The Washington herald., 1908-06-26
OHIOINTHE CAMPAIGN
Taft'S Friends Confident He
Will Carry the State.
MUCH DEPENDS ON FORAKER
Negro Votes, Labor and Personal
Liberty Factors This Year-Con-
gressiOnnI Districts Where Color
ed Vote Holds Balance of Power.
Democrats Are Helped by Harmon.

New York. June 25.-A special to the
Evening Post from Cleveland says:
The weak spots in the Taft campaign
in Ohio this year. according to impartial
Republican observers who know the
State well, may be catalogued under three
heads:
The opposition Of the labor unions.
The resentment Of the negro voters over
President Roosevelts treatment Of the
Brownsville battalion.
The detection Of the Foraker-Dick fol-
lowing.
Republicans hereabouts say that Mr.
Taft cannot lose the State unless the
ticket is struck by a cyclone; that State
pride will make Ohio go safely Republi-
can. so far as the national ticket is con
cerned. Nobody. however seems 10 ex-
pect a rousng big majority. The sub
stance OF the comment on this point is:
.Oh. yes Taft will win; not by any
landslide or overwhelmingly big vote, but
he'll win safely enough"
The same confidence is not expressed
about the State ticket and the members
Of the House Of Representatives. Taft
may pull them all through. or he may
not people say. It's too early 10 talk
about that yet"
The sulkiness and resentment OF the
Forsker-Dick following may be over
come. One hears hints and half-hints in
every quarter that before very long a
treaty Of peace between Mr. Foraker and
Mr. Taft viii become operative just
now IL does not seem 10 be expected that
II viii De a clean-cut agreement in terms
Of. You work for me Tor the Presi-
dency. and ! will do all that / can to see
that you are reelected 10 the Senate '
But II Foraker takes the stump for Taft
IN Ohio, it is not thought that much care
viii be exercised by the Taft partisans
throughout the state in rigidly select
ing anti-Foraker men as candidates fol
the Legislature.
knifing OF Ticket n Habit.
The old Foraker-Dick machine had a
wicked habit Of knitting tickets that dis
pleased them. NJ. A. Hanna used 10 com
plain Of H. He used to say TO a long time
friend here:
When my fellows get licked in a con
vntion or a primary they always whir
in and vote for the ticket, regardless OF
everything else but when these Foraker
fellows are whipped in a preliminary
contest they refuse 10 accept defeat. They
knife the ticket"
Whether this worsted minority resolve
70 slash the Taft-Sherman ticket this
year. men here say. will depend largely
on the attitude TO be assumed by Mr.
Foraker as the campaign develops. II
A..
the candidate for the Presidency. ther
the politicians mere will look for no divi
sion Of the Republican vote In the State
Otherwise. they say. there viii be
falling of In the districts In which Fora
ker stili preserves remnants Of his one,
complete political domination.
Apprehension Is felt IN Ohio this year
about the negro vote. although some Re
publicans pretend TO believe that. despite
the known disaffectiOn existing among tn,
negroes i'm tho state, they viii vote IN,
Republican ticket as usual. Perhaps witt
the single exception Of Indiana. the negro
voters in Ohio exercise more influence. a.
political factor. than in any other Stat,
Of the Union.
Negroes Balance of Power.
Whether the negroes will use the bal.
hold It is a question that is sorely per-
picking Republican leaders in this State
II is one Of the reasons that make many
OF them anxious TO have Foraker openly
and warmly espouse Mr.. Taft's cause OF
the stump. II Foraker stays out OF IN,
campaign. the present fear Is that many
OF the negroes will take It as n sign tha
they are TO vote against the Republican
nominees.
Under normal conditions. Nicholas
Longworth will not be reelected to Con
gress in November unless the negro vot
ers in his district support him. There ar,
49g7 colored voters in Cincinnati Condl
tions I'm Mr.. Longworth's district viii b'
watched with the keenest interest by Re
publicans in every part OF Ohio.
II the negroes do not intend to supper
the Republican ticket in Ohio this fall
their opposition will manifest itself il
the Cincinnati district early in the cam
paign. IT IS 20 be expected that II tn
resentment felt among the negroes to
ward Mr.. Roosevelt Is 20 be expressed
at the polls. Il will he sharply and point
edly directed toward Mr. Rooseveit's son
in-law.
Cincinnati is not the only city in IN,
State with a large block OF negro voters
Here in Cleveland II is estimated thert
are about 2,400. In Columbus there ar,
1855. I'm Dayton 1124, and in Springfield
1855.
Harmon Helps Democrats.
Even the most hldebound Republican,
admit that the Republican campaign ha
been made more difficult this year by tn
shrewdness of the Democrats in nominal
ing Judson Harmon for the governorship
No attempt is made by the Republican
leaders of this part OF the State to un
derrate Mr.. Harmons running abilities
They say that II an Ohio man was no
at the head OF the ticket there would b.
more than an even chance OF the Stat
Democratic ticket being elected. Even a
It is. there can be found Republicans VIII
VIII hesltatingly concede ihat Ohio
debatable ground this year.
As far as the labor unions are con
corned. II Is conceded that they are op
posed 20 Taft. and will. In all probabil
ity. scratch the State as well as the ma
tional ticket. Among the factory worker
In the Cleveland district the liquor prob
lem will also enter as n determining fac
tor. Branches Of the so-called Persona
Liberty League are organizing in ever
ward and precinct for Harmon. They ar
against liquor selling restrictions. Thi
makes n strong appeal to the foreign ele
ment among the workers. Even the Ital
ians who are counted upon as an asse
IN this section Of the State ny the Re
publicans. will. il Is feared. vote with IN
Democrats this year. because they believ
Republican success will mean more strin
gent prohibition laws
Two Engines Crash.
Special to The Washington Herald
Salisbury, N. c., June 25.-The engine