The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-07-25
AN EVEN CHANCE
TO WIN INDIANA
LEADERS THERE REGARD CONDI-
TONS AS UNUSUALLY FAVOR
ABLE FOR THEM.
McKinley's Plurality In 1870 was 49,
%70, But This Year Republican
Factions are Confronted by
United Democracy.

Samuel :, -i-.''--'- Indianapolis Special
| to New 49,. !. re-.
| Indiana Democrats expect to curry
the gate for Parker and Davis.
40 do this they must overturn Re-
publican plurality OF 2S,41s which Nc
Kfnley received in 1900. This is about
the normal figure, for John w. Kern.
the Democratic candidate for Governor
was defeated in 1900 by 25.163.
There isn't a Democrat of any conse-
ouence in the State who does not be-
lieve that Parker has an even chance
here. There are two predominating
reasons for this belief:
First-The return to the party Of the
business men, both in the cities and the
country; who left In 1895 and voted for
Second-The Republican factional
fight, now Intensified by the struggle
/ for the seat in the Senate occupied by
Charles w. Fairbanks. the Republican
candidate for Vice-President.
Indiana is a Bryan state. That Is,
the bulk of the Democrats look on
Bryan as their leader, and are ready
to follow him. There has been. of
course. sound money Democratic
vote, but. by and large, the majority Of
the $4,000 to $4,000 Democrats in the
State are Bryan men. There were
nearly $4,000 Bryan votes In the last
Presidential election. These men sent
Parker delegates to the National con-
vention, rot as a protest against Bry-
an or as a demand for sound money
but as a rebuke to The methods of Will
liam r. Hearst, who came into the
State early in the year and began a
Hearst campaign in all that that i'm
plies.
Now that the National Convention
has nominated a sound money man for
President and has, to all intents and
purposes, put him in the field on gold
plank as radical as any Republican
convention ever adopted, they are con-
tent to get out and work for Parker,
because they desire Democratic sue
cess above all things and are willing
to abide by the will of the majority.
Party In United.
The leaders Of the party who have
been around the State since the con-
vention are satisfied with the outlook
They say the most encouraging sign of
a united party Is the attitude of the
country merchants and bankers. In
Indiana, and everywhere else for that
matter, the country merchant and the
country banker are political factors
not to be despised. They influence
and control many votes. In 1895. when
the State went for Mckinley by about
$4,000, a tremendous corruption fund
was expended here. 1t Is sturdily
claimed by the Democrats that they
carried Indiana for Bryan on the mer-
its of the votes, but that the State was
bought away from them. The Repub-
licans laugh at this claim and point to
the increased majority In 1900 as an
evidence that the State is now safely
Republican and has ceased to be de-
batable ground.
The offset of this claim is found in
the gas belt. When gas was discovered
in Indiana, the Democrats say. the ma
| jority of the workmen who came to
| the glass factories and the other indus
trial enterprises that sprang up were
| Republicans. Now gas has failed and
most of these workmen have left the
State. This the Democrats say, brings
| the State back to it's normal condition
| and makes 1t one to be won by the
Democrats If the right sort of a cam
! paign is made.
Return of the Disaffected. ,
| What is true of the merchants in the
country towns is also true in the cities
| A canvass of indianapolis shows that
the majority of the business men-the
bankers, the capitalists and the men
of affairs were formerly Democrats,
| but voted for Mckinley and have re-
turned to their party and are enthusi-
astically for Parker. This is true in
| Terre Haute. Anderson. Lafayette,
Evansville. Fort Wayne, Muncie, and
| all the other thriving cities of the
State. The leaders say they have a
united party and on that basis a good
| chance to win.
The Democratic State Convention
] will be held on August 3. Thus far
there are two leading candidates for
| Governor. d. M. Ralston. of Lebanon
and w. w. Stevens. of Salem. There are
other candidates, but these men are
| most favorably considered by the lead
| ers. Both are regular Democrats who
stayed with the party: both are popu-
lar and either would make a good
| campaign. The Indianapolis conven-
| ton which sent the Parker delegation
| to the National Convention did not
adopt a platform. What Thomas Tag
| CART, John w. Kern and the other men
were fighting for at that time was to
| crush out Hearst. The resolutions
adopted merely instructed the delega-
ton for Parker, adopted the unit rule
Endorsed Taggart for National Chair
| man and stated specifically that the
| platform should be left to the State
Convention to be called to nominate
State candidates. as entirely within the
province of that convention.
There Is no apprehension on the part
| adopted by the August convention will
not be satisfactory to all Democrats.
As soon as the State ticket is nomi-
| mated the active campaign win begin.
The Democrts of the State are in
tensely interested in the meeting of
the National Committee to be held In
| New York next Tuesday. when Ma
tional Chairman will be selected. They
want Thomas Taggart to have the
place, and will be greatly disappointed
II he does not get 1t. They say that
New York has the Presidential candi-
date, that Davis Is an Eastern man
practically. and that the Middle West
should have the Craftsmanship They
make no threats of disloyalty If Tag
CART is not chosen, but they hope the
National Committee will follow it's own
unanimous Endorsement of Taggart and
select him to manage the campaign.
Republican Faction Fight.
There have always been two bitter
factions in the Republican party.
Early last spring. when it became
known that Fairbanks was the most
likely candidate for the Vice-Presiden-
cy, the men who want to succeed him
in the Senate began lining up their for
ees Now there are half a dozen can