Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-11
FIGHT FOR MARYLAND
State a Storm Center on Ma
tiona| Ticket.
HITCHCOCK NONE TOO SURE
Summons Baltimore City Leader to
Get His Advice.
PUZZLE IN REGISTRY FIGURES
Politicians of Both Parties-Which
Side Will Lose Most Votes
by Falling OFF,
HITCHCOCK NONE TOO SURE
PUZZLE IN REGISTRY FIGURES

Special Correspondence of The Star
BALTIMORE, Md, October 10. 1898
According to advices received in this
city from authoritative sources. the re-
publican national committee is not over
confident of winning out next November
According % The Star correspondents
| Information. which comes from a gentle
man close to the party mana gers Chair
man Hitchcock of the national committee
has bungled on the job-and bungled bad
| ly. According to The Star correspondents
information, Hitchcock has just awaken
| ed to the real situation and has summon
| ed to New York for conference all the
| leaders in the states which are regarded
as doubtful.
| William F. Stone. the republican leader
of Baltimore city. will leave here Monday
| morning in response to a call from Chair
| man Hitchcock. Just what Hitchcock
| wants with Stone could not he ascert aimed
but the impression prevails that the ma
tional chairman is seeking advice and is
| turning to Stone, who was sergeant-at-
| arms at the national convention and dis
played such signal executive ability in
the management OF that gathering, proved
a good mixer. and smoothed out many of
the kinks caused by the general attitude
of Hitchcock toward the oldtime leaders.
| In plain English. one of the Baltimore
| republicans who attended the Chicago con-
| ventiOn asserted, Hitchcock is a FROST
| This gentleman. in discussing Hitchcock
further, said that he could make more
enemies in given period of time than
any other man in politics today"
Maryland Storm Center.
The storm center OF the campaign in
both parties. for some reason unknown
| to the politicians here. centers in Mary
Kv,I Cfnfn ion
I shall have closed will have had more of
the big guns than any other state in
the Union. Among those who have
spoken here for the democrats are Will
liam Jennings Bryan. the democratic
didate; John w. Kern. his running mate;
Alton 3. Parker, former presidential can
| didate; Senator John w. Daniel of Vir-
| gnia and Alexander S. Bacon of New
York. Those yet TO come are Representa-
tive John Sharp Williams of Mississippi
and Samuel GOmperS. the labor leader.
On the republican side Vice President
Fairbanks, Senator julius G. Burrows and
Secretary of Commerce and Labor Stratus
have been here and the city awaits the
coming of William Howard Taft, the re-
| publican presidential nominee.
| Even Hearst's independence party has
hopes and will send William Randolph
Hearst, its founder, and john Temple
Graves. the running mate OF Hisgen the
presidential nOpinee.
! Baltimore will also have the pleasure
Of visit from Eugene V. Debs and his
red special Debs will be here next week
and will bring brass band with him.
/ And last will come the imported prOhib
ton orators. who will speak in Baltimore
tor Chain and Watkins.
/ Registration Falls Off.
The registration of voters closed this
week. and comparison with the figures of
total falling off of ,.074 votes. Four
years ago the registered whites numbered
1Ol ss4 and his year 99.11O. showing the
white shortage to be 2.2S4. The reg
istered negro vote in 1904 was 1850, and
this year 1890. a shortage of $50. A
| feature of the registration was the great
increase in the number of those who de-
clined to state their utilization. In 1907
there were 1872 independents on the
books. while this year there are 49, 23,
an increase OF 5,337. In 1901 there were
5000 affiliated democrats registered,
while this year only 54.3JD are on the
books a falling off Of 3,413. The re-
publican affiliated vote in 1897 was 1868,
and this year 1851. loss OF 1856.
Chairman Parran Of the republican
state central committee processes salts
faction over the outcome of the registra-
ton. So far the declined vote Is con-
cerned he declared the republicans would
receive che largest share at the polls next
month
i Chairman Vandiver of the democratic
state central committee was most opti-
mistic over the figures. The democrats
are we'll ahead. he said. and the large
declined vote means a great deal for
i Bryan.
So there you have ii. Both chairmen
are satisfied. although both parties suf
fered losses mounting into the thousands,
and the independents who hold the bal
ance of power. gained over 5000 votes.
With the registra, ion over the party
managers will devote their entire time to
the campaign of education. and meetings
large and small will be held IN all paris
OF the city by both parties.
Analysis of Registration.
One Of the claverest students of politics
in this city said to The Star correspond
ent today: 1T is a difficult registration
to analyze. The democrats are over 1900
short of the registration last year, but
it must not be forgotten that they then
had senatorial primary contest on hand.
and that allowed many declined voters to
| register as democrats so that they could
| vote for Warfield Smith. The republi
cans lost about $500. and consequently
did not suffer much as the democrats.
LAS to the declined or Independent vote,
that is hard to figure on. The republic
cans have always been compelled to get
at least from so to 81 per cent of the de-
clined vote to be able to carry Baltimore
city in any election. OF course, there are
many registered as democrats who intend
to vote for Taft. but 1t must not be for
gotten that some republicans will also
vote for Bryan
In my opinion the most important
part of the registration is the labor vote.
This vote will cut the biggest figure in
the election this fall in Maryland. The
visit of Samuel Gompers will stir things
up. Some of the laboring men will vote
as they intend to-for Bryan Or for Taft
and still others will not have much in
dependence and will permit themselves to
i be swayed by Gompers and the other
labor leaders. Others will follow the tide
and vote as the largest crowd does.
1T is noticeable. too. that large num-
Der of negroes declined to state their af
lfiliations this year. Just what this means
l am not prepared to say. but ! fear that
there is some trick in the move and that
some crafty politician is behind it,