Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-19
Senator Hanna's Managers Stirring
Up the Ohio Republicans.
WARNINGS AGAINST OVERCONFIDENCE
Democrats Abandon the Still Hunt
and Become Aggressive.
BOTH SIDES MAKE FIGURES
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
| COLUMBUS, Ohio Octobre II, 1897.
| The Ohio campaign has reached the point
where both sides are making election fig
! Cres. Its general character is well enough
developed for the managers to do some
guessing based on the returns of previous
years. The democrats have got their dis
Jolnted canvass into as good shape as is
! possible. The republicans have warmed the
! party spirit up to the degree that some en-
| thusiasm is manifested. They will be en-
gagged the last fortnight of the campaign
! iii warning one another against overconfi-
dencc. The warming was needed. For
! time it looked If the only reliance for
| pulling Gov. Bushnell end Senator Hanna
through would be the good crops and the
| farmers satisfaction over high prices. The
distinguished statesmen, mostly United
States senators, who have been imported
| into the state to do campaign talking, talk
| ell that way. They knew nothing of local
conditions, and discussed wheat and
| publican prosperity until the mass of the
party was beginning to think it was not
worth while to hold an election. Now the
managers of Senator Hannas canvass have
| taken another tack, and the word has been
| passed down the line to scare the party
cut of the belief that there is no need of
voting this year. The organization is in
pretty fair shape and will not be democrat
| lied by such cry. while some voters may
be walked up and gotten to the polls.
Fears of the Democrats.
Among the democrats utterance is given
to the fear that they may have put too
much trust in the gum shoe campaign.
They are trying to infuse more life into
| the contest during the closing weeks. Once
in while the democrats have carried Ohio
by still hunt, but this has been the ex-
Ception Their success in the off years
following presidential elections has usually
come from aggressive and determined
campaign. BY that means they would be
sure OF d relatively large party vote, which
the republicans, under the natural reaction
of victory, could rot overcome. This year the
Ohio democrats have not been able to put
up that kind of fight. The prohibitionists,
populists and other separate organizations
have state candidates and in some cases
legislative candidates in the field, but they
are as likely to hurt the democrats as the
republicans. There may be ground for the
charge OF the democrats that Coxey was
simply Mark Hannas agent in preventing
a thorough fusion of all the free silver and
anti-republcan elements. Mark is a prac
teal politician and while Coxey is for
gotten in most of the counties of the state,
he has influence enough to keep up a fer
G,ent in some sections.
The democrats feel the need of a leader
such as they have had in former years,
yet under the plan they decided 10 follow
| in the beginning there would be no place
for him Mr.. Chairman, the candidate for
governor, has potential strength A coal
operator who holds his popularity with
miners and the working people, under GER
| tain conditions would he dangerous can
| didate. Mr.. Chapman appears to be popu-
| lar with his pcrty, and he has some quail
| tiles of a shrewd compaiSner. But he is
not leader capable of rallying the party
| forces to his support with vim and
| thusiasm. The democratic campaign does
rot center around him.
Not Working for State Ticket.
The spectral persons, who. according
| to the republicans. are trav cling through
| the state in gum shoes, are not doing their
quiet and mysterc us work for the state
| candidates. Their noseless tread is along
| tie crooked path of the legislative tickets.
| Mr.. Chapman's friends realize that some
| thing is lacking. A little while ago much
| was said about bringing John r. Mclean
| to the book ard forcing fair understand
| ing with regard to the state ticket. Nom
| !nally Mr. Mclean was retired a sena-
torial candidate, and Gen. A. J. Warner
was jumped ont as the champion of free
| silver. His appearance caused no sensa-
| ton. One reason may have been that the
Ohio democrats. though they still keep the
| silver flag at the mast. are rot as deeply
| Interested In that subject as they once
| were. Practical politics furnish other suf-
ficient reasons.
| that while the election of the republican
state ticket is conceded, the head OF it is
not credited with adding any strength to
| it. l have not met politician, republican
| or democrat, who, in the frankness of pr!-
| vate talk, predicted the defeat of Bush
nell. 1t might happen because the miracu-
| lous is more apt to happen in Ohio poll
! tics than elsewhere, bu. it does not come
! within the pLrview of normal political
probabilities. Nevertheless. credit is
| given Governor Bushnell. Senator Hanna's
! following simply tolerates the governor
as an appendage which could not have been
| Topped off without hurting the party, yet
| which Is of no use in itself Senator For
| aker's followers. who are combative even
! in defeat, barely conceal their contempt
| for what they call the governors jellyfsh
| backbone. They affect to despise the way
| in which Bushnell let Hanna stand him up
in the corner at the Toledo convention
J and thump him.
Bushnell Is Not Disturbed.
! Governor Bushnell is. fortunately for his
| own peace of mind. not easily disturbed.
He is out making speeches daily. and some
| times Senator Hanna and he make a. joint
| appearance, while each tells how important
| the success of the other is to the republic
| can party of the nation. On those occa-
! sions Hanna is starred on the posters
In big type, while Bushnell appears among
| the lesser characters in fine print
| The statistician figure that republican
! governor might be elected by a majority
| of 1900 to 10000 and yet the legislature
be lost To do this would call for some
| quSeI Notiiib, Lul II might happen, The
! legislature has 149 members. In the pres
ent general assembly the republicans have
! a majority on joint ballot of eighty-fve
| The memters were elected on the high
| tide of 1885. If they had been chosen last
year when Major McKinley's friends were
| mortified at the failure of Ohio to come up
| to other states the majority would have
| been fifty-nlne. Some sanguine prophets
| fix that figure for this years majority.
The sensible politicians do not. General
| {. II. Grosvenor stakes his reputation as
| a tally clerk on a minimum republican
| membership of eighty, which would mean
l majority of eleven. He expects it to be
much larger, but he fixes a reasonable
minimum figure. Generally, the expecta-
work out right" the majority will be about
twenty.
The hope of the democrats for the legis-
! lative ticket lies In the cities. The rural
! vote is admittedly steadfast to the repuhii-
can ticket this yesr. The republicans will
i lose some members in the country districts