The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-10-24
ODDS ARE ALMOST EVEN
ON OUTCOME IN INDIANA
State Is Again Battlefield and Both Parties Are Confident
of Victory Organizations Are Superb and Indi:a-
tons Point to Close Conflict
INDIANA LETTER, No. BY JOHN sNURE.


II enacted law for county local option. |
This has made the liquor and brewing
interests and the liberal element IN the 4
State furious. Especially the brewers
ana liquor men themselves are deter (
mined TO leave nothing undone to pun
ish the Republican party. TO defeat
! watson for governor. and elect Mar
shall. Hanly has been berated right
and left by the Republican politicians
Tor taking the step he did, but on the
other hand, he has won the approval OF
the temperance element Of the State
and talk Is heard that he may be put
/ forward for the Senate as a rival or
senator Hemenway next winter. In case
the Republicans control the Legislature.
| While Hanly Is denounced in some
| quarters In his own party as a dema-
gogue and grandstand player, he Is
given credit among the temperance
forces of having rare moral courage in
| calling the Legislature together 20
grappple with the LIQUOR question at a
\ critical time IN State politics
/ Representative watson has the bitter
I enmity Of organized labor, and this
weakens the Republican ticket. Watson
( Is blamed for forcing Hanly to displace
/ Daniel II. McAbee, an old soldier and
/ a lebGT union man. as State factory In
/ speotor and compelling the appoint
] mont of William r. Blakeiey. a friend
| OF Watson Moreover. the labor
| forces consider Watson one Of Speaker
/ Cannon's right-hand men and they
blame him, along with Cannon. for the
! failure OF national legisls -!on which
4 they want The state Federation Of
Labor, Of which Edgar A Perkins is
K head. two weeks ago adopted resolu-
/ tons az Vincennes denOuncing Watson
! and mildly opposing Taft President
| Gompers, OF the American Federation
! or Labor, has recently been tour
/ ing the State IN a private car, said
| TO be furnished by the Democratic state
committee, assailing Watson and at
lacking Taft With GOmpers there
4 mas gone long retinue Of national and
state labor leaders. 1t is certain Com
pers has had great meetings and has
beer enthusiastically welcomed.
What Gompers Is Doing.
1 Democratic campaign managers say
Gompers is getting them thousands OF
votes. This is denied by the Repub-
| lican managers. who say that in the
first place the bulk OF the labor vote
has been Democratic IN TIE past, that
an increased part Of it this year will
be Socialist. and that the Republican
losses IN that quarter so far as this
State IS concerned are overstated- The
organized labor vote In Indiana is
about $500 II 5000 OF this has been
Democratic and 1900 Socialist. as the
1904 vote shows. there would be left
=
Democrats TO add TO their side II they
could gain them. II the Democrats can
capture this entire body Of labor they
viii, Of course. carry Indiana. but the
Republican view Is that the Socialists
Will largely add 10 their strength and
that much Of the labor vote that is
normally Republican viii vote for Taft
In other words. they will not admit
that the Democrats can get anything
Ike enough labor votes 70 decide the
result in Indiana. II is admitted by
the Republicans that Watson viii fall
behind TAFT IN the size OF his labor vote
as well as in the vote generally.
Z Friends OF Vice President Fairbanks
were much disappointed when he was
beaten for the nomination at Chicago.
: Z They have not recovered BY any
means entirely Some Of them are luke
. warm toward Taft Even Nj Fair
. hanks has but recently taken the
/ stump Moreover, many OF the Fair
banks men are sore at Watson, since he
forced himself into the race for gov
ernor against their wishes. AS the
+ State organization is in the hands OF
, tbs Fairbanks men. these facts are i'm
pOrtant- II should be said. however.
that many or the Fairbanks men are
doing their BEST 70 swallow their wrath
3 and resentment, not because they like
I Taft. but because OF the strength OF
the demand for party regularity and
the obvious Disadvantages Of permitting
TIE Democrats 10 regain lost ground IN
! Indiana and recaptUre the State. When
Fairbanks was seeking the nomination
! last spring, most OF the Republican pa
, Pers IN the state said harsh things OF
Taft, accusing him Of being a mere
plant creature Of President Roosevelt
. and not his own man. Now that Taft
: IS nominated II is hard for these papers
, TO undo the work they did in the pre-
, convention fight.
, Democrats Organized.
, These are a few OF the Republican
= troubles. Numerous others might be
e added. including the fact that all the
T Gold Democrats are back in line and
4 are supporting Bryan earnestly. Ever
/ slippery Tom Taggart is working for
= the ticket, It being largely due to him
z that Kern was Tanned for Vice Presi-
dent It has been years since the Dem
< ocrats were better organized in Indiana
n Many Of the German-American voters
: are holding aIo9f from the Republican
h ticket because OF the fact the liquor
}. issue IS raised. and they stand with the
a clements that favor personal liberty
: TAFT Is not strong With many Of tht
{ ministers and some OF the church ele
! roents, while Bryan has strengthened
, himself in the State in recent years by
!, his lectures and speeches, especially By
\ his prince Of Peace lecture. COrrup
. ton has crep- into q pare OF the STATE
) administration and this has reflected OF
Q the whole Republican party In IN
V diana. Another factor Of no small
e Importance is that the Indianapolis