Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-09-24
Democrats Making Campaign Mate
rial Out of the War.
BAD TREATMENT OF SOLDIERS
This is to Be an Issue All Over the
State.
f E E L N G IN CANTON
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

War and politics are going to be mixed
in the Ohio campaign this fall. One does
not have to be on buckeye soil long to learn
as much The atmosphere changes on
crossing the line. There is more intensity
here than in the keystone state The
boundary is division of scriptural terri
tory for while New Galilee is in Pennsyl-
vania, Palestine is in Ohio. The other side
of New Galilee, especially between Pitts
burg and Beaver Falls, people talked of the
political campaign with the war as an Incl
dent / had no trouble in getting unbiased
opinions on the extent to which Mr.. Wanna
maker would harm Representative w. A.
Stone, the Quay candidate for governor or
on the effect of Mr.. jerks speeches to his
democratic supporters. These views We're
given with an intelligent explanation of the
state issues, while the war was discussed
on a different basis. Pennsylvania has it's
troops widely scattered, from the Phillip
pines to Cuba and Porto Rico, as well as
in camps in the United States. 1t seems to
have made less fuss than almost any other
section of the country. There is some criti-
clsm of the War Department, but it is in
the main temperate, and is not made up of
blind and unjust attacks. The mothers
who have sons in one of the regiments in
which there is sickness, have petitioned
that II be mustered out of service and by
this time the petition may have been laid
before the War Department by the Pitts
| appears to be that the regiment has not
| been given active service and is not likely
| to be sent abroad. That in itself does not
| constitute genuine grievance. Speaking
generally, | gained the impression in west
| ern Pennsylvania that the democrats want
! to keep the campaign within local issues,
| hoping in that way to reap some benefit in
| the election of representatives, as well as
| state officers.
The Difference in Ohio.
| The difference is so pointed in Ohio that
| it cannot be ignored. The campaign has
| not been formally opened and neither side
| has undertaken to define the issues. yet
| the trend is clear enough. If the present
! signs count for anything the republicans
! Will have the wors: of a campaign in which
| the discussion is confined TO the conduct of
| the war and its results. This will be their
| own fault. Nobody appears to be thinking
| OF the minor officers. whose political for
| tunes rise or fall with the success or de-
| feat of the state ticket. l have heard that
ticket barely mentioned, but have listened
TO frank statements of republicans regard
Ing the congressional districts which they
expected to lose These prospective losses
We're explained with complacency as some
thing incident to an Off year. If it were
an ordinary off year they might be accept
ed However, at q time when a national
adninistra ton has the credit of conduct
ing successful war this kind of talk has
a strange sound to it, Democrats confess
hopes OF more than holding their own and
Keeping the party organZa ton together
through listless campaign; but when they
lind the republicans admitting defeat they
naturally become more aggressive
Bad Treatment of Soldiers
The whole question narrows down to the
feeling CT resentment over the alleged bad
treatment of the soldiers. l have not run
across any democrat of prominence who
thar
the war revenue legislation. They go not
agree with Leader Bailey on the import
ance which he gives to that subject. Nor
do they show a willingness to go on record
against expansion or whatever policy may
grow out of the territory with the re-
spcnsibi!ity for which the United States
has become charged. | should judge that
three-fourths of the Ohio democrats are
cxpansionists. The remainder are hopeless
bCurbonS who would not sail across mill
pend for fear of acquiring foreign terri
tory on the other side. But in the matter
of persuading the soldier and his relatives
and friends that the democratic party
should have his support because republic
administration has let him go hungry
and get sick with fever there is complete
unanmity of sentiment within the party.
Its leaders are skrewd enough to the
force of the argument, which can be
brought home to so many individuals on
its personal side.
had heard hints Of the degree to which
dent Mckinley's own nome and Of the re-
suits which were expected from it: TIP
was made here to look into these Cundi-
tons as we'll as other phases of the cam
paign. The other phases may be briefly
stated. year ago it was problem how
the inevitable disappointment of many sup
porters who had expected office would in
fluence the election. At that time l found
most of them patient and willing to wait
a while longer for recognition. They had
confidence that the major was not going to
forget them. and the returns showed that
the REACTION for which allowance must be
made was not pronounced one. Canton
and Stark county did quite wcll for the
republican ticket Since then most of the
local offices have been filled and a few
former supporters of the major now
hostile, but this applies to a small class
Good things continue to come the way OF
Canton and Stark county, even to the rare
prizes of consulates. Besides. the new
fields for patronage which the war and the
extension of American government have
opened up are ploughed by people here
while the soil is virgin. If there should be
a material falling off in the republican vote
in Stark county in the future it would not
be due to disappointed office seekers so
much to the fact that many worthy
citizens Of the county have been drafted
into the public service at points too remote
for them to return home election day. The
community also feels very kindly toward
Maj. Mckinley for the opportunity he gave
the world to become acquainted with Judge
Days abilities. To have given rhe coun-
try President and a Secretary OF State
who made the record that Judge Day cid
is something of which bigger town than
Canton might be proud.
Democratic Campaign Material.
1t all comes back then to the hardships
of the soldiers. The evident purpose of the
democrats is to get campaign material out
of the presidents Own regiment, with
a view to magnifying that issue every
where. The presidents Own is mis-
nomer but the name would have been
given to any regiment raised in this neigh
borhood. The Sth Ohio seems to have had
about the same experiences other volun-
teer regiments which reached Santiago
after the campaign was over. 1t was sub
jected to disciplinary restraint and its
members had to endure the broiling sun
and the skn-soaking rains of eastern Cuba
without the chance to distinguish them
selves Some of it's members became sick
with the fevers, and in returning to the
United States there was discomfort. At
Montauk Point there were annoyances
which might have been avoided. Col. Hard
was a most efficient commander. and he
sought to prepare his men for real soldier
| ing Some of his subordinates were in SYM