The San Francisco call., 1898-01-08
WHIPPING
 DEMOCRATS
 INTO LINE Steps to Compel Them to Vote for a Re-
 publican. New Turn Taken in the Ohio Senatorial
 Struggle. KurtZ to Be a Candidate of the Opposition Combine Against
 Hanna. BUSHNELL NOT POPULAR. Friends Skirnnishing to Secure a Re- spectable Attendance at the Inauguration.
KurtZ to Be a Candidate of the Opposition Combine Against
 Hanna.
BUSHNELL NOT POPULAR
Special Dispatch to The Call.

COLUMBUS. Ohio, Jan. This was quiet day among the army of polit- ical workers enlisted in the Senatorial contest. but it was productive of some important developments. The situation is practically unchanged, however.
 The efforts of the steering committee to whip the Democratic members into line to vote for Republican for Sen ator have not been so successful as they expected. AS result, it is stated authoritatively tonight, there will be a caucus of the Democratic members
 next Monday night. The purpose of the caucus is to locate the doubtful members and pledge those who are willing to carry out the proposed fus- ion, so that enough members can be kept in line to insure the maintenance of a deadlock, should one be forced.
 The most reliable information to-
 night is that Mir. Kurtz will be pro posed as the candidate of the opposi- tion for both the long and the short term. It is believed by the Democratic
 leaders now that MT. Kurtz will be more acceptable to the majority of the Democrats of the Legislature than any other man. MT. Kurtz is almost worn
 
 vigils in which he has participated at
 the Great Southern Hotel during the
 week, and has spent the greater part of the day in retirement.
 Senator Hanna spent comparative ly quiet day at the Neil House. The activity of his supporters was un- abated, however. Speculation on the vote for Senator has not changed. MT. Hanna's managers are following the tactics of the opposition and are not giving any figures. It IS claimed by the leaders of the opposition that all the Democrats will stand together, but this claim is not borne out by the in- formation from other sources. It is claimed by some that at least twenty Democrats will refuse to attend the
 caucus. but this is probably exagger- ated More conservatively, the num- Der is placed at from six to ten. Indications tonight were that the opposition is. preparing for a long deadlock. The calling of mass con
 vention of Republicans in this city next Monday by the Republican State Executive Committee to protest against the attempt to defeat Senator Hanna somewhat discvncerted the op- position. They claimed that it was
 merely a move on the part of the Hanna people to intimidate the Re publican members who refused to vote for Hanna.
 It develops that the kurtz people have bestirred themselves to bring a big crowd of Governor Bushnell's s friends here to attend his inaugura- | tion.
 It is stated that for this purpose rail-
 road tickets were sent to certain local | ities where the Governors friends were | thought to be numerous, for free dis
 tribution, for the purpose of bringing | as many as possible to the city The | calling of the mass convention will | proba bly bring large crowd of Hanna | supporters to Columbus. Agents of | Kurtz people were to-day endeavoring l to place pictures of the Governor in the
 windows of business houses on all the
 principal streets. They met with con- i siderable opposition, and but a few pie | lures appear.
 Preparations are being pushed for ! the inauguration by the local commit | tee, despite the opposition. The inau- | gural parade will be made up chiefly l of military, as nearly all of the politi- i cal clubs that had decided to partici- pate have rescinded their action. Some weeks ago the Ninth Battalion
 of colored troops rendered its services as an escort to Governor Bushnell, and | the Governor accepted the tender in
 colored people of the State in the cleo tion in the face of the fight made against him on account of the Urbana | lynching. To-day Major Charles Fill
 more, commanding the Ninth Battal- | ion, sent to the Governor letter de- clining to act as personal escort.