The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-06
DEMOCRATIC BY $4,000.
Bourbon State Committee Makes Its
First Forecast.

The Democratic state central commit
tee has given out the following forecast:
I'm 1886 the highest vote cast-172, S07-
was for H. J. Roetzel, an elector on the
Bryan ticket. The highest vote cast for
a Republican elector was 159, 345. The
plurality in favor of Bryan was 13,462
Two years later the vote Of the state
was practically the same with the excep-
ton that AZ, 900 voters-33, 900 F'usionists
and 10000 epublicans-remained at
home, or went fishing. In 1895, as all
Republican leaders will admit, Is, 900 yo-
ters were sent into the state at the ex-
penSe of the national committee. We
will not say they were Illegal voters, but
a great many of them had been resi-
dents Of other states for years and their
right to vote in Kansas had become ex-
ceedingly attenuated- Had they not
been sent into the state Bryan would
have had a plurality of Is, 900. For fear
these same fellows may come in again
this year it is safest, perhaps, to COM
mence with the actual plurality received
by Mr.. Bryan in 1858, 1852 votes.
Before Mckinley can get even in the
race with Bryan he must hold every
man who voted for him in 1896 and gain
6,731 votes from the opposition. This
means an average gain of 66 votes in
each county, or three votes in each pre-
cinct. 1t is not hard to imagine a gain
Of three votes in each precinct, but it is
a mighty hard thing to accomplish in a
presidential election, for while you are
after three of urvotes we are after three
of yours.
Both Democrats and Republicans are
claiming enormous gains in the state
The party that will make the most gains
is the party that has the most material
to weave gains out Of The Republicans
expect to make gains by reason of the
prosperity of the state. The Democrats
epect to make gains by reason of the
alleged tendency of the Republican par
ty to change the character of the gov
eminent to an imperial system, and to
run it as all imperial nations are run, in
the interest of a privileged class If
the siren song of prosperity can allure
1000 more voters than the menace OF
Imperialism and class ascendency can
scare away then Kansas is mighty apt
to go Republican. Republican recruits
a large number of them, are English
men and they would naturally say that
they changed on account of prosperity
in preference to admitting that they
changed on account of Republican
friendship and Democratic hostility to
the British government. AS a matter Of
gains in Kansas are Englishmen and
giddy young Americans, who can see
in Imperialism a possible career of 70
nance and glory
There is absolutely no argument for
the Republicans in prosperity The tax
rolls of Sedgwick county show that the
wealth of Mr.. Stanley-Republican can
dldate for gOvernOr-increase 387 per
cent during the administration of Grover
Cleveland as against % per cent under
William Mckinley. This cripples the
power or the best prosperity orator in
the state Two other distinguished
Kansans, in whom the people of the
state have great confidence, have, I'M
consciously, made figures damaging to
the prosperity claims of the Republicans,
although, as a matter of fact, the Re
pubEcans do not know it. On the con-
trary, they are passing the figures
around like bouquets, not knowing that
there is e thorn hid in them. F. D. Co.
burn gives the wheat yield of Kansas as
100 million bushels and John Breidenthal
gives the increase in bank deposits at 20
per cent. The Republicans are pushing
these figures strong, but why they should
do SO is incomprehensible. Some one
will soon begin to ask the question: If
the wheat production has increased 80
per cent in one year, why have the bank
deposits increased only 20 per cent?
Then it is possible that somebody will
suggest that the trusts have pocketed
the difference, and that will set the far
mers-even Republican farmers = to
thinking.
In 1896 Democrats to the number. of
1000 voted for Palmer and Buckner and
5000 Democrats voted for Mckinley.
Practically every man of them is for
Bryan this year and that means II, 200
added to his plurality of four years ago.
1t is safe to say that 5000 German Re
publicans and 1000 other foreign born
Republicans will also vote for him and
those will increase his strength 10000
more. From other sources Mr.. Bryan
will make a gain of at least 1000 votes
These figures are lower than estimates
made by the state committee and based
on very complete returns from over 1900
precincts in Kansas.
Ignoring Democratic losses Bryan's
plurality, according to these figures,
would be IS, 1852. In order to overcome it
Mckinley must have the $1,000 votes
sent to Kansas four years ago by the
Republican national committee and a
domestic gain of Is, 232. This means that
he is now short $4,000 votes Can he
get them? Can that many men be
changed by the single inducement of de-
batable prosperity?
There will be 1900 new voters in
Kansas this year. Who will they be for?
Republicans say: oh they are harvest
hands who came here and got Jobs by
reason of Mckinley prosperity. They are
ours These men came from Missouri
and Arkansas and are naturally Demo-
cratic. If they were forced to come
from other states in Mr.. NcKinley's do
minion to find work in Kansas how can
they attribute the prosperity of Kansas
to Mckinley without accusing him of
discrimination against their native
states?
From these figures we make the pre-
diction, now that Bryan will carry kan
sas by at least $4,000 plurality