The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-10-15
Republicans Are Not So Dead Sure Of Carrying New
 York State
BELL IS CONFIDENT
 OF CARRYING MARYLAND
Down In Illinois Democrats Are Gain ing and Speaker Cannon Is Making Fight For His Political
 Life-Labor Vote Sure.

Washing gton, October 14.-( Special. )- State Senator Page, Gen. H. L. Bur nett and Mark Sullivan of New York conferred with the President today on the political situation in the Empire state.
 For publication Page and Burnett claimed the state but they made no such cock-sure prediction to the Pres ident
 Sullivan was free to admit that the G. O. P. was in the middle of bad way He said Hughes would run from 50.000 to 100, 900 behind Taft.
 MT. Sullivan added: Tt is mis- take to think that Governor Hughes opposition with his own party is con fined to the gambling and sporting ele- ment. Tn ere are many elements of re- spectacle standing and proportions op- posed to the governor"
 The President has very few callers who are frank enough to tell him the actual political situation. The repub- lican newspapers feast upon White House interviews when the fact is tha. over one-half the Presidents callers are federal officers and the remaind- CT who come political missions us- ually hope to be. The interviews are, therefore, always favorable to Taft.
 Texas Close StateI
 For instance, one l.. c. Alexander of Waco, Tex, is quoted as telling the President today that even Texas is I close state. Theodore Bell of Cali fornia, who so ably presided over the democratic convention temporary chairman has been stumpings sstfieA eAwest- ern states and is now making a tour of Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey
 r1l.. I <1 51 west is overwhelmingly for Bryan, he says, and MT. Bell is gratified over the information he has gained about the eastern states. T believe Bryan will win" said Mir. Bell today. All classes are tired of republican admin istration. They have had too much of it. They want and need a change. They have had too much republican, ism. They don't like Roosevelts af- filiation with the trusts and they don't like his meddling. The greatest in- jury Taft has received has been < through Roosevelts meddling and the general expectation that he will go on the stump for his favorite.
 And the people are tired of the tariff. They want sweeping changes and they have full confidence in Bryan. They think he is the one man to make the changes. They want the tariff revised and they have full con- llucnCe III bl9di ptoiuiSt lO Ildht the revision. They have the fullest confidence in his promise to curb the trusts. Business conditions. too, not only in the west but throughout the country. will force Bryan's election. Of course there has been some improve ment. Mills have been opened up and some of the crops have been moved east Business has picked up all around but still an enormous amount of men are out of work. Some have been out of work year and more We have had hard times and the hard est. This state of things demands a \ inange and the change must come X syan will be elected by an over helming majority.
 In Maryland.
 Senator Murray Van Diver, chair man of the democratic state central committee of Maryland. who is in touch with every county and ward lead CT in the state and city, said today in an interview: If the election were held tomorrow Bryan would carry the state. It would be vain to give ma jorites, but Maryland is safe for Bryan as conditions exist today. Democrats in the counties are well united In 300 there was not railway con duotor or brakeman in Maryland who was not against Bryan. Now every one of them is for Bryan. I have not ulScOVereu SlHSlS one WHO IS dBalnSC him. Furthermore, reliable reports reach me of many republicans who are out and out for Bryan.
 "In 1900 when 1 was state chair man, as I am now, I asked the dem ocrats in the counties to send me lists of the men who would vote against us. The letters piled up so thick and fast that I gave up reading ther. There were 1400 in one day. I have asked for the same information this year but have not single letter This shows exclusively that the democrats of rural Maryland, at least, are prac- tically solid for Bryan this year.
 Illinois Safe.
 q cannot see how the republicans pos slbly can carry Illinois, said Thomas Tracey of the Federation of Labor league today. 'I have just returned from Chi cago, and on all sides there Is evidence of the bitter fight in the ranks of the republican party. In addition to that strife other clements are working against the republicans
 "rhe Illinois Staats Zeitung. the most influential German paper in Illinois, has come out with an editorial denouncing Governor Deneen for what it calls du- picity on the temperance question, and this undoubtedly will lose the republic ans thousands of votes, at least on the state ticket, as the Germans are numer- ous and usually support the republican ticket.
 The labor element is leaning strongly toward the democrats, especially in na- tional and congressional issues. Down in Cannon's district we are giving the speak CT the fight of his life, and he has been securing the country for influential men to assist him. Besides, I am told the speaker is out every day in an automobile, from moring till night, making a house to house canvass.
 .The situation the country over ap-