Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-22
APATHY IN ILLINOIS
Falling Off in Registration
All Over State.
BOTH SIDES UNEASY
BUT EACH CLAIMS NOT TO BE
HURT.
Representative Lorimer's Vaudeville
Canvass Makes q Decided Hit
in Chicago.


Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
CHICAGO. October 20. 1902
In the campaign in Illinois fierce denun-
Citations of the trusts are to be heard on all
sides. coupled generally with criticisms OF
the republican party, more or less severe,
as being responsible for the evils of monop
| oily. or at least derelict in its duty in the
way OF attempting to correct them. There
are also lively discussions of tariff reform,
but the political managers of both parties
| in the state admit that they almost in
despair over the apathy Of the voters
evinced so far in the campaign. The repub
licans have held meeting after meeting in
the various parts of Chicago, which have
proven 'frosts" In every sense of that
felicitous slang term At one of these meet
| ings, held under the auspices of the Mohi-
can Club, an organization Of wealthy and
influential republicans, at which Represen-
| tative A. J. Hopkins. candidate for United
States senator to succeed VIM. E. Mason,
was the star attraction. Judge Eldridge
Hanacy publicly rebuked the republicans Of
the district, and the members of the club In
particular, for the slim attendance. He de-
clared it insult to the distinguished
speaker. Other meetings addressed by
prominent leaders Of the party from various
states have Jared no better, and the local
managers were in despair until the rotund
and ever resourceful Billy Lorimer, can
didate for Congress In the sixth district of
this city, and puissant boss of the state
machinery, introduced feature of his first
campaign for Congress- big circus tent,
with complete vaudeville program as a
| wind-up of the political rally.
The first meeting held under canvas
proved literally a "howling' success. the
bowling being a pronounced feature of the
occasion furnished by young America who
a r.
sons present. 1t is the plan of the man
ayers to hold the circus political meetings
in every part OF Chicago. The tent used
will accommodate more than 10000 persons.
Thirty canvasmen, twenty-five horses. a
brass band and a corps of clerks are ad
juncts of a caravan that totally eclipses the
glories Of Tom Johnsons famous outfit.
Character comedians, monologsts, vocal
lists, acrobats and moving pictures fea-
lures of the amusement program.
Another Sign of Apathy.
Another serious indication of apathy was
the falling off in the regstra ton in this
city and the state at large The total for
the two days registration in Chicago
showed a loss of 65, 1875 from the regstra-
ton of 1900 When it Is considered that
the population of the city has increased at
least over 100000 it will be understood
why the politicians Of both parties are wor-
red over the matter.
bOln SlOeS are claiming the advantage
from this Indifference of the voters but the
republicans seem to have the most reason
for jubilation in the fact that the per-
centage of voters who neglected to register
was considerably greater in the democratic
districts than in the republican territory.
Chairman Fred Rowe of the republican
state central committee views the neglect
of the voters to register as a usual incident
of an off year, and says that no advan-
tage will accrue from 1t to either party.
Republican managers not alone in
their trouble. Apathy among the democrats
of the state has spread even to the candi-
dates. to the extent that Chairman John P.
Hopkins of the state central committee, as
well as the local campaign managers, have
had to round up the recalcitrant aspirants
and tell them frankly that unless they paid
their assessments they would be allowed to
manage their own campaigns This refers
especially to the state and county candi-
dates. Those democrats seeking election to
Congress as a general thing have not been
slow with their money. They are making
stiff fights even in strong republican dis
tricts, and the leaders of the party are con-
fidently claiming thirteen of the twenty
five seats which the census of 1900 gives
this state in the national House of Repre-
SentativeS
The present delegation in Congress num-
berS twenty-five, of whom eleven are dem
ocrats, four of the latter being Chicagoans.
Republican managers claim more than
fair majority of the delegation, however.
They do not fear that the antitrust agita-
for a reduction in those tariff schedules
that may be called the ramparts of monop-
oily, will hurt their chances much, for the
reason that leaders of the party generally
in the state are in warm accord with the
Iowa tariff reform plank. Congressional
candidates of the party all over the state
are spiking the democratic guns on the
question Of tariff reform by making bold
and unequivocal declarations In favor of
repeal of all duties on the products of the
big combinations which crushing out
free competition in business and fixing
prices in defiance Of the laws of supply and
demand. Moreover, the most of them are
taking radical stand in favor of stringent
restrictive and corrective laws directed at
saries of life.
True Of All Sections.
This is true not only of those candidates
whose constituents are chiefly rural, but
Of those in Chicago where the mighty in
terests Of capital might be expected to have
sufficient influence to prevent any out
spoken radicalism on their part. One of the
most emphatic Of those republican candidates
who favor extreme measures is M. B. Mad
den In the first district, important men,
Der of the Lorimer-Yates machine. and one
of the most astute politicians in the state.
In a recent speech Mr.. Madden pledged
himself If elected to Congress to do all in
his power to secure an amendment to the
interstate commerce act which will prevent
any more railroad mergers and disrupt
those already in existence. and to labor for
national law which will throttle all
trusts which control the neceSsaries of life,
such as fuel and foodstuffs.
Republican politicians generally are
breathing great signs of relief and satisfac-
ton over the happy termination Of the PresI-
dents efforts to secure a settlement of the
strike of the anthracite coal miners. Many
of them were frank In admitting to their
friends that unless 1t were settled before
the election there would be a landslide at
v~a1l. 81 u
state at least. Even now, although they
are uniting in paean of praise for the