The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1902-10-04

ported the mid oad Populist Social
ist and other less important tickets in
,he legislative campaign voted for
Flynn. as their combined strength
was less than 900 IN 1900 The last
explanation seems to be that a heavy
lnterate vote was cast for Flynn.
The poores we're the ones most ben.
eftted by bis free home measure
and the poorest were most responsive
in their gratitude The word con
fused" might be used in place of II.
lite ate as a man need not be Hitter
ate TO blunder in marking his ballot
The man Of least experience, howev-
or. IS most likely to make a mistake.
The Ballots Puzzle.
The congressional ticket was on
one sheet and the legislative and
county tickets were on another sheet
in the last election. Hiterate voters
and even many men VINO could read
and write became confused They
wanted to vote for Flynn and knew
that his name was first on the con.
gressional ticket and found no diff
hculty in stamping 1t. Many made no
effort to cast a legislative and coun-
ty ballot and possibly mutilated It if
they did This theory is acceptable
to some Republicans who doubt that
their party is in the mino fiy in Ok
lahoma, although the Democrats had
an average legislative majority of q
S9S above tha Republicans in 1900.
These Republicans say tnat a large
number of negroes voted for Flynn
and then either did not vote the legls
lative ticket or underod and mutil.
ated their legislative ballots Should
all the tickets De put on one sheet
this year the arrangement will be to
the disadvantage of Mcclure. as II
would have been to Flynn two year
ago.
Republicans dsclage aud many
Democrats admit that in the last two
years more Republican than Demo
cratic votes entered that portion OF
Oklahoma not embraced in the three
new counties. This belIef was strong
enough 20 prevent one Democrat Of
strength from becoming a candidate
for the congressional nomination. The
heavy immigration into Old Oklahoma
has come from northern states. These
northern men bought improved farms.
rather than undergo the hardships OF
pioneering In the new counties, and
those who sold. many of them being
In the strip counties where Republi-
cans are numerous, bought relin-
quishments in the Kiowa and Co
manche country. There e Republi.
cans who claim that their party in
old Oklahoma has gained z per cent
in voting strength over the Democrats
in the last two years This is be
lieved to be too liberal = more con
8ervatiye estimate Is that in every 100
new votes the Republicans have gain
ed four or in the ratio of fiftytwo
Republicans or fortyeight Democ ats.
At least 5000 ne wvoters have set
tied in old Oklahoma in the period
named, giving the Republicans about
800 more votes than they had. At the
same time the negro voc has de.
creased, TO what extent no one knows.
In off years in past Oklahoma cam.
paigns Republicans were moe active
than Democrats The latter never had
a congressional candidate that could
cope with Flynn in his resourceful
campaigning. and the rank and file
soon grew disheartened in watching
what they believed 10 be a losing
race. In this campaign there are
two things inimioal to the Republi-
cans enjoying their usual success in
on yea s. The FIRST is that Cross Is
convincing a number of his partisans
that he will be elected, which makes
the bandwagon an attractive place to
mon who hayeW been sitting way
back watching the procession go by.
The second is that Cross is making a
schoolhouse campaign in the Demo.
cratic -trongholds. especially In
Greer county, where there is Dem
ocrat or a budding Demooat on every
bush. Once thoroughly aroused and
brought to The polls the Democ ats of
Greer county would pile up a major
ity that would make the ballot boxes
crack with the strain. Gross Is de.