Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-24
ARE GLOOMY
Republicans Much Disturbed
at Reports of Conditions.
HARD FIGHT NECESSARY
Trend Against Them in Several Mid
die West States.
SENTIMENT FAVORS A CHANGE
Criticism of Hitchcock's Methods
Characterized as Unjust-Much
Effective Work Done.
HARD FIGHT NECESSARY
SENTIMENT FAVORS A CHANGE
Special From Staff Correspondent.

| CHICAGO, ILL.,, September 24.-That
! dark-looking lowering cloud which you see
| on the horizon upon approaching Chicago
| is not the smoke and CRIME usually de-
| noting the nearnesS of the windy city.
You will observe that there is added
| grayness, sullenness and gloomness
which does not characterize the every
day pail hanging over the city.
| No, dear friend; what you see is the
gloom settling DER republican national
! headquarters. And those occasional
| flashes are not from the rolling mills and
| steel furnaces. marking a run of hot
| metal. They are the bombs which Mr..
Hearst, Mr. Bryan and Gov. Sheldon are
exploding, and which lend only a sinister
flare rather than a festive illumination
to the dark scene.
But that rainbow above the mark? Ah
! true. there is rainbow. 1t signifies Mr..
! Tafts personal entry into the campaign
with a valiSe full of ginger He is on
the job at last. much to the relief of the
| waiting republicans, who have chafed un-
| der the enforced restraint of campaign
| which up to this time has shown none of
| the force and fire which Mr.. Bryan has
| infused into his efforts. But to leave this
| idle figure of speech and get down to facts.
| 1t is not to be denied that the republicans
| are in very anxious state of mind at
|
| their way in the past two weeks, not by
a long shot. and they cannot help but
realize it. Ugly situations in a number of
states are confronting the republicans. and
| the present drift of political affairs seems
| to be against them.
| This is not to say that they are in a
panic, or that sort of thing. 1t is not to
predict what may be the condition when
the voters go to the polls. November 3.
nor even to forecast the state of feeling
which may exist two weeks hence when
Taft and Hughes have stirred the west.
II Is the purpose of these dispatches to
describe the conditions they exist for
the time, to call the cards as they fall
and not to forestall the cash-in.
D1scouraging Reports Received.
The fact remains that reports of actual
conditions in several states which ought
to be regarded as safely republican indi-
cate that the republicans will have to
make fight, and a mighty competent
strenuous and politically skillful fight.
before they can claim the states, unless
they would be like the man who cheats
himself in playing solitaire. Here in Chi
cago you get hold of the strings which
lead into number of these middle west
states and, as a spider in the center of
the web. feel the vibrations from the
outermost rings.
The buzzing does not sound good to the
republicans.
There is Indiana. Well. if you get an
honest avowal for publication from the
republican managers in that state 1t prob
ably would be tnat Indiana is already in
the discard; that as indications now
point the state is framed up to go demo-
cratic on the state ticket and that Taft
will have to fight. and fight hard, for the
electoral vote.
| There is Illinois: the state torn with
| local factiOnal troubles the labor vote in
doubt, the negro vote vacillating apathy
| ruling among farmers and business men
and a general state of dissatisfaction,
hard to particularize, but regarded as
| lnimical to republican prospects at this
| time-at this time, mind you.
| There is Ohio. Well about Ohio one
| republican OF prominence in that state
| said to me today: The situation in Ohio
| is just about bad as it could be-"
| However, that statement coming from the
particular person IN question should be
| taken with d grain of salt, since he diff
fers with the Roosevelt idea of dealing
| with Senator Foraker and may be urPiuly
| discouraged. But from other sourcaJ
| comes the information that the labor
vote is sullen and secretive; that the trend
| is against the republicans, but that sal
vation may be found in the great farmer
vote, which is declared to be in the main
| republican. The natural deduction is that
| Ohio is a doubtful state. the result de-
pending upon the relative offset of the
| farmer vote to the labor disaffecton, and
| prediction.
| There is West Virginia The republi-
cans who talk honestly, but not for quo
| tation, summarize the situation in one
| word Rotten"
There is Maryland The best indication
| of the republican feeling is the fact
! that the managers have scheduled Gov.
| hughes for number of speeches, be-
| ginning at Cumberland and ending at
Baltimore This was announced today.
| Four weeks ago the republicans counted
| Maryland surely republican state.
| They now consider the state as reasonably
to be counted in the Taft column.
| Nebraska and Kansas cannot be rea-
| sonably and honestly counted upon by
! either party at this time for the reason
| that the voters have not lit The issue
| of bank guaranty is burning question
yet to be solved. The electorate is said
| to be undecided and the republican cam
| paign is surely undecided upon this score.
Iowa has been regarded as safely re-
| publican by a reduced plurality, and II
| was something of a surprise when the
! Iowa folk demanded that Mr.. Taft should
! alter his schedule to make a speech In
| that state. However. il is only frank
| to state that the best republican Judg-
| ment is that Iowa is for Taft at this time.
and | have not found any democratic
opinion worthy of consideration to offset
! this view.
Favorable for a Change.
| But the main cause TOT anxiety dillollS
| the republican managers Is not so much
a specification of particular cases of dis
satisfaction. but the general trend of pub
| lie opinion in the west is in favor of
Bryan. in favor of a change and apathy
toward all politics and all politicians.
| This apathy of business men is very
| pronounced. Up to this time it has not
been possible to scare them about Bry-
! ala ba ole
| They say that times are hard: that they
/ L. hoe hllr ha,.