Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-02
Contest Close. With the Drift Going
His Way.
HOT CAMPAIGN IN THE STATE
Strenuous Work of Republican
Candidate With Democratic
Nominee on Defensive.
special From Stan Correspondent.

that the gubernatorial campaign hasn t
lived up to the promise ii gave in the
early stages of being a runaway affair.
with Judson Harmon the easiest kind OF
a winner
Just one short month ago-and even
more recently than that-the odds were
= 10 or better on Harmon, with bundles
OF democratic money in sight, and not
dollar of republican cash to cover the
short end of the wager.
At present if you ask man who ought
to know about the odds. he'll say: "Oh,
10 TO 6 or 10 to 4" and in the next breath
admit that this is entirely guesswork. for
the whole business is up in the air ana
hat there are really no odds by which
;he situation may be judged. Money
talks in these as we'll as other matters,
md there hasn't been a wager OF sur
iicient size laid of late to indicate any
zeal opinions.
Change Is Manifest.
Just think what this means. Up to a
month ago Warren G. Harding, the re-
publican candidate for governor, was out
of the race. Even his own party asso-
GATES and advisers privately conceded the
eoreseen should turn up-and busted
themselves largely with unpleasant re-
fections, having to No with the probable
size of the majority the democratic can
didate would pile up.
But now no matter whether or not
Harding wins there will be no one 10
DENY that he has made a splendid hght
against the heaviest possible odds-such
n fight in fact, as to turn what PROMISED
20 be no real contest at all into the not
Noy yric
There Is an undeniable drift Hardingward
all over the state at present, and II the
campaign could be strung out 3 DIT, with
lection day a little farther OH, there Is
no telling what might happen.
Campaign one-Man Affair.
This campaign, from republican
standpoint. has been very much OF one
man affair. If the G. o. p. in the state
is able to get any satisfaction, or even
eonsola2ion. cut of the. result, the credit
will be Harding's. He has turned out 10
he a bang-up campaigner. His personal
itv Is attractive and his methods ap-
proach the homely. And. as the actor
folks say, he gets across -
ALI over the state he has made hit,
not only with what he says, but-and this
is even more important in Ohio. just
now-with what he has left unsaid, and
while at first the republican county or.
ganizations were apathetfc ana oion
care much whether their candidate gave
them time or not, they are now begging
for a day, half a day. an hour, a nve-
minute speech from an automobile, or
anything else that Harding's crowded
program will admit.
After speaking at q couple of big ana
enthusiastic meetings last night, the re-
publican candidate left this morning
bright and early for Columbus. where he
was scheduled to make an assault on
Harmon this afternoon. But yesterday
in Cincinnati was q busy time for him.
He had a long chat with Senator For
aker. and soothed that statesman con-
siderably, as all appearances indicate.
Then ne took James r. Garfield to his
bosom and sent that disciple OF progress
sivism away with smile.
And. completing his program OF what
must have been a series of mental aero
batics, Mr.. Harding did not go TO see
George B. Cox.
Candidate Suffers Handicap.
Harding labors under the handicap--and
Il is a real handicap in some parts of the
state-of having referred to Cox, the re-
publican boss of Cincinnati. before the
national convention in 1904 as great
big. manly. kindly man." or words to that
effect Harmon is harping on this
wherever he goes, and last night Harding
was forced to say something on @he sub
iect He told his audience at Norwood
a Cincinnati suburb. where he was eX-
ceedingly well received. that IL elected
governor he would give cox square
deal and no more.
He did not repeat his eulogy of the
boss and he got away from the subject
as soon as possible. But 1t seemed tc
-atisfv the crowd of republicans, al
though the democrats may De expected &c
smile.
1t is of considerable interest to observe
the manner in which the recent drift te
Harding came about. Judson Harmon
paign He rang the changes on graft
big graft, little graft, all kinds of politi
cal graft. in all sorts Of places He asked
the voters to leave him in the governor 5
chair for two years more in order thai
he might continue the housecleaning al
ready begun. and turn all the rascals out
Every day he would come out with q
new set of charges against a new set o.
people-uniformly republicans, all o
them
His Arguments Effective.
II was a nightly effective campaign
from democratic standpoint, bu
highly unsatisfactory from the othe
side. II left Harding nothing to an
swer; nothing whatever to say. IL
fact. he had to trail along behind Har
mon. indorsing that gentleman's graf
speeches., saying Me too every nov
and then. and declaring without mucl
force and effect in view of the con
tinual democratic thunder. that h,
would not mind having a chance I,
do little housecleaning himself.
For the first three weeks of actfv,
campaigning Harding never had
chance to make a telling shot. But h,
btced his time until Harmon, firms
what the democrats thought was tn,
biggest gun in their arsenal sprun,
his charges OF graft in connection
with the Ohio canal
They were pretty serious charges Of
general and petty tribute, but not par
ticularly definite. Harding put the at
torney general. Denman. to work, ant
some small nisdeeds were turned ND
Then as Harmon continued to give pub
lfcity TO his canal charges, Denman cam,
down on him with demand for all tn,
Information in his possession. Harmon
shut up quickly, and up to the presen
time hasn't produced evidence of any
thing of a serious sensational nature
This anti-climax was something of
democratic jar and since then Harmon
has been on the defensive
Sending Hot Shot.
This was HardnS's opening and n,
made the most Of II. He has been firin,