The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1904-10-21


New York, Oct. 19. - The betting
odds on the curb in this city are now
10 to in favor of Roosevelt, and even
at these figures there is not much
Parker money in sight. This is on
the general result.
So far as the state is concerned, the
betting is about even as between
Herrick and Higgins they are consid-
erably smaller than they We're ten
days or two weeks ago all of which
is believed to indicate that the repub.
lican situation here is improving.
Republicans hope to carry New
York, especially for the Roosevelt
electors, because of what they say is
the improved character of the upstate
the same bolt with rural Vermont,
and what Vermont will do, it will do
SO the republicans argue There is
a good deal of talk about apathy all
over the country, and many members
of both parties profess to be unable
satisfactorily to interpret it. This
isn't true of the republican leaders in
New York, however. They point to
the apathy which existed in Vermont
prior to the September election. 1t is
so marked as to cause great anxiety
among republicans everywhere. Nei-
ther side could arouse enthusiasm.
The meetings We're poorly attended,
the few voters who came did so from
a sense of duty the speakers were
chilled to the bone night after night,
and the outlook was unpromising
The democrats said 1.-The vote will
be light, and that will mean a falling
off of the republican pluralities. Out
of every block of ten voters staying at
home on election day, seven will be
republicans, and only three democrats.
This apathy is all in our favor"
Strangely enough, the republicans
had no words with which to meet this
democratic assertion, and all they
could do was to hope for the best and
wait for the vote to be counted on
election night. Then they discovered
that the apathy of the campaign had
been due to the fact that the voters
had made up their minds what they
were going to do. Vermont more than
held its own so far as the republican
plurality was concerned, and on the
basis of the democratic claim, Judge
Parker's election was out of the Ques.
ton.
Cannon Not so Anxious.
Speaker Cannon was quoted Satur
day as being at a loss to understand
the apathy which has taken posses
sion of the people everywhere, but the
speakers anxiety is not as great as he
would have the country believe He
campaigned in Vermont this fall, and
he knows what the situation is in
New York. His Saturday utterance
was simply intended to suggest that
there should not be any overconfi
dence on the part of the republicans
Northern New York is cut off the
same bolt with Vermont. It's rural
citizens are closely akin to those OF
thought, speech and in political feel
ings. 1t is fair assumption that what
Vermont did last month, rural New
YORK will do next month. and that will
mean that the Roosevelt electors will
come down to the Harlem river with
plurality of anywhere from 10000
to 100000, which cannot be offset BY
any democratic plurality which car
be rolled up in Greater New York
This is the basis of the hope which
republicans have that New York this
year will be for Roosevelt. Coco
weather will mean a heavy poll, while
bad weather will mean a small poll
In the cities, on the contrary, and it is
here that the democratic vote is chief
ly located, weather conditions cut NJ
figure either way.
Odel Wants Legal Vote.
Recent activities of the republican
state committee in this city indicate
that the city vote will be more nearly
legal this year than it usually is
Governor Odell, chairman of the com
mittee, who has so much at stake ir
this campaign. is paying particular at
tention to the city during the registra
tion period, which is now at hand
and it is said that there will be to
tai of about 25O,0OO republican chal
lenges of alleged fraudulent voters
who desire to have their names placed
on the poll books. Nearly all of these
challenges will strike straight at the
democrats, whose methods of coloniz
ing and making citizens out of for
eigners for election purposes, are vel
known to the general public.
Early in September, when the ques
ton was being raised as to whether
Governor Cdell was at heart for the
president, or whether he was not pre-
pairing to give him a formal support
on the surface and quietly knife hin
under cover, it was very generally ad
mtted that the supreme test Of the
Odell loyalty would be made when 1
came time to watch the registration
of voters in this city. 1t was admitted
that the governor had an organization
back of him which would enable hin