the 1876 members of the legislature.
They decline to make an estimate on Nc
Kinley's figures, but declare t,ss2t he will
carry the state and offer odds that Bryan
cannot get all the electors.
The democratic state chairman g. ys to-
night that If the untrammeled vote of all
those who favor Bryan is cast his major
ity will exceed 80, 900. He admits that the
gubernatorial vote will be very close, but
expresses a confident belief that Cyrus B..
Watson will win, and also that the demo-
Gratis will elect at least two congressman.
The situation is so strange that the old
est politicians dare not attempt accurate
pradipfiOO