The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-09-06
POLITICAL NOTES AND GOSSIP.

Vest Virginia Is safe.-Washington
ians who have recently given attention to
the situation in West Virginia have no
doubt about that State swinging back into
the Democratic column this year. Mr.. Bry-
ans tour has been of inestinable value,
but it is believed that even if he had not
-Xisted the State the result in November
would have been the same, though. of
course, his personal contact with the peo-
pie will increase the majority. 1t has been
very well understood all along that the
Democrats would carry the Legislature.
thereby electing the successor to Senator
Elkins. The State has been so gerryman-
dered that the Democrats could lose the
electoral and State tickets and still control
the Legislature by safe working
majority Fears at one time were
entertained that in their eager
ness to regain the Senatorship the
party managers in West Virginia would
Internationally neglect the national and
State tickets while concentrating their eff
forts upon the Legislature. But these
fears have been completely dispelled. ap-
parently, by recent events in the State.
Not the least of these in point of import
ance is the certainty that Col Thomas B.
Davis is working earnestly. loyalty, and
intelligently for Bryan and Stevenson. At
a sacrifice of personal interests Colonel
Davis accepted the nomination for Con-
gress in the Second district. which was
for so long time represented by the Hon
William l. Wilson, and he is now organ
izing the Democratic forces of the dis
trict for determined onslaught all down
the line of the enemy's defences. The dis
trIct at present is represented by the Hon.
A. G. Dayton, who has been renominated
by the Republicans In the last election
Mr.. Dayton defeated the Hon. John
t McGraw, the Democratic candidate,
by an extremely narrow margin-oniy
ga plurality. Had the full Demo-
cratic vote been cast Mr.. McGraw
would have been elected. Colonel Davis is
a brother of the Hon. Henry G. Davis.
ia therin-law of Senator Elkins. The Hon.
Henry G. Davis presided yesterday at the
Bryan meeting at Keyser, and in terms
that were unequivocal pledged his support
10 Mr.. Bryan. Mr.. Davis bolted Mr.. Bry-
an four years ago, though his brother, the
candidate for Congress, remained loyal to
the party. The Davis influence in West
Virginia is very strong and widespread. The
family wealth is enormous, and as most OF
il is located in West Virginia it can De
understood what is meant to Mr., Bryan
by the support OF the Davis family.
Croker StiII observation-disclosures
the New York Democratic State Conven-
tion viii assemble at Saratoga next Tues
day the gubernatortal situation seems
quite as undeterminable as it was a week
ago. The Hon. Richard Croker continues
to declare openly and above board that
CoIer shall not be nominated If he can
prevent it, but at the same time Croker
continues to assert that he does not
know who win be placed at the head OF
the State ticket Stanchfield and Mackey
are the names most frequently mentioned
by men close to Croker as the most like
ly candidates. but it is generally coneed-
Cd that until Boss Mclaughlin, OF Brook
Ign, makes a choice it viii not be safe 10
hazard predictions. With persistency
that renders the situation all the more
pulling, CoIer's supporters claim that
Mclaughlin is still his friend and
at the proper time Will prove this
to be the fact 1t is significant,
however, that Mclaughlin has not said
a word fer the public indicating his in
/ tention to use his balance OF power in the
! convention through his control of the
! Kings county delegation to nominate
! Coler. Yesterday Croker claimed, without
giving the figures, to have enough votes
( to defeat Coler, even II Mclaughlin
/ should attempt to nominate the Comp
tToller. If this is true, it will show in
disputably that the national managers
! of the party, as intimeted several days
! ago in The Times special dispatches
! from New York, are working with Croker
! for the complete humiliation and eiimi-
nation of the Hon David Bennett Hill
! Vice Chairman Stone, of the National
/ Committee, and manager of the Bryan
! and Stevenson campaign in the East had
! a conference yesterday with Mclaughlin
/ and at its close no word of comfort for
| Coler could be extracted either from Stone
| or Mclaughlin. This is interpreted by
/ Cookers leutenants as sure sign that
| Governor Stone has advised Mclaughlin
| not 10 insist upon the nomination of Coler
| Stanchfeld's character and record are
| above reprOsch, and he has bee,
! identified with Hill for many
years, both in business and
politics, And. still it is strongly intimated
/ that Stanchield would be entirely accept
/ abe to Croker. Mackey has leaned toward
/ Croker in the factional fights, and it Is
said that he is on Cookers slate for Lieu
tenant Governor. If this should be the
/ ticket it would leave no reasonable ground
! for Hill to sulk in the campaign.