Evening star., 1901-10-10
CAMPAIGN IN OHIO
So Far Little Interest Has Been
Manifested.
BRYAN EMBARRASSES DEMOCRATS
BY Offering His Services to Take
the Stump.
HIS LETTER UNANSWERED
pecial Correspondence of The Evening Star.

COLUMBUS, Ohio. October o. 1901.
The opposition to the regular democratic
state ticket because the state convention
failed to indorse William J. Bryan and was
silent on the silver question has wholly
collapsed Under the leadership of George
A. Groot of Cleveland a convention of So
called Bryan democrats was held here three
weeks after the democratic state conven-
tion. which organized ''the progressive
democratic party" and nominated a full
state ticket. . go.
1t was not a large convention and three
or the seven candidates, who seem to have
been nominated without their knowledge
or consent, promptly declined the nomina-
tions But it was supposed that the COM
mlttee in charge would fill the vacancies
and proceed to have the ticket placed on
the state ballot by petition, as the law re-
quires. The time limit within which such
petitions must be filed with the secretary of
state was reached last Saturday, and none
was presented. This means that there will
be but one democratic ticket on the state
ballot this year, and that the turning
down" of Bryan and free silver In the DEM
ocratic state convention will have very
little effect upon the election.
Six Tickets I'm the Field.
There will probably be six tickets on the
ballot That many have been presented to
the secretary of state but he has not
passed upon them yet They are the re-
publican, democratic, prohibition, union re-
form, socialist and socialist-labor. Between
the two organizations last named there is
ll-feeling, and the socialists have filed a
protest against the admission of the social
ist-labor ticket to the state ballot. Little
attention Is paid by the practical politi-
clans to the so-called side issue" tickets.
1t is probable that they will not all to-
gether receive $4,000 votes.
1t is a difficult campaign to gauge intel
ligently. There are few reliable indications
to judge by. Not a political meeting has
been held In the state, and none will be
held for two weeks yet. One thing is GER
tain-the people are taking little interest
in the election. This being republican
state, that would seem to be favorable to
the democrats. Campaigns marked by gen.
eral apathy are generally favorable to the
minority. 1t looks now as though the total
vote would not far exceed 100000. There
are about /, 100000 voters in the state
The republicans seem to have entirely
satisfied the Anti-Saloon League by not
nominating Lieutenant Governor John A.
Caldwell for another term. No opposition
whatever seems to be coming from that
source now.
Democrats Embarrassed by Bryan
rnEr Letter. .-~--
The democrats are somewhat embarrassed
by letter from William ]. Bryan offer
ing his services III aiding the election of
Col. kilbourne as governor. At a recent
meeting Of the state executive committee
it was decided not to invite distinguished
democrats from other states to speak in the
campaign, because it was deemed not ex-
pedent to do SO. In Offering the resolution
to this effect, L. j. Bernard of Cincinnati
referred especially to Senator Hill. who. he
said, was rather anxious to speak in the
Ohio campaign, but it Is believed that Ber-
nard, who is a lieutenant in politics of
John r. Mclean, had Mr.. Bryan in mind.
In accordance with his resolution. however,
the committee had invited neither Senator
Hill nor Mr.. Bryan. The fact of the mat
ter is that the democrats would very much
like to have Mr. Bryan here to speak for
the state ticket, but they fear he would not
overlook the opportunity to put a few holes
In the anti-Bryan platform that the Ohio
democrats placed him on. They would
gladly have Mr.. Hill here too, but to invite
him and not Mr.. Bryan would offend the
radical Bryan democrats IN the party. The
Bryan letter is still unanswered but Ii is
certain that he will not come to Ohio to
speak under the auspices of the democratic
state committee.
The democrats have succeeded in bring
ing the republicans to state issues. Tom
Johnson's taxation fight has driven the re-
publicans to assume the defensive. The re-
publican newspapers are discussing this
far more than they are any national mat
ter But they have apparently turned the
johnson gun upon the democrats for they
have shown from Col. Kilbourne's own tax
that II Johnson Is correct Col. Kilbourne
Is himself a tax-dodger
Sheet Steel Makers Strike Over
The end Of the sheet steel makers strike
is hailed with qualification by the republi-
cans. Though the strikers have lost prac-
tically all that they contended for, the
fight is ended long enough In advance of
the election 1t Is thought for all feeling
in the matter to be quieted before that
time. The republicans feared detection in
the eastern counties as the result of this
labor trouble.
Governor Nash's health has improved
much more than his friends believed pos
sible when he was nominated. Impatient
to get into the political harness he has been
attending many of the county fairs while
waiting for the formal campaign opening
making addresses of a semi-politicaI ma
ture.
1t Is perhaps significant that though the
state has been going republican lately by
from 10000 to 100000 even the more en-
thusiastic republicans predicting no
more than $4,000 plurality this year.
Battle Monument Dedicated
MOUNT PLEASANT, W. Va, October