Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-04
NOT YET LIVELY IN OHIO
NO GREAT POLITICAL ACTIVITY
FOLLOWED FORMAL OPENING.
Neither Party Has Made Any Signifi-
cant Movement - Leaders Feeling
Their Way Cautiously.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star

special correspondence Of The Evening Star
COLUMBUS, Ohio, October 3. 1904.
with the formal opening of the state cam
paign on both sides of the political fence in
Ohio, political interest has been arrested
somewhat, but in spite of the energetic
work done the campaign promises to be an
apathetfc one for presidential year. Poll
ucians, however, are beginning to figure
upon much larger vote than was anfict-
pated earlier In the year. By new law
OF last winter the municipal elections in
Ohio usually held in the spring were all
postponed until the regular fall election.
A proposition to change the constitution so
as to have the general elections come in the
even years and the municipal elections in
the ODD years, all elections to be held in
the fall. Is pending. This was a concession
10 the advocates of wide separation of mu-
nlc1pal elections from the general, but
whether 1t will carry or not is very doubt
full
The merging Of general elections with mu-
nlcipal elections was an idea of the late
act was one of the last efforts of the sena-
tor In the Ohio legislature. Local interest
IN the municipal elections cannot fail to
interest voters and help draw them to the
pervisor l. c. Laylin is now predicting the
largest vote ever cast in Ohio. The record
Is now 100000, cast in 1896.
Poverty of stete Campaign Notable.
Neither party is making any considerable
number of announcements of prominent
speakers for the campaign, and the poverty
OK the state campaign in this regard prom
Uses to be most remarkable The republicans
nave speakers bureau in connection with
their state campaign headquarters and
usually by this time in state campaign
dozens of such assignments of speakers
are made daily. So far it has only bulle-
tined Speaker Cannon for three speeches in
yet.
The democrats have announced a single
speech from David b. HILL He is to sneak
at Mansfield on the evening of October 90
state Chairman H. c. CARRIER promises that
ex-President Cleveland will make one adj
dress in the State, having received assur-
ances that he will be willing to do this on
his way to Chicago, where he is to speak
late in the month.
The fact that Gov. Herrick made the
Brannock act his first subject of discussion
under state matters in his opening speech
at Warren Saturday shows that he regards
saloon law in Ohio last winter as a very
importan issue even in this campaign. It
Is sure to be still more important in the
campaign of next year. All the synods
conferences and other ecclesiastical bodies
meeting in the state this fall have adopted
resolutions more or less severely censuring
the governor for using the veto power to
force the Anti-Saloon League to submit to
teration of the bill before it could be
passed.
Herrick and the Saloon Law.
The issue will be forced more particularly
against the governor when he comes I'D for
reelection next year, but it will not be
wholly without application in the present
campaign, and will cost the republicans
many votes. The governor is out in a
statement to the effect that he will be a.
candidate for the nomination again next
year, thus setting at rest a rumor To the
effect that he intended to avoid the issue
Dy Withdrawing from the race.
In an interview just published Gov. Her
rick has denied that the relations between
Senator Dick and himself are strained AS
he put 1t. their relations are as cordial as
ever Perhaps they were never very cor
DIAL 1t is a fact known of all here that
Gov Herrick has visited the state head
quarters only once in the two months thew
have been open here, and that was on an
occasion when Chairman Dick was absent
on trip east. Secretary Malloy calls fire.
quently at the governors office, but Chair
man DICK is not seen there.
The only outward sign of cooperation in
the campaign came last week, when Gov.
Herrlck furnished the state committee with
letter intended to be used circular
among the well-known but non-officehoId-
Ing republicans of the state asking for con-
trlbutions to the state campaign fund The
governor said in this letter simply that as
a member of the national committee for
ONO he would be gratified to see a large
plurality in Ohio for President Roosevelt
Paucity of Funds for Campaign.
The sum total received by the republican
state committee for campaign purposes. in
cluolng the campaign assessments upon
state officeholders, up to date is but slightly
IN excess OF $4,000. That is not much more
than quarter of the sum used in most of
the recent state campaigns by this commit
Zee. Though even at that it is far more
than the democrats will have for their cam
palsn, a committee used to operating a
campaign on a liberal basis finds 1t hard 70
accommodate itself to such meager fund
AS usual In Ohio the democrats have next
TO nothing with which to meet the expenses
OF the campaign. Probably $4,000 will ex-
press the wealth in the hands of the treas
urer of the committee. There is but a sim
gle democratic state Official and he is only
deputy accountant. Nothing like official
assessment is possible to them The demo-
cratic county officers are assessed for their
county campaigns and will not stand for a
second assessment.
The bulk of the democratic vote in this
state lies In the, rural districts. This was
always SO, but stree 1896 the condition has
been made more pronounced. Farmers make
up the rank and file of the democratic party
in Ohio. Now the farmers are getting the
very best of the industrial and financial
conditions. The workers in the cities have
employment and get good wages, but the
prices of all that they have to buy have
risen so that they make little more than
they did five or six years ago. But with
the farmer it is different. Farm wages
have increased very little; he raises most of
what he needs for living; he has excellent
crops here this year. and with wheat well
over the dollar mark and corn bringing
half dollar at the local markets, the
democratic farmer in Ohio has good reason
to be we'll satisfied with conditions. They
are better than he has felt under any ad-
ministration in the last quarter of CEN
fury For this reason 1t is fair to expect a
democratic loss in the democratic strong
hold of this state this fall.
The Congressional Elections.
AS to the congressional elections, the
democrats are now laying claim to another
republican district, the fifteenth, now rep
resented by H. c. Van Voorhis The re-
publicans have nominated there Beman G..
Dawes of Marietta. There was bitter
fight over the nomination, and in one
county of the district. Guernsey, it Is still
going on. Dawes will lose republican votes
no doubt, but hardly enough to give the
district to the democrats. At the last cleo
ton Van Voorhis was elected by only LOCO
votes. 1t is upon this small plurality that
the democrats are basing their claim to the
district. But the fact Is that when Mr.. Van
Voorhis was a candidate he had consider
able faction of his party-probably as