The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-10-08
Parker Managers Have High
Hopes He Will Win Indiana
for Them.
TOM TAGGART'S HOLD
ON THE NEGRO VOTE
sixty-Day Polls Show the Repub-
icans in Lead in Hoosier
State.
BY w. w. Jermane.

diana which w. j. Bryan is about to .
make. AS the state now stands, it's
electoral vote is certain to be cast for
Roosevelt. Bryan g eloauence may pos
Of Chairman Taggart, who has as much
at stake as anybody, and knows Indiana
thoroly. He thinks that Bryan con-
trolls the Indiana silver democrats.
Thirty speeches will be made by the
peerless leader at storm centers,
and then if Parker doesn't carry the
state, Taggart will feel that he has
done all that was possible.
The situation in Indiana is the re-
verse Of what it was four and eight
years ago. Then the gold democrats
were disgruntled and threatening re-
volt. The silver democrats were in fine
form and their support of Bryan was
the gold democrats are in line for the
ticket, and the silver democrats are
threatening revolt. Unless Bryan can
turn them it is fairly certain that. on
election day they will support Roose
welt or Watson in large numbers, thus
giving the state to Roosevelt by .plu-
rality perhaps as large as that by which
1t was Garr M f f5s ygo 700 600
votes. Bryan four years ago polled
$4,000 votes there. The greater por--
ton of that vote was cast by ardent
believers in free silver. Speaking
Of the outlook this year, John w. Kern,
democratic nominee for governor, says
that many Indiana democrats have a
"greater affection for Bryan than for
any public man since Hendricks time, =
and then he goes on to say that "of the
315,000 who voted for Bryan for presi-
dent, more than fve-sixths so voted
because they believed as he did on the
coinage question, and very large ma
jority still think as he does
This is the opinion Of an expert, and
1crats generally expect the Indiana out
look to change radically as the result
of the Bryan visit. If the silver demo-
Gratis support Parker, Indiana will be
as close as it was in several presidential
campaigns preceding 1896; but If they
refuse to support him, Roosevelt will
carry the state by Mckinley plurality.
The sixty-Day Polls.
The republicans find cause for encous-
iagement In their sixty day. poll of the
/ state, which shows probable plurality
for Roosevelt of about 10000. The
democratic poll made at the same time
also hints at republican plurality.
Too much reliance, however; should not
not be placed on these early polls, fog
4 they are little more than census Of the
voting population. The canvassers go
from house to house, in town and coun,
try, getting the number and names OF
the voters. This information is usually
secured from the female members. Of
the household, frequently from the hired
help, and in the nature Of the case, it
cannot be definite and final. The poll
that counts is the one 81 made thirty days.
ahead of election - THIS POI nc. not Gniy
location, bit it includes careful sum
mary of every voters opinion, so far as
he is willing to express 1t, either to the
canvasser or to his friends. This poll
will separate the independent and the
vacillating vote from that which is safe,
Where there is likelihood Of gains or
losses. With this information in hand,
an intelligent idea may be had OF what
, the real drift is in Indiana. meanwhile,
prediction is based on surmise or partt-
. zan expectation.
Taggart and the Negro Vote.
Indiana has about $4,000 negro vot;
ers, or many more than enough to J. hold
} the balance Of power. It is unlikely
that the state will go either for Roose-
} welt or Parker by plurality as large
county, which form a congressional dis
} trict, there are about 5000 negro voters,
and this is practically the plurality by
which Representative Jesse Overstreet
is usually elected. Tom Taggart Is
especially strong with the negroes esa, A. A.
usuaiiy employs about $50 Of them, and
! from time to time it is said that he has
/ had the larger part Of the colored com.
Z munity on Ills payroll. .
When Taggart says that he will carry
Indiana for Parker, he has the negro
attempt to hire the negroes to go to the
s polls and vote the democratic ticket, fol
! under the Australian law there would be
9 no way of knowing whether he had re
i, ceived the goods, So it is his practice tt
:, hire them to stay at home on election
n day.
!. Here is an incident which will give :
f fair idea of his method. The day aftel
' he had been elected mayor of Indianap
t oils by his largest majority; the discov
r cry was made that he had kept 200 ne
r groes locked up during voting hours tn
"a urbs. After the polls had closed. on
- of his men went to the barn, and I'm
q locking it, had the negroes come out on
i at a time in response to the call OF thel
= names, when each was handed So. Al
. effort was made to proceed against Tag
CART in the courts, but it was soon as
certained that there was no cause TO
action. The negroes had gone into tn
barn voluntarily, and SO no law hal
been violated.
Hitting at overstreet.
N It is doubtful if there is whit
VI man in the state who has warme
place in the negro heaft than Taggart
His -kindnesses to the race have bee
o. many, and for years he has been IN tn
3 habit Of taking care of many of thei
=. poor every winter. Work of that kind
y. Of course, counts nightly in a campaig
"a wear. The latest manifestation Of tn
! Taggart hold. on the negroes of lL
=, diana was made recently when the ed
70 tor Of a negro newspaper in Indianape
= lis one Of the brightest men Of hi
race in the state, announced himsel
an Independent candidate for cor
gress from the Indianapolis distric1
- On the platform that Mr.. Overstree
VI had never done anything for the rae,
g. It is charged, without successful cor
OF tradiction thus far, that this negro ed
n tor announced his candidacy immediat.
ks IL following conference with Tagga1
Of and two other prominent democrats. j