Evening star., 1900-10-27
No Political Apathy in Hoosier State
This Year.
INTEREST IN ALL TIE ISSUES
Large PurchasabIe Vote Which
May Decide the Contest.
FARMERS FOR M'KINLEY
Special From a Staff Correspondent.

campaign is to be found in its perfection in
the state of Indiana. There may be apathy
in other sections, Indifference in one place.
overconfidence in another, but here in In
diana the campaign is a live, tangible thing.
occupying the attention of every able
bodied citizen. This is an old-fashioned,
rough-and-tumble fight between the two big
parties, with several others mixing in the
fray, to the no little confusion of the main
belligerents The middle-of-the-road popu-
lists the prohibitionists and the Debs or
socialist labor party are taking an active
part in the proceedings. This is one of the
old-time Indiana campaigns, in which the
state is close and doubtful up to election
day. and claimed by both sides. Then, at
the last moment, one side which possesses
resources and the ability to put them to
the best use jumps in and wins the final
round of the fight. Next week will witness
the crOwning effort of the political man
ayers to carry the STATE. Arrangements
have been made to turn an army of speak
ers loose upon the already excited public,
and the air will resound with oratory from
the Ohio river to the Michigan line and
from the eastern border to the western.
The Democratic Big Guns.
On the democratic side the host of
smaller fry will be headed by Bailey Of
Texas, Golden Rule" Jones of Toledo,
Senator Tilman of South Carolina, lowne
Of Minnesota, Ex-Governor Altgeld of Illi-
nois, Hogg of Texas and Mr. Adlai Steven
son.
The republicans are also preparing to
send their big guns into the state, for al
though no republican manager doubts that
Mckinley will carry Indiana, they know
enough Of the fickleness of Indiana voters
to realize that a situation can change here
over night, and that moreover there is al
ways a respectable numbers Of voters to
be obtained the closing iaVS the
campaign. All kinds of devices are resorted
to by the managers to arouse the peo-
pie. Barbecues, at which 10000 people are
fed on roast oxs and buTgoo, parades and
professions are the commonest features
The republicans of Logansport are to have
a unique celebration, giving a practical
Twenty thousand paper buckets have been
provided, and they will be filled with
dinner consisting of chicken, baked clans,
boiled potato. bread, etc, and these pals
tending the rally. Every town has Its
organization of Rough Riders. Fire
works bands and torchlight professions
make the nights lively, and in the larger
towns meetings are held nightly in dozen
places.
Rough and Ready OratOry.
The oratory which is furnished in the ru-
raj districts most is of the rough and ready
sort, in which the audience often acts as
interlocutor, and the speaker, unless he has
ready wit, finds himself overslaughed. The
curbstone orators have resumed business
at the old stands in Indiana, and all about
the city during the day the little groups of
people gather around the expounders of
good democratic, republican or populiStic
doctrines 1t is a campaign in earnest, and
the people are thoroughly aroused
One reason why so much interest is shown
in the campaign is that there are SO many
issues in Indiana which are alive, some of
them very active, that practically dead
in other states. There are the mid-road
populists, who are just as excited about
free silver and the initiative and referen-
dunn as they We're in '98. There are the
prohibitionists, who are stirred to the quick
over the canteen question, of which there
is only an occasional echo in the east.
There are the socialists, with Eugene Debs
at their head who will really poll some
votes, and working hard for converts
to their peculiar doctrines. In the indus
trial regions the trust is the bone of con-
tention; and everywhere, of course, the
coming empire thrusts its dreaded shadow
before and alarms some part of the popu-
lace
Position Of the Republicans.
Against all this hullabaloo the poor re-
publcans can only interpose their one lit
tie plea of good times and prosperity, which
are everywhere in evidence and beg that
the country be let alone to do its work and
enjoy the fruits thereof. In this dispatch
tails of the situation. If 1t but serves to
transmit an impression of the state of pub
lie mind, the confusion doubt and uncer-
tainty, the issues which are troubling the
people and the extent of the cOmmotion, its
object will be accomplished
One would be surprised to know to what
an extent the canteen question Is figuring
in this campaign. There are entire COM
munitieS where the sentiment is normally
strong republican that are now bitterly in
censed against the President because the
canteen system is permitted to prevail in
the army. The prohibition vote may upset
some calculations in close districts this
fall. The Germans are keeping the politi-
clans of both parties guessing all the time
uncertainties finding themselves between
the devil and the deep blue with free
silver threatened on one side and miliarism
alleged on the other The gold democrats
also. Some of them have come back into the
party but there is big silent vote among
this faction, and it is very hard to locate
them.
Large Purchasable Vote.
Then there are the foaters, the purchas-
able element, who must be reckoned with.
I was told today of one community not far
from here where there are 1,S0O Of this
class, forming 10 per cent Of the voting pop
ulation, and who must be bought outright.
Somebody will get them, Of course. al
though now they are holding back little,
market One of the problems in dealing
with this class is to get them to stay
bought" Various devices have been used
in the past, favorite one to supply an
envelope the shape of the ballot with
strip of carbon paper inside. The ballot
was laid on the envelope to be marked and
the impress on the carbon showed that it
was marked in the right place. and when
presented to the purchaser, entitled the
voter to the money
Sometimes a man would not consent to
a nnnnSifinn uyn
for a consideration not to vote his own.
Then he would tear off a piece Of the bal
lot and present it as evidence. Under the
law the mutilated ballot would be thrown
out and the vote lost.
One hears in the east stories of big sums
of money going into Indiana for use in the
campaign. The corroborative evidence
which thrusts itself upon ones attention
here makes such tales at least creditable.
Last but not least is that powerful ele-
ment, the farmer vote, of which such won
derful things are expected this fall bv the
republicans. When the republicans admit
that the labor vote is drifting to Bryan
they ALWAYS add. but the farmers are com.