The Portland daily press., 1900-10-12

There are only three states about which
the Herald's correspondents will not
hazard an opinion. These are Indiana.
Idaho and Montana with total of twen-
ty-one electoral votes. These states are
classed as doubtful, and the report of
the Herald conservative correspondent,
who has just been through Indiana, is
printed today.
Mckinley s strength comes from the
New England and Middle States, in
cIuoing Delaware; from the middle Vest
ern States, including West Virginia and
excluding Indiana; from the far Western
State of Kansas; from the Northwest, in
Guiding the Dakotas and Wyoming, and
from the unbroken Pacific Coast.
Bryan's strength is made up Of the
almost solid South, exseptin g West Vir-
ginia (15O Electors), and of Nebraska,
Colorado and Utah. Bryan to win must
knock the apparently solid Repu ublican
column literally to pieces. Even II he
should carry all the doubtful states, in
Guiding Indiana, and add illinois, West
Virginia and Delaware to his list, he
would have only 222 electoral votes, or
college. This Indicates that to be elected
Bryan must carry New York.
The Herald, in order to ascertain the
drift OF the campaign, has had men at
work in all the states that have been
considered doubtful Careful inquiry
has been made in Indiana, Illinois, Ken
tucky, West Virginia, Maryland, Della
ware, Kansas, North and South Dakota,
Ohio, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Color
/ \, ~ De- ~
| LEGATIONS of conditions in New York
state have also been made with Wow to
testing the Democratic claim that this
state is doubtful. There are no signs on
the surface to indicate that New York is
doubtful. Nothing short of a political
revolution can give 1t to Bryan, and
nothing portends such a revolution at
this stage of the campaign.
According to the HeraId's correspond
ents Mckinley will hold all the states he
carried in 1885 excepting Maryland and
Kentucky, which show an inclination to
go for Bryan, and Indiana, which is
doubtful and is the scene of a desperate
political conflict.
Bryan, on the other hand, will hold
the states he had in 1895, with the excep-
ton of Kansas, South Dakota, Wyoming
and Washington, which are now reported
reasonably certain to cast their electoral
V0Ges IOF Mch1nley, ana lGano and Mon
tana, which are conceded to be doubtful.
The best information Obtainable is that
the Republicans have no chance whatever
to carry Missouri, Colorado, Utah and
Nevada, which they are claiming and
that the Democrats have an equally
hopeless prospect in their efforts to
break into the states of New York, New
Jersey OF Connections,
Ths worst situation for the Republi
cans is in Cook county, Illinois, where
Chicago is situated. The Republicans
expect Cook county to go against them
bscause of labor troubles in the building
trades. Cook county went for Mckinley
in 1895 by 90, 677, but Illinois outside Of
Cook county gave Mckinley Y, ,821 plu-
rality. The problem now is to have the
vote Of Chicago sWamped by the farmer
vote -of the rest of the state,
But, as pointed out, the Democrats to
succeed must make other gains from the
Republicans than from Illinois. Mr.,
Bryan has only fairly started on hiz
speaking campaign. He has great faith
in his persuasive eloquence and expects
to set the earth on fire this month.
David B. Hill says Bryan is going to
steadily grow in strength and will be
elected. What are apparently reliable es-
Inmates at present may have to be revised
after Bryan's eastern tour