Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-10-13
DEMOCRATS CONFIDENT
A Change in Their Feeling in the State of
Indiana.
Claim That They Can Garry the State
-Republicans Do Not Accept
Their Figures.
Correspondence OF Tie Evening Star.


boom had reached high-water mark. and
that it was probable there would be some
retrocession, and that the final outcome
would depend upon just how much the
democrats could regain. 1t has been a
strange campaign far in Indiana. When
1t opened the tide of free silver was sweep
ing over the state like torrent. 1t then
stopped and the republicans rapidly made
Roadway, and at last the tide turned de-
cfdediy IN their favor. and the Bryan lead
ers were In despair, losing nope of saving
anything from the wreck with the single
exception OF member of Congress from
mas come, and the tide is once more rolling
the other way
The confidence of the democrats has heen
growing very rapidly Of late, and while the
republicans still make claims to a good
plurality it is noticeable that they are con-
sideraDly worried. 1t is hard to discover
what has occurred to give the democrats
this renewed confidence. They make a
great many claims. but most of them are
known to be fallacious. For instance thew
claim that at least ~ per cent of the rail-
road men now acting in sound money Nc
hirley clubs are at heart for Bryan. and
Will vote for him. To even a casual OBJ
server this claim would be seen to be with
out foundation. for if there was anything
like ~ per cent of so influential a class
OF voters for Mr.. Bryan shrewd political
management would organize them into
bryan clubs and not let them be sailing
under false colors They make a like
cialm as to the workingmen in the various
factories Of the state, but they must fall
for a like reason
hrSnh DemOnstrn tiOns Disappointing.
Ihey confess to a disappoin tment In the
bryan demonstrations. and are to bring
MIN BACK into the state for another trial
MI. Bryan was greeted with large crowds
out II was noticed at every point that he
cheering which punctuated his speeches
was confined to small knots Of those pres
snt. rms vas even the case in democratic
localities HIS speeches did not give the
leaders satisfaction, and thew eXnlain it
by the fact that he was tired and worn out
When he got to the state. The leaders have
changed s. tneir basis of figuring on the re-
suit Their first figures were made after
they had received the reports of the first
poll, and were based upon the vote of 1894,
| and were by the per cent method. They
are now receiving returns from their sec
ond or th1rty-day poll.
They now take the vote of 1892 as the
basis OF their calculations, when Cleveland
carried the state by nearly 1000. They
say that the vote Of 1894 is not a true test
because of the dissatisfaction on account of
the hard times and that the democrats
VINO then voted with the republicans did
so because they were mad at Cleveland
and that now. as Cleveland was repudiated
by the Chicago convention, those demo-
Gratis are all back in the party. They say
they have assurances that Mr.. Bryan will
receive an average of two hundred votes to
the county from free silver republicans.
which would amount to 1890. That would
make a change Of 26, 800. To add to this,
they claim they will get 10000 from the
populists and the free silver prohibition
lists. and their share of the expected in
creased vote. This will bring their vote up
to $4,000. of which they will not lose more
than 22,OW to Mckinley and Palmer, which
will leave them 297. 600 Of the total vote ex-
pected of 5IoOOO. OF the 27S.OOO votes left
they say at least ten thousand will go to
the populists and the prohibitionists. This
calculation would give the republicans 49,
| 900 votes. or a democratic plurality of 3D.
900.
What Republicans Say.
Neither the republicans nor sound money
democrats admit these figures. The repub-
| lcan managers will not give out any figures
of their own, but content themselves with
| pointing out the weak spots in the Bryan
calculations. First they say only very
small per cent of the democrats who voted
| with the republicans two years ago have
gone back; that they voted with the repub-
| licans because they favored protection and
are for protection now. Second. they claim
! that the number of the free silver republi-
cans is largely overestimated: that, in fact.
| 1t will not leach half the figures quoted
| above. Third they say that Bryan will
| not get anything like $4,000 of the populist
vote: and fourth that the number of sound
| money democrats has been largely under
| estimated: that it will be at least twice
| 1000. They then point out that the demo-
| Gratis in their calculation only count the
| sound money democratic vote as lost to
| Bryan, and do not add any of it to McKin-
| ley.
| They are also receiving returns from their
second poll. and claim that they are ''em-
| inently satisfactory That Is a phrase in
politics that covers a multitude of sins, and
| is OF rather dubious meaning. The signifi-
! canoe of it is in the change from the way
| they spoke of their first poll 1t may be it
| has been adopted to really blind outsiders
| as to its favorable. showing, to keep such
| information from the enemy, but Is more
| likely an Indication that they are not salts
| fled with it. Another thing is very signifi
| cant. They have suddenly changed their
| tactics. Heretofore they have been actively
| at work in school house campaign. avoid
| ing large demonstrations, with marching
| clubs and music. Now the word has gone
| out to make every speaking p demonstra-
| ton This Is intended an Offset to those
| given for Bryan. The first in this city will
| be next Thursday, when the railroad men
| will make grand effort. Large delega-
| tons will be here from every railroad CEN
| ten in the state, and an effort will be made
| to bring into the city of railroad men alone
| more visitors than came to see Bryan. NJ
| E. Ingalls,, president of the Big Four and
Chesapeake and Ohio railroads, will be the
| orator of the occasion. 1t is expected that
| this demonstration will refute the charge
| made by the democrats that the railroad
/
| is also to take the stump for Mckinley. 1t
| Is proposed that he shall follow Bryan 8
| itinerary and speak at all the places he did
| in his trip through the state.
Democrats May Win the Legislative
| Fight.
| The probabilities are that the democrats
| will have the best Of 1t In the legislative
| fight and will be able to control the election
| of q successor to Mr.. voorhees,. This will
be accomplished by a fusion with the pop
| uists. The fusion on the electoral ticket
| is in a remarkable tangie A committee of
the populists offered to fuse, taking five of
| the fifteen electoral votes, bu: the demo-
| Gratis would not consent unless the pop
| ulists would withdraw their state ticket.
| This they refused to do. and now 1t looks
| as If two sets Of electoral candidates would
| be certified by the populists, one containing
| the names of ten democrats and five pop
| ulists. and the other made up wholly of
| populists. But the fusion has been COM
| plete in all of the close legislative districts.
| The sound money democrats are also hav-
| ing some trouble with the state election
| rod hot "a Dol