The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-08-05
IT WAS M KINLEYS IN '96
The Issue Of Imperialism May Now
Give it to Bryan.
BUT LITTLE CHANCE IS NECESSARY
And Several Of the Middle West States Would
Go to Bryan. A Table Given Shows
Their German-American Popula-
ton and Estimated Vote.
ton and Estimated Vote.
Washington Post.)

The result of the Presidential election
this year, it is generally conceded, hinges
upon the States of the Middle West, sew
eral of the sparsely settled trans Missis-
sippi Commonwealth, and Maryland,
Delaware, West Virginia, and Kentucky.
In 1896 Mckinley carried all the States
in question which lie this side of the
Mississippi River. OF the trans Missis-
sippi States which are to figure promin-
emily in 1900, Bryan carried four years
ago the following: South Dakota, Mon
tana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, and
Kansas, with a total of thirty-one cleo
toral votes. He was forty eight electoral
votes shy of the number necessary to
elect.
1t is contended by Democratic managers
that the trans Mississippi States carried
by Bryan four years ago, with the single
exception of Washington, are safe for
him this year, a claim which the Repub-
licans are by no means ready to concede.
AT any rate, it is quite certain that
Democratic success cannot be achieved
without important gains east of the Mis-
sissippi River. This fact, as we'll as the
new issues which have come to the front
since the last election, makes the Middle
West and one or two of the Eastern
States the battle ground of the campaign.
Since the former Democratic States of
New York. New Jersey, and Connecticut
are conceded to the Republicans by most
of the Democratic leaders, the parties are
to line up for a death struggle in the
States of Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin,
Minnesota Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia,
Kentucky Maryland and Delaware. The
first six of these States contain a large
German American population, and it is
this fact which leads Democrats to hope,
through the issue of Imperialism, to re-
verse the decisive Republican majorities
which these States gave in 1896.
Unfortunately the twelfth census will
not be completed in time to give exact
figures with regard to the distribution OF
the German American population. The
figures of the eleventh census, however,
give some excellent bases for estimates.
The German Americans must be divided
into two classes, namely, those of German
nativity and native Americans of German
born parentage. In 1890 there were in
the United States, 2,7S4,S94 foreign born
German Americans, and 4,066,670 natives
of German-born parentage, making the
German American population of the
country 6S51,564 in 1890. In the battle
ground States were the following German
American populations:
GERMAN POPULATION BY STATES.
Ohio, 672,444; Indiana, 268, 1885, Illinois,
sol ,574; Michigan, GIG, 1851; Wisconsin, $685.
ESQ; Minnesota, 27S,063 Nebraska 1863 ,675;
Kentucky, 103, 1922 Kansas, 124,658.
According to present estimates of popu-
lation, there are now in the country some
rs COO, 900 people, an increase during the
decade of about "a per cent, If the in
crease among the German Americans has
been as much as 20 per cent, and this is
a conservative estimate, the German
American population of the above men
toned States is about as follows: Ohio,
S07 900: Indiana, 32l COO; Illinois, 962 600;
Michigan, 100000; Wisconsin, Isl, 900;
Kansas, $50, 900: Kentucky, 1874, 900
From these figures it is not difficult to
estimate approximately the German
American vote of these State. In 1896
Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois polled at least
% per cent of their entire population
something entirely unprecedented. The
usual ratio on full vote has been one
vote to every five people, and this will be
a conservative proportion by which to es-
innate the German American vote OF
1900. On this basis the present German
American vote of the nine States would
be as follows:
ESTIMATES FOR THIS ELECTION.