Evening star., 1898-10-28
Outlook is Favorable for Republican
Legislature in Indiana.
AN ANALYSIS OF TEE SITUATION
Some Of the Republicans Being
Groomed for the Senate.
ATTITUDE OF THE POPULISTS
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.


Is an element of doubt and uncertainty
about the result of the approaching cleo
ton that maddens the old political guessers.
Both parties make claims of almost endless
! gains. ana both committees are equally
positive to the claims they make but
Eone of the claims will bear investigation.
There has been great awakening during
| the last ten days, and so far as can be
ascertained that awakening is to the benz
fit of the republicans AT least it will help
| them on their congressional ticket. On the
| legislative ticket, however, on which hargs
| tie selection of a successor to Senator
| Iurpie. it is not SO certain that the repUhli-
cans will be the gamer by this renewed
| interest. In the legislative campaign the
| republicans start in with some advantages.
| They have the best of it in the number
| OF hold-over senators, and then two years
| ago they gerrymandered the state to their
| liking, giving them the advantage in the
| new districts.
Based on the vote cast two years ago the
! republicans ought to elect thirteen of the
twentysix members of the senate to be
voted for, and fifty-nine of the one han-
cred members of the house, but the vote
| OF two years ago canrot be relied upon as
! a criterion of what it will be this year.
| The republicans have completed their
| thirty-day poll and its shows the state to
| pe republican Dy something more tuaI.
twenty thousand. They say the poll has
| been taken with more than usual care.
| This great plurality depends upon
| thing-getting the vote out and all the
| energies of the committee for ten days
| have been expended in that direction.
Claims to Next Legislature.
The senate hod-overs stand fifteen repu6-
| licans and nine democrats, with one va
cancy. Twenty-six to be elected. OF
these the republicans claim they will elect
| sixteen, giving them thirty-onc senators TO
nineteen democrats. They also claim they
will elect in all the representative districts
given them by the vote of two years ago
and carry six of the sixteen districts class
ed as doubtful, giving them sixty-five men,
| bers out of one hundred.
| Ihe democrats claim that of the twenty
| six senators they viii elect sure sixteen and
possibly seventeen, and that they will have
u majority of at least ten IN The house.
| Both estimates are wild from anything that
| can be gathered at this time of the situa-
ton There is but one certainty about the
whole thing, and that is the vote will be
| largely less than that of two years ago.
| Ihe republicans may reasonably expect to
| elect one-half OF the new members of the
senate. which will give them a majority IN
| that body of six. The complexion of the
| house Will depend upon W hat this and VAN
| derburg counties will do. on this county
| depends seven seats in the house and one
| IN The senate. The democrats have the best
| TICKET Dui lIc democrats Will not sup
| port it. They VIII not support for any Of
flee any man who is a believer in free silver,
| and especially will they against any
| free silver man who may have "A voice in
| the selection of Il United States senator
| There is no longer any question as to their
! attitude on this subject. For instance The
| three Frenzel brothers, leading bankers,
and who have always welded great intlu-
| ence in the democratic ranks, and Peter
| Leber, the head of the brewing interests
| OF this city, and d man of much intiu-
|
| ~ supporting the entire republican ticket
| They are followed by other leading gold
democrats. Added to this is d feeling among
| the Workingmen OF this city tha; expansion
| of territory will be to their interests, and
| that they must support the republican tick
| ct to sustain President AIckinleys foreign
! policy.
State Senator News Estimate.
| Senator Harry S. New, one OF the best
| and most conservative of the republican
politicians, gives it as his honest opinion
| that the republicans will control both
| braches Of the general assembly by a small
| but safe working majority. This is the
outlook just now, but, as has been said, II
| will depend on this and Vanderburg coun-
| ties In Vauderburg county there are dis
| sens ions in both parties, but that among
| the democrats is much more bitter than
| that among the republicans, and the re-
| publicaEs believe they will increase their
| vote in the county by fully 1,WD There
| is also dissatisfaction among the demo-
Gratis of Allen count" ~~-' tha republicans
feel hopeful &C =tr',' sit.'.;it .... -
that demo. .r.,,5siDl.ities. There was sonle
an"gnI amonI for awhile that the republicans
would lose a member of the house from
| Grant county, hut that danger has been
| removed by the supreme court. The Sol
dierS tionl IS located in that county, and
| contains about 2,G0J inmates, about 1.Joo
| of them being republicans. They have
been in the habit of voting at all elections
without question. Some months ago the
democrats sought from the courts a re-
straining order to prevent them from vol
ing, on the gIound that the home was un-
der the jurisdiction OF the general gov
ernment and the inmates could not be
claSSed as citizens OF Indiana The court
refused the order, and an appeal was taken
to the supreme court 1t was to have
been heard October %, nut the democrats
failed to give the proper notice and the
case has been continued. and it cannot
now b. heard before election. This will
leave the soldiers with the right to vote.
Conservative estimates give the repub-
licans a fair majority Oh joint ballot, and
this will insure a republican successor to
Senator Turpie. AS has been said in these |
dispatches this year may be another Te-
publican landslide, but no one can tell. |
There can be no doubt that the sentiment
of the state is largely with the republicans, |
but the question is, will their vote come |
out?
Attitude OF POpulists. |
One of the strangest things of the situa- |
tion is the attitude of the populsts. Here |
tofore they have been most bitter against |
the republicans. They feel now that two |
years ago they permitted themselves to |
be swallowed by the democrats, ana many |
of them. out Of revenge against the demo- |
Gratis. are openly working for the repubi- |
ticket This is especially tie case |
in the extreme northeastern and south |
Western parts of the state. This may |
help the republican legislative ticket to |
some extent. There is also a bad split in |
the democratic ranks in Sullivan county, |
but it is doubtful if it is great enough to
endanger the democratic ticket. The free |
silver republicans of two years ago are |
practically all back in their party ranks.
The republicans have three avowed can !
didates for United States Senator-Judge
r. s. Taylor of Fort Wayne, Col. Frank I
3. Posey of Evansville. and ]. Frank Han
ley of Lafayette. Representative Steele
also has his eye on the senatorial seat but |
is not actively a candidate. The consensus
of opinion is that none of the avowe6 can
'didates will be able to win.