Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-25

is found that the republican forces are
being closely brought together. When
safe majority
The last tour of Bryan which was made
this week. undoubtedly won him some
votes. He visited towns and villages he
| has never before visited and left a good
| impression. He made strong speeches
and. as is always the case. he has won
votes by his powerful eioquence. The re-
suit will be watched with interest.
Taft Has Made Many Votes.
! But it must be remembered that previ-
| Gus to his speeches in the state William
| H. Taft had blazed the way only few
| hours before. In almost every case 1t
was his first visit. He will make thou
sands of votes.
The trip of Bryan over practically the
same route and in some cases within 2
few hours after Taft had taken his de-
| parture was an effort to counteract the
work of Taft. But the republicans were
| prepared for this.
| Where Bryan was last other speakers
| will be sent during the closing days of the
campaign. They will make speeches that
| will clear up the minds of those who are
| in doubt as to the issues involved In the
| present compaign.
| Never in the history of the old Buckeye
state has there been such fight as that
| Of the present year. Never before has
| there been SO much doubt as to the out
come of any election as there is this year
While both Chairman Williams of the
republican committee and Chairman Fin
ley of the democratic state committee
claim the state by safe majority. nei-
| Their is anxious to give any figures. Chair
| Taft would carry the state by not less
| than 10000 Later the figures were re-
| vised so as to read 100000. That Is the
| last statement he has made.
Chairman Finley is not so anxious to
| make any claims when it comes to fig
ures, but predicts a landslide for Bryan,
| and on the expectation of this landslide
| he bases all his hopes for the success
| of the party in the state. Unless there
| is an unexpected landslide, one that is
| not as yet visible there Is little hope
| for the democrats on the national ticket.
On the state ticket opinion is even more
| divided. Gov. Harris. candidate for re-
| election, although past seventy years of
age. has been making a hard campaign.
He has been compelled to make his fight
almost alone. When speakers of national
| reputation visited the state they appealed
for support to the national ticket, for the
support of all loyal republicans to the
cause of Taft. and the policies of Presi-
dent Roosevelt. But few gave much
time to state issues.
Judge Judson Harmon has. on the other
hand. been spending days and nights
travelling about the state, speaking in op-
position to Gov. Harris. Democrats who
have faith in the election of the state
ticket have asked the voters not only to
support the nationl, but the state ticket.
The issue is an old one, that has been
fought before in the state, this time In
new garb. Under the caption of personal
liberty the liquor interests expect to
carry the democrats out Of the dark into
the limelight of victory.
Many elections have been held through
out the state under the recent Rose law.
With but few exceptions every county
voted dry" Yet the democrats argue
that the result of the vote November
3 cannot be taken from this vote.
The Congressional Situation.
In the congre ssional fight it is expected
that the republicans will gain one repre-
sentative over what they had in the last
session, and will lose two and possibly
three. In the third. eleventh and fifteenth
districts the democrats have hopes of
electing their candidate. But in each of
these districts the questions involved are
of a local nature and will have no bear
ing upon the state or national ticket.
In years gone by, when the Australia
ballot was first introduced, ii was said
| that voters of both parties were afraid
| to scratch their ballots for fear they would
| invalidate them. 1t is not so now. Ohio
| voters have learned to mark the ticket
| of it. They can be trusted to vote their
| sentiments, and can Scratch their
| ticket from top to bottom without max
! ing mistake.
| AS for the legislature in the state it is
expected to go republican by a safe. but
small majority. Efforts to defeat certain
members of the house and the senate who
| voted FOR. the Rose bill. and some who
voted against 1t are being made. Just
what the result will be in these cases is
hard to tell
One thing that has been worrying both
parties is the silence of Senator Foraker.
Ever since the expose Of William r.
Hearst of the connection of Senator For
aker with the Standard Oil Company the
senior member of the upper house from
Ohio has retained a sphinx-like silence.
He has not been heard from on the issues
of the campaign.
the case in Ohio for more than twenty
years. Every campaign ]. B. Foraker has
been a prominent figure and his speeches
have attracted much attention.
1t is known that he is not lending his
aid to help the republican case as far as
the national ticket is concerned. Because
of his silence in this matter it is feared
his strong followers will vote the same
way as the senator is acting.
1t is known that ever since the expose
Senator Foraker has not been idle but
has. with large force of secretaries
been working overtime. 1t is also known
that he is lending his influence for the
election of republican House.
He will be candidate for reelection
this winter regardless Of the manner In
which he was turned down this fall Dem
| ocratic and socialistic speakers have
taken every occasion to laud Foraker and
at the same time criticise Roosevelt and
Taft for turning him down. This will
have some effect when the voters are
alone in the booths.
Reversal of Sentiment.
Another condition that is worrying some
is the turn in the tide in the local option
elections that are being held. For time
every county that voted under the Rose
law went dry. Lately 1t has been just the
opposite.
The last election held shows that SEN
eca county expected above all counties to
| go dry. went wet by nearly 1900 votes.