Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-04
Both Parties Making Ready for a
Contest There.
STATE Is IN DOUBTFUL COLUMN
Democratic Claims, However, Are
Vague and Unreliable.
SOME POINTS INVOLVE ED
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star

CHICAGO. ILL.,, September 3, 1900
Harry New of Indianapolis, a member OF
the national republican committee, Is In
charge of the campaign in his own state.
He is an active politician and an aggressive
fighter and thoroughly familiar with the
politics of Indiana, both national and local.
Indiana is conceded by the republicans to
be the most doubtful of any of the large
states which were carried by the repub-
licans in 1896, but they do not allow that
the democrats have any ground for the
confidence with which they predict plural
ity for Bryan in Indiana in November.
No one who visits the headquarters Of the
two parties in Chicago can fail to be i'm
pressed by the fact that the republicans are
much surer of their ground and much bet
ter supplied with incontrovertble facts and
figures than are the democrats. The lat
ter deal entirely in concentrations and hap
hazard reports which are discounted by the
evident optimism governing them all and
by the prejudiced sources from which they
are obtained. The republicans, on Inc con-
trary, take nothing for granted. They
have in the state of Indiana the most COM
plete political organization known In this
country. 1t is composed of $500 precincts,
in each of which is a chairman, who has
an accurate list of all the voters in his pre-
cinct and classified according to their polit-
ical utilization. Close tab is kept on each
one of these voters by men who are per-
sonal acquaintance, and to the precinct
chairman is reported any change of polit-
zeal opinion which may become known.
Republican Poll of the State.
Six months ago, through these precinct
chairmen, an accurate poll was taken of the
entire state. 1t has since been claimed by
the democrats that this poll showed ma
jority for Bryan of $4,000. Warren Bigler,
secretary of the state republican commit
tee emphatically denies this to be the case,
and while he says that figures will be
given out. as the results are regarded as
secret. this poll was very favorable to the
republicans, so much so that it showed a
greater majority for Mckinley than the
latter received In 1896.
The state committee will not rest upon
this poll, however for guidance during the
next two months, and another will be taken
September o. This is expected to show the
exact status of the political opinion in the
state. The strong and the weak points will
be developed and the results will guide the
campaign committee in the work to be done
between now and election day The demo-
Gratis are very free in their estimate of the
majority they expect to have for BRYAN in
Indiana in November. These estimates are
SO general and so evidently based lIDon in
sufficient data that they lack value except
as they indicate considerable optimism and
consequent hard campaigning by that party
In the state.
The republicans are not making anv ex-
travagant claims: they admit they have a
nSht on their hands. but as Mr. New saws
there Is always a fight in Indiana and no
presidential candidate has ever carried the
state by plurality exceeding 1 per cent of
the total vote Even in 1896. in the great
republican landslide, Mckinley's majority
was but 5000, and the situation requires
unrelaxing effort to keep the state in the
republican column. Free silver and anti
N
astic support in Indiana as issues, and the
democrats. recognizing this state of condi-
tons are making their fight on the trust
question