The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-10-25

A A State win be much closer than he newspaper prophets generally pre-
 weak spet h RepasIican Line.
 -.In your own party" asked another veteran. what do. you re- Eard as the weakest spot7-
 sAn apathetic tendency. I don. be- lieve the Democrats will convert enough to be- worth counting: but unless our people get more ginger into them, there will be so many stay-att- homes on election day as to leave the State in peril if not defeat us"
 what class Of citizens are most apa- thetic?'
 "A class of whom you never hear any one speak in a campaign-the salaried men. We feel pretty sure of the farmers, for they have had huge crops, got top prices. cleared themselves. of debt. and feel first rate: they don't want any change which might disturb existing conditions. and we know from our canvassers' lists that we are going to pull in large section from the Democratic farmer crowd on that one issue. while don't know of a single Republican farmer who has turned Democrat.
 Neither are we afraid of the wage earners-the lsborer and the mechanic with their dinner paiis. In this State the workingmen have had gen. orally steady employment at good who would vote our ticket at any time and under any conditions we shall hold this year; I have no fear of them. for they have profited by the prosperity of the country which began with Mo Kinley's first election and has lasted pretty steadily since. and they know that they are, well off.
 "But the safarfed man--he is the fel- low who grits his teeth when we talk about the prosperity of the country and the era of high wages and high prices He has had no share in the increased value set upon labor; he has nothing to sell for big price. like the farmeI or the manufacturer. A half-dozen years ago he was getting $t,500 year for selling dry goods or keeping books or si.s00 for standing six hours day behind q teIler's window in q hank To-day he Is getting sl.seo or ti.seo for the same sort of work. But mean while his family has increased, there are larger ones to be clothed; some of. them have passed the primary school stage and crave . higher and more expensive education. And all this time the cost of nearly everything that enters into the provisions for g comfortable domestic life has gone soaring into the air. The same sal ary which bought a few Injuries six years ago has to be trimmed down tc the purchase of mere necessaries now gowns, and his children's stockings all have gone up, while his means fol supplying himself with them has con. tinued on a dead level.
 Now. am not looking to see these people go over to Parker, as a rule I think more of them would have beer attracted by an outright free trad platform. with its suggestion of cheap CT necessaries. than will respond to { platform as conservative on the tariff as that adopted ct St. Louis. Bu many of them, from present appear ances. have a notion of staying a home. Uuless we can arrange tc drag them out by main force. we shal lose half vote in every case by thei apathy"
 Newspaper Organ Lacking.
 There are some other points o weakness which neither of my Repub lican informants laid much stress upon and yet which have caused great un easiness among the rank and file. Tn first of these Is the lack of a newspa per organ. The old Journal, whicl was In Morton's time and for man, years later the newspaper mainstay O the Republican party. fell into decrepi tude financially some time ago, an, was bought and reorganized under tn name of the Star. Its price, reduce to one cent, and an abundance of re- ink, large type, and sensational texi contributed to build up & rousing cir culation. but the best judgment her indicates that 1t has never paid ex
 penses. Although keeping the ol' title in a subordinate and very incon spicuous headline. 1t lost all the char acteristics of the Journal familiar t the faithful, particularly in the great CT interest 1t showed in exploitinI what the Democrats were doing tha in working up Republican news. s
 much complaint has been heard on al sides of the lack of a Republican morn ing newspaper in the chief city of
 pivotal State that the Star has, withi
 day or two. been bought by a syndi cate of Republicans, who intend t gaIvanize the old name and make tn paper do yeomen service during tn
 brief remnant of the campaign. Is reported that John c. New conduct ed the negotiations. moved thereto b party pride. and that apart from it generally Republican tone the restore
 Journal will become the organ of Sen ator Beveridge.
 Senator Fairbanks. Mir. Beveridge' colleague and political rival, has al organ already, as far as an independan newspaper can be SO styled. This i the News, an extremely good paper cleverly edited, and universally req
 in it's home city and widely through out the State The News never had till this campaign was on, any particu
 lar use for Mir. Roosevelt as a Presi dential candidate. Had Mir. Hanni
 consented to run, 1t would have waste
 no time in getting into his vanguard
 With him out of the field, and Senate
 Fairbanks willing to take the frs
 place, the News would have supporte'
 MT. Fairbanks cordially from the frs
 hour of the preliminary campaign til the closing of the polls on election | day. But Roosevelt's renominatioi
 once conceded. "the subsequent proceed ings interested it no more" and 1t tool
 a half-cynical attitude of independenct as far as the top of the ticket wa
 concerned. When Fairbanks accepte'
 the second place. 1t warmed up to tha
 nomipation as the one thing whicl could possibly take Indiana out of tn
 doubtful column. For all practica
 purposes. The News for the last thre' months has been flying the Republican Iflag with the Union down. Of lat 1t has found life better worth living
 and Roosevelt a possibility to whicl
 1t can become reconciled If necessary
 still the chIll which has enveloped |
 so long cannot be dispelled by day.