Evening star., 1916-08-06
His Announcement for Hughes
Worth Many Thousands of
Votes, They Say.
REPUBLICANS PLANNING
MIDDLE WEST CAMPAIGN
Express Confidence That Illinois
Will Roll Up Huge Plurality
for Their Candidate.
BY N. o. MESSENGER.

CHICAGO. August 5.-There is
great rejoicing among republican
leaders here over the announcement
Of Raymond Robins of his intention to
support Hughes. Mr. Robins was one
of the guiding spirits of the recent
progressive national convention and
made the keynote speech.
] His action today is regarded by the
republican managers here as putting
the finishing touches to the progress
sive party in Illinois, If such were, in
deed needed. and as worth many
| thousands of votes to Hughes in
other states, on account of his promi-
nence in the progressive party when it
| was alive and his influence with the
rank and file. The democrats made
| desperate efforts to keep him from GO
ing over to the republicans, but with
out avail.
The Robins statement" said a re-
puolcan leader tonight, will be the
most effective welcome Chicago can
| give Mr.. Hughes next week"
! National Chairman Wilcox is to meet
a group of middle west republicans
mere for a conference Monday and
start the campaign in this section.
Big Hughes Plurality Predicted.
Illinois promises to be one of the
banner republican states in the ma
| tional elections this fall and the re-
publican leaders. entirely confident of
victory, are now talking of trying to
| run up a plurality of 100000 for Mr..
Hughes. They hope that the rising
TIDE OF republican sentiment which
they say has set in will sweep their
state ticket into power and regain
several congressional districts from
democratic control
These are the main grounds upon
which the republicans base their claims
of a substantial victory at the polls
in November:
First. reunion of the progressive
and regular republicans which it is
claimed commenced two years ago
and now is 80 per cent complete.
Second, dissatisfaction with the ad-
ministration's handling of information
al affairs.
Third. opposition of the farmers to
the democratic tariff policies, from
which they suffered before the war and
which they apprehend will hurt again
after the war.
The second of these considerations
is more prominent than the others here
in Chicago, and will be treated first.
1t is stated upon reliable republican
authority that careful investigation de-
policies have not pleased any of the
foreign-born voters of this region.
All Criticise Mr.. Wilson.
In the Chicago voting population
Itwenty-one foreign nationalities are
represented and they all have newspa-
pers. The Stars correspondent is in
formed upon authority which commands
do haf 10
under criticism from all these nation
alities- The democrats have not sue
ceeded in pleasing any of them and
large numbers of recruits are counted
upon for the republican ticket from
even the nationalities which supported
| the democrats hitherto.
| The German vote is expected to be
| solidly republican. and it is claimed
| that the Catholic Germans, who usually
are democrats here. as they are in Mis-
souri,, are lining up for the republican
candidates. 1 am told of an incident in
this connection which occurred this
week, and is regarded as a straw. The
who leads his district, democrat. and
offered him a place on the county
ticket.
Leave me off this year" he said;
| this is Hughes year
He went on to say that Sunday or
two ago his church bund had picnic
and, upon politics being broached among
| the men, straw vote was taken, when
sixty out of sixty-two of the members
| declared for Hughes. Information is
that this situation prevails extensively
| Throughout the German societies
The third ground of satisfaction of
the republicans is found in the atti-
| tude of the down-State farmers. Care
| full inquiries have been made in the
past ten days among the agriculturists
and a number of important reports
came in today. just in time to be utilized
4 in this dispatch.
| Farmers Sentiment Summarized.
| Summarized. they set forth that the
farming communities are strongly
republican. Dissatisfaction with the
ADMINISTRATORS forign policies is found
there as well as in Chicago. Credit is
given for the legislation of Congress
designed to aid the farmers. but it is
explained that it hasn't gone into prac-
| teal effect to a degree to arouse uni
versal enthusiasm.
| The farmers, it is declared, have not
| forgotten that the democratic tariff leg
islation was in effect long enough be-
| fore the war to give them taste of
its operation, and it was practical
| example readily understandable. For
eign raised corn and oats were on sale
in the state of Illinois. the home of
corn and the farmers prices We're low
cred The tariff which permitted that
state of affairs is still on the statute
| books, and the men who grow the crops,
IL is said know that as soon as the war
| imitation subsidies they Will meet the
same conditions they encountered be-
| fore.
The republicans have discovered that
in the cities there is dssatisfa ction
tamong the salaried classes. They have
not received increases in incomes and
have been grievously disappointed over
| the non -fulfllment of democratic prom