The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-10-16
HOW WILL GER MANS VOTE
They Are Not Talking and Nobody
can Accurately Predict.
LABOR VOTE NEARLY SOLID FOR BRYAN
He Will Get Nearly All the Vote Cast For Golden
Rule Jones in 1889. Monnett's Posi-
tion is Also Helpful. En-
thusiastc Meetings.
Editorial Correspondence.)

Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct. 13.-If Bryan
does not carry Ohio, all signs will fail
this year. He lost the State in 1896 by
some fifty thousand upon vote SO large
as to disclose dishonest padding. If the
election in this State had been conducted
as fairly in 1896 as it was conducted in
North Carolina, Bryan would have had it's
electoral vote by as large a plurality as
he carried North Carolina. In that year
the Democracy of the State was divided
and unable to present united front.
Many of the most prominent Democrats
in the State, led by such men as Con-
gressman Cultivate who is now eating
Republican pie, left the party and car
ried hundreds and thousands with them.
The state of decentralization that follow
cd these defections could not be over
come by the election. In this State for
some years there has been a steady in
crease of the German Democratic vote. 1t
reached its high-water mark in 1892. In
1896 most of the Democratic Germans
voted against Bryan. Almost without eX-
ception they are now with Bryan. Yester-
day at Dayton, when Bryan spoke at the
Fair Grounds, the wee chairman was a
prominent German who was the mayor
of the city. He was a lifelong Democrat
and had been elected as Democrat, but
he was so strong for the gold standard
that he voted against Bryan in 1896. This
year he is heart and soul for Bryan, and
says that Bryan will make great gains in
Ohio.
The truth about the German vote of
this State will not be known until it
is cast The Republicans admit that they
will lose some, but they claim that it
will be very little. In 1896 the Republi-
cans carried this city by something like
$4,000. They do not claim more than 12,
900 this year. In the county of Mont
gomery. of which Dayton is the chief
city, Mckinley had 2700 majority in 1896
Last year the Republican candidate for
Governor had about 1,700 plurality and
Jones got a large vote there The Jones
vote will give at least so per cent of it
to Bryan. The Democrats claim a gain of
1000 in Mon tgomery over 1896 In every
county / have visited in Ohio there is
a feeling of confidence among Democrats
that they will make gains If the gains
claimed in Montgomery and Hamilton are
samples, McKinleys 1896 majority will
be wiped out easily, for it is believed
the gains in Toledo and Cleveland will
be larger than elsewhere in the State. At
Akron and Mansfield Bryan had the big
gest meetings ever known and the en-
thusiasm was beyond description.
The Democrats do not expect to mako
much, nroads upon the farmer vote. That
vote Us pretty well divided between the
parties and it will vote practically as it
did in 1896 The trust issue will gain
some votes, but there are some who voted
90 fnn Gil icc1 w
not do so this year when that issue is
not paramount. The gains and losses of
the country vote will not be large and
viii not be a determining factor. The
hope of carrying Ohio by the Democrats
is based upon four things:
L. They expect to poll the largest per
cent of the German vote. In 1896 this
vote was almost solid for Mckinley 1t
is known that there will be some gains.
If it is large, the Democrats can carry
the State without any other help with
the 1896 vote. If it is small there is no
hope of success from this vote. How will
the German vote? Nobody knows.
talked with two prominent Democrats
one in Butler county and one in Mont
gomery county. The first county is al
ways Democratic. The Butler county
Democrat said that the hope of large
gains from the German vote would not
be realized-that they were divided and
would vote almost as heretofore "but,"
he added "we will get the vote of every
German Democrat who left in 1896
That will give a good gap/in itself. The
Montgomery county Democrat said that
not only would all the German Democrats
who voted for Mckinley in 1896 vote for
Bryan this year, but that many Repub-
licans would do likewise. He gave name
after name of men of his own acouaint-
.ance who would do So Moreover he said:
''Very manv will do so who arc saying
nothing about it. They do not wish to be
troubled by their Republican associates.
They are saving wood and saying nothing.
but you will see in November that they
will nut in vote all right against i'm
perialism and militarism."
2. The labor vote. Every indication
points to Bryan's receiving three-fourths
of the labor vote-I mean organized labor.
In 1896 he had the support of many OF the
labor leaders, but the policy of coercion
was enforced so generally that the ma
jority voted for Mckinley. 1t was COM
paratively easy in 1896. when there had
been a panic to say to a workingman:
"If you do not vote for Mckinley, our fac
tory will close down." or "if Bryan is
elected we cannot open our factory" and