The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-23
POLITICAL NOTES AND GOSSIP.
Good Indiana News.-one of the bi,

Good Indiana News.-One of the big
gest Democrats in the country. who re-
Gently has made quiet but thorough in
vestisaton of the political conditions in
Indiana. asserts With positiyeness un-
hampered by contingencies that his party
will make a clean sweep in that State in
November. even adding at least two and
possibly three to ats Congressional dele
cation. For msny.gears there has been
deprecated conviction in Democratic
minds that to start with, there are more
Democrats than Republicans in Indiana,
and that when the party has lost, either
in State or national elections, Ii was due
to superior management on the part OF
the Republicans in most instances and IN
other instances of downright Republican
dishonesy and corruption. II is no longer
a suspicion. but positive conviction, that
the Hannaites stole Indiana in 1896 by
process of false returns which cannot be
resorted to in the forthcoming election by
reason of the fac. that the law which
made this rascality possible has since
been repealed. The law under which the
last election was held in Indiana per-
mitted the clerks and judges at the polls
to destroy all ballots Immediately after
they were counted. 1t is openly charged
by the Democrats that the Republicans
took advantage of this four years ago to
count Mckinley in and count Bryan cdr.
II was made all the easier then because
in most cases the Republicans in osten-
sibly observing the bipartisan election
law. put only at the polls such Democrats
as claimed to be Palmer and Buckner
men. In other cases they chose corrupt
or weak Democrats who it was known
would wink at Republican rascality. With
practically nobody on the returning boards
the Democrats were powerless to prevent
the Republicans from doing with the
count what they pleased, and as the law
then permitted the destruction Of the bal
lots at each poll as sooa as the count was
complete. the Republicans felt perfectly
secure in classifying the returns. But I'M
der the revised law of Indiana the ballots
are not to be go destroyed. and consequent
ly there can be recount, with the danger
of q penitentiary sentence for all rascals
caught. il either side demand recount.
Then, too. the Republicans cannot again
fill the Democratic quota of election
boards with any but Democrats. For the
most part the Palmer and Buckner voters
in Hoosierdom have come back to the
party in good faith and are earnestly
working for the success of Bryan and
Stevenson. Besides. there is now no third
party movement to give the Republicans
an opportunity to take advantage Of the
Democrats at the polls in the way indi-
Gated. In addition to I'll of. these advan-
tages which the Hoosier Democracy did
not have four years ago is a still more
important factor on the side of the Demo-
Gratis this year. That is that the majority
OF the county governments are in the
hands OF the Democrats. guaranteeing
that the control Of the election machinery
will not be altogether in the hands of the
Republicans this year, as was the case in
1886. 1t is confidently expected that Mr..
Hanna will pour great deal more money
into Indiana this year than he did in the
last campaign. but in spite OF this the
Democrats believe. for the reasons here
stated that the Indiana electoral vote
cannot be stolen in November.