Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-05
TRYING FgR:IlHE HOUSE
" IS
Democrats Working in Close
Congressional Districts.
b y
"GUM sH6B"1 CAMPAIGN
HAVE NO HOPE OF ELECTING
NATIONAL TICKET.
But According to Republican Leaders
in Chicago They Are Striving to
Secure Congressman.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
CHICAGO. October 3, 1904.
Republican national leaders at the Chi
cago headquarters declare that the demo-
Gratis have practically abandoned hope Of
carrying the country for Parker and Davis
and are nov straining every effort and
spending money literally in a gum shoe"
campaign In the close congressional dis
trlcts OF the country. The democrats are
determined to get control of the House. ac-
cording to these republican leaders, and
believe they stand much better chance of
accomplishing this than of electing Parker
and Davis
Representative James A. Tawney, chair
man of the republican national speakers
bureau, asserts that this is the plan Of the
democrats
This campaign is interesting only for it's
peculiarities," said Mr.. Tawney. Not the
least peculiar thing about it is the closing
of the headquarters of the democratic con-
gressional committee in Washington. I
believe-and my opinion is borne out by
what l have been told by credible demo-
cratic authority-that the national COM
mittee is devoting most of it's energies to
an effort to change the complexion of the
lower House of Congress-
Money in Close District.
"The national committee is sending
money into every close district in the coun-
try" continued Mr. Tawney. THE money
is going into republican states where there
is no hope for the national ticket. In this
state the democratic national committee is
preparing to send money into the twenty
second, twentyfourth and twenty-fifth dis
tricts. Bitter contests are to be waged
against Representatives Rodenberg and
Smith in the twenty-Second and twenty
fifth districts, and to defeat Chapman in
the twenty-fourth, who is opposing Repre-
sentative Williams. The committees ac-
ton indicates it has abandoned the attempt
to elect Parker and is bending it's energies
to capture the lower House. 1t has to de-
feat only fifteen republicans and maintain
the present democratic representation to
secure majority.
When Chairman Babcock recently de-
clared the republicans were in danger of
losing the House he was sounding no false
alarm. The campaign is of the gum shoe
variety, and is intended to catch the re-
publicans off their guard. They declared
their intention of abandoning the congress
sional campaign when they closed the con-
gressional headquarters in Washington a
few weeks ago The campaign was not
abandoned, however, but simply transferred
to New York and placed in the hands of
the national executive committee"
Mr.. TaWney says that he was warned by
a prominent New York democrat, now a
member of Tammany Hall, that the repub
licans would have the hottest congression-
al fight on their hands the country has seen
in years BY lullfng the republican ma
chine to sleep in the strong republican
states like Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and in
the eastern states the democrats hope, ac-
cOrding to the theory:iof Mr.. Tawney, to
slip into the doubtful districts and carry
them. - i $500. ,.5E
Race Issue in the Campaign.
Republicans see a plan to inject the race
issue into the campaign in Chicago in the
announcement that Senatorr"Ben' Tillman
of South Carolina is coming here to make
strong" speeches in the stockyards dis
trct between October 6 and H. 1t is de-
clared by republicans that the 'pitchfork"
statesman will raise the cry of Roosevelt
and the negro" and because of the already
strong feeling against the colored race ex-
listing among the 10000 packing house
workers. owing to the fact that several
thousand negroes were imported to take
the places of union strikers, democrats are
said to believe that the union men may be
easily induced to vote, almost to man.
for Parker and Davis.
The democrats expect to open their state
campaign with national speakers soon.
The looked-for list of speakers assigned to
Illinois by the national committee has not
yet been received by the state committee
1t was said yesterday that John G. Carlisle
and Charles A. Towne will make demo-
cratic speeches in the state some time dur
ing the campaign. A special effort is be-
ing made to secure David B. HILL Martin
w. Littleton and John Sharp Williams as
speakers. Thomas p. Gore the blind popu-
list orator of Texas, has been secured by
the democrats to speak in Chicago
Republican managers also charge another
plan to create prejudice against President
Roosevelt among union workmen by the
importation of leaders of the Colorado
miners war, who in their speeches censure
the President for not interfering to pro-
tect the union workers of sta ia
the crusade of Governor Peabody and Cen
eral Bell. Several of these union SPELL
binders are now working among the unions
in both Illinois and Indiana
On the other hand, the republican ma
tonal committee purposes to carry the
fight into Colorado with vengeance. The
speakers bureau has selected besides other
orators, three strong labor experts to go
into the state and make a determined effort
to organize it strongly for Roosevelt.
The report that the republican national
committee has closed its campaign in the
west and is now rushing it's speakers east
is not confirmed at Headquarters While
the republicans will make hard fight in
New York, West Virginia, Connecticut,
delaware, Rhode Island and Maryland,
there is no intention or disposition to relax
effort in the west. The story that the west
would be abandoned on the theory that it is
safe for Roosevelt grew out of the fact
mat Secretary of War Taft has Cancelled
all his western engagements after October
~ and proposes to take the stump in the
east owing to mistake in arranging the
dates
Among the First Voters.
A canvass among first voters, republican
managers report, indicates that a large
percentage of them are supporters of
Roosevelt. A poll of thirty-eight first voters
in one township in Carroll county developed
that thirty-seven Of them were for Roose-
welt. In Dundee E. S. Dawsley has organic
ed 100 first voterssout Of a possible no
The first news from the poll of the state
being made by the republicans came from
Peoria county. Ferty-nine out of fifty-two
precincts indicates that President Roosevelt
will carry the county by from 800 to 1000
votes. President Mckinley carried Peoria
county by 1887, although Mckinley was 600
votes stronger than Governor Tanner in
1896 and 203 stronger than Governor Yates
in 1900 1t is asssrtedcthat the poll show
ed that Deneen, republican candidate for
governor will run even If not ahead of
Roosevelt. ST
The republicans began a thorough cam
vass of Cook county last week. Five thou
sand men are employed in the roundup.