Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-04

tons today, correctly sized up the situation
when he said, From present indications;
we will have no plums to pass around,
therefore there is occasion for great
activity in Kentucky"
On the other hand, the republicans feel
confident that Roosevelt will not need the
vote of Kentucky to insure his election,
consequently they are not doing great
deal to carry the state. A well-known re-
publican editor, in conversation with The
Stars correspondent, reflected the popular
feeling when he declared, "If the election
of Roosevelt depended on the vote of Ken
lucky we could deliver it,
Element of Uncertainty.
There is, however, an element of uncer-
tainty underlying the situation that puzzles
the best-posted politicians. The free silver
democratic and the popuistic vote, which
is an unknown quantity in this election, is
responsible for considerable specula ton and
doubt. 1t has been dozen years since the
populists have gone it alone in Kentucky,
and it is hard to foretell what strength
they will develop this year. The populst
vote is being estimated all the way from
fifteen to thirty thousand. The return OF
the sound money democrats to their old
party will, in a measure. offset the free
silver detection 1t is estimated that fully
so per cent of the sound money democrats
are again IN line ana VIII tDlS year vote CnS
ticket.
Apathy among the voters will cut down
the total number of votes poled, which.
from present indications, will fall several
thousand short of the governors race last
fall and the presidential race four years
ago. The hard fights being waged in the
third and fifth congressional districts, and
in lesser degree in the ninth district, add
whatever of life and spice there is to the
Kentucky canvass.
Secretary Shaw addressed a great gather
ing in Louisville Tuesday night. His speech
was one of the best that has been delivered
in Kentucky this year. The democrats are
endeavOring to make arrangements for a
big rally in Louisville the latter part of the
week to counterfeit the effect of the Shaw
meeting. The committee is trying to secure
Senator Tillman or Henry G. Davis
Making Speeches.
John W. Yerkes, commissioner of internal
revenue. who had planned to make speech
es in Kentucky this week, will not be able
to do SO account of a serious throat
complication, and his dates are being filed
by other speakers. Ex-Gov. Bradley will
close the campaign for the republicans with
a big meeting in NicholaSVille on Saturday.
The defeat of Judge Parker next week
will be the signal for greater battle in
Kentucky than the presidential campaign
is now producing. The Bryanites are sit
ting back and looking on, saying to the
men now in control of the party machinery,
You must make good or get out" A big
fight is inevitable, the old silver men
are sure to attempt to wrest the party
organization from the present managers.
Any slump in the democratic vote in Ken
lucky will aid them in their endeavor, and
they will not be slow to make use of the
same to illustrate the incompetency of
those now running affairs. The present
party management is not popular, and a
new set of men will seek to control it's
destinies. Blackburn will lead the fight for
reorganization and his political future will
be one of the stakes fought for The silver
men are even now preparing for the test of
strength and are confident of victory.
The CoIored Vote.
Kentucky has a considerable colored vote,
somewhat different from what it has been
in recent years. The democrats heretofore
have been making inroads on the colored
vote to no small extent. A great many
colored democratic clubs sprang up over
the state, and they welded considerable in
fiuence among certain classes of colored
voters. This movement has worried the re-
publicanS no little but they were powerless
to check it, as the colored organizations
had the cordial assistance of the demo-
cratic politicians.
This year the colored voters are again
lined up with the republicans and but little
is heard of the colored democratic organiza
tions. This new condition is traceable to the
agitation before the last legislature of a
grandfather" DISTINGUISHING law. Also to
the abusive speeches being made by demo-
cratic orators, in which they are especially
severe on the colored man and brother.
DISTINGUISHING Black Men.
"a in point was a speech delivered at
Richmond this week by Representative Gill
bert, who is always harsh in his references
to the colored people. He was especially so
on this OCCASION and talked at length about
the urgent need of laws to disfranchise the
black man. The speaking was attended by
several colored democrats, among them
Col" Sam Patton, president of the Rich
mond Colored Democratic Club, and who
was with Morgans command during the
civil war as valet to a confederate soldier.
Patton was incenSed at the remarks of the
eighth district representative, and declared
after the meeting that the members of his
organization would no longer affiliate with
a party that sought to destroy the colored
henceforth vote the republican ticket.
Absolutely no betting is being done in
Kentucky on the general result or any
other feature of the election. There is some
money offered by republicans, however,
that the republicans in Kentucky will in
crease their congressional representation,
but this proposition finds no takers The
republicans are confident Of victory in the
third district likewise in the fifth district
The ninth Is close, and the eighth and tenth
are doubtful.
The democrats have revised their esti-
mates on the state and are now claiming
it by only ten thousand. The republicans
are giving out no figures, but cheerfully
claim the state as doubtful, with good pros