The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-11-05

tion to Defeat Hanua's EIs ction if Repub
Iicans Control Legislature
Columbus, Ohio, November 3.-This
has been day of anxiety for the Ohio
politicians. 1t Cpened with the repuDn-
cans and democrats both claiming the
election Of their state tickets and
majority of the members OIL the legs
latIIrn. Before noon the democrats
conceded the election Of the republican
state ticket by larger pluralities than
were given last night by the repu0li-
cans. Tonight the democratic state
committee announced no definite claims
on the legislature and the republican
state committee raised it's claim to a
majority OF five on joint ballot as fol-
lows: Senate-T republicans, 19 dem
ocr,ats; house-58 republicans, 81 demo-
Gratis; total-75 republicans, 20 demo-
Gratis.
On the returns complete al republi-
can state headquarters the democrats
will have a majority Of two in the SEN
ate and the republicans Of seven in the
house. In these claims, the fusiOnists
from Cincinnati are all counted as dem
ocrats The republicans can organize
the house without fusion. There is only
one of the four senators on the fusion
ticket in Cincinnati who is a republican
and he now becomes a factor. If Sen
ator Voight of Cincinnati, who is a
republican elected on the fusion ticket,
should vote with the republicans on the
organization of the senate or anything
else, that body will be a tie with Lieu
tenant Governor Jones, republican,
having the deciding vote. If the dem
ocrats had secured majority Of the
Legislature or the fusionists held the
balance of power, it is said that the
fusionists would have voted with the
democrats. The republicans now eX-
pect two or more of the fusion repub-
licans to vote with them for senator in
which even they claim a majority Of
on joint ballot, with II republicans
and 68 democrats. None of the fusion
votes for senator were counted on by
the republican managers in event they
would be needed by the democrats to
elect their nominee, but now many
speculations are made about the fusion
votes.
When it was thought today that con-
troll of the Legislature might depend
upon one voc, there was apprehension
of trouble in some counties, emiSSarieS
were sent out from state headquarters
to close counties to watch the counting.
The Ohio law provides that mot less
than one nor more than five days from
the date of the election the deputy state
supervisor in each county shall begin
the official canvass Of the vote and
continue from day to day till COM
pleted.'
Since the change of the claims at
democratic state headquarters tonight
on the complexion Of the legislature two
important rurnors have been vigorous
ly circulated. One is that John r. Nc
Lean will be pressed by the Ohio de-
mocracy for the democratic nominal ION
for president in 1900 and that Senator
Hanna will have opposition in his own
party for election to the senate. 1t is
claimed by those advocating McLes n
for the presidential nomination that he
deserves credit for the reduction Of the
republican plurality to less than half
of what it was last year and Of the re-
publican majority in the legislature
from 80 on joint ballot last year to 5,
and the democrats claim that the ma
jority on joint ballot would be 5 the
other way if they had an equal chance
on contests. There are SO members of
the state senate and only one or two of
these districts are so close or doubtful
as to admit of contests on which re-
publican senators could be unseated.
On the other hand there are 109 men,
berS OF the house in which the republi-
cans claim a majority of Z, and there
are several counties SO close on the vote
for representatives that several seats
could be changed in that body. In the
settlement Of contested seats, the re-
publicanS would have such an advant-
age in the house over the democrats In
the senate that it is not likely the latter
will be aggressive in that matter. And
this may allow the close margin of the
republicans en- joint ballot for senator
to go uncontesrted in any of the close
counties or before the committees or
elections in the general assembly.
There is another alleged movement
which is causing much more comment
and that is the rumor that Governor
Bushnell will be brought out for sen
ator against Marcus A. Hanna. AlleI
O. Myers, one of the managers at dem
ocratic headquarters, announced to
night that Senator Hanna would never
be elected to the senate on the Gloss
joint ma jority that it is claimed, al
though Hanna had been endorsed fol
senator by the last republican stat
convention the same as Foraker wa
endorsed by the republican state con
VentiOn two yeors ago. Mr.. Myer'
SAID II the close call on the leglSlatur
went against the democrats in the of
fetal count of the close counties, tha
the democrats in the legislature woul
join with a dozen or more republican
members of that body in electing Bush
nell instead of Hanna to the senate
Governor Bushnell and all others in
volved in this movement deny an
knowledge of or that they would hav
anything to do with it.
,1>,,c hE.y~ nfH
cial complete returns show republica
plurality Of 26,520 in Ohio. Both side
still claim majority of the Legislature
the publicans by five, the democrat
by three.
Cincinnati, Ohio, November 9Th