Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-13
THE GERMAN VOTE IN OHIO
Democrats Relying Upon It to Defeat the
Republicans
Expected to Vote Against the Philip
pine Policy of the Admin
istFatiOn.

National political leaders Of both parties
are occupied with the consideration OF the
Significance Of the Ohio campaign Tney
look upon the campaign as exceptional In
what 1t involves. The greatest uncertainty
as to the result is felt by well-informed
men in Washington and the friends OF the
administration do not attempt to conceai
the fact that they feel some anxiety. Inc
most common opinion Is that the republican
candidate for governor will be elected by
a plurality vote, which may be significant
ly small. The most practiced political
actuaries' figure out that Jones, the indie
pendent candidate, will poll quite large
vote, and that perhaps somewhat more OF
his votes will be drawn from the democrats
than from the republicans. On this assump-
ton and by the same system or calcula-
ton they look for Nash to have more
votes than Mclean and to be elected, there
fore, by plurality that will, perhaps, be
small.
selves will not regard 1t as conspfcuously
a triumph for free silver should Mclean
be elected. One Of the complications of the
Ohio situation is the probability of the cleo
the national election next year, as well as
Its possible effect upon candidates.
The Democratic Hopes.
The democratic hopes for Ohio are based,
not on the belief that free silver is strong
er in the state than 1t was in the past two
elections, but the belief that other is
sues will strengthen the party There is
not much sincerity in the professed expec
tation that Mclean will be greatly benefit
ed by the family quarrels within the re-
publican party While much Is made of
the Kurtz disaffection, it is not really be-
lieved that it will add a great many votes.
Mclean himself, has enemies within his
own party, and it is thought likely that he
will lose from democratic disafection al
most as much as he will gain from disaf-
lection on personal grounds from the other
party.
The real basis of democratic hopes is In
the belief that the Germans are dissatisfied
with the Philippine policy Of the admins
tration and that great armies of German
voters are going to express their disap-
prevail of Mckinley by voting for Mclean.
To a much less extent the democrats ex-
pect to be benefited by the antitrust senti-
ment. The silver issue is looked upon as
concession to consistency
Meaning of Democratic Success.
Therefore, If the democrats should carry
the state the victory would be attributable
to the German vote. which would be inter-
preted to mean anti-imperialism, and anti
trust laws, both of which issues the east
ern wing of the democratic party want to
have the greatest prominence given to, in
order to obscure silver. 1t would be herald
ed all over the country that these two
issues were the ones to win on, and 1t is
believed that the effect would be to weaken
Bryan to a greater or less extent, or, at
last, to make silver less prominent in the
next democratic platform.
Should the democrats fail to get the great
German vote in Ohio they are counting
it would be regarded as indicating that they
had over estimated the strength of the
anti-expansion issue, and it is believed they
would pipe more gently on that chord In
the campaigning to follow.