Democratic Chances

The Demócrata of the couaty have placed in nomination their ticket for the county offices, and at this time, ju9t previous to the Republicano junty convention called to put an opposing ticket in the field, itmight be well to review their ticket and see where the weak places on the ticket are. Of course, the Democrats with a iruj rity of about a thousand in the county have decidedly the best of the fight on the start. Tet with careful selection on the part of the Republicana nextTuesd'y, it is notonly possible, but very probable, tkat they w;ll be able to capture soxe of the county plums on election day. In the first place, the Damooracy in the county ia decidedly broken up jase at present. There are the Harriman faction, and the anti-Harriman faction; the faction which was charged right in the midst of their 'harmontoua' convention, with threatening to 'down the Djtch;'another faction which the Deraocrats have not been able to swing back into line, is the Clarken's faction, who charge that they were sold out and will not be reconcileJ. it is even rumored that the split is so strong that Clarken would like to get the nomination on the Republican ticket. And it has even been whispered around that still another faction is after the scalp of state senator JS. Gorman, of Lyndon, who presided over the deliberations of the convention. The claim is made that in the appcintment of the variom committees, he showed the greatest partiality to the candidate for proseculing attorney from Chelsea. It took the other candidates several hours to recover from the shock wbich they sustained when they discovered that the committee 'upon order ot' business,' appointed in the interest of Lehman, had changed the order and put prosecuting attoraey before treasurer. In relation to the nominees it might be said that there is not more than one man on the ticket who will add any strengthto the party. The nominee for jjdge of probate 8 oí average capability and but li'.tle known, especially in this city. Another source of weakness is that there is but little chance of h8 reconciling the vote of the Harriraan faction, and it is no small one either, to the man who defeated t.heir favorite so badly in the caucusea that he did not dare come before the convención. The nominee for cterk, Fred. A. Howlett, - well, the worst than can be said about hira is that he is not a Republican. The candidate for sheriff, Charles Dwyer, has a good record, but will have to overeóme the antipathy of the Clarken men, who feel very sore overtheir defeat and claim that there was a collusion of the other candidates to beat them. Regarding the candidate for register of deeds, Michael Seery, it can be saii that this is one of the weak nominations of the convention. While he undoubtedly would be capable of performing the duties of the office, still there are reasons why the Republicans should put up a strong 'man as his opponent and make a hard struggle for the office. Seery ran for the same position several years ago and defeated himself by attempting to ride both the temperance and liquor horses at the same time, a la Salsbury. The nominee for prosecuting a'.torney is the weak spot on the Democratie ticket, and is the office which the Republicans have the best chance cf securingif they are careful in placing in nominatkm a man who is not only popular enough to attract vote3 from the other party but who will be competent to discharge the duties of prosecuting attorney. Washtenaw county needs a competent and independent officer of thisi kind. Ann Arbor especially is interested in this, as she suffers most from the ueglect of the prosecutor. The county needs one who can handle the tramp nuisance so that there will be no " tramp steals," and yet prosecute enough to rid us of the pest. The Democratie nominee, M. J. Lehman, is not the man for the place. Juilging from the words spoken by his brother lawyers, he is not as good a lawyer as the important office of prosecuting attorney of Washteuaw county should be. Whatever errors the present prosecutor may have made, he at least has the reputation of being one of the best read lawyers of the county bar. This then is the office which the Republicans should strive for by placing in nomination one of their leading lawyers. The Demócrata are badly eplit on Lehman's nomination and many of them would willingly vote for an honest, upright nominee of the Repubücan convention rather than for Mr. Lehman. The political buncombe which Lehman's representativa used to secure votes in the convention, when he reported Postmaster Duffy as saying "We must down the Dutcb," will work strongly against Mr. Lehman during the campaign. Nearly all of the defeated candidates are down on (Javenaugh and Lehman. They claim that they resorted to political trickery to obtain the nominaüon ; that they owned one or two delegations and worked them at will for the candidates of those who were nominated, and against theothers; that the committee on order of business, of which Lehman's right-bower was chairman, worked against the other candidates by cbanging the order of business so that when it came to the nomination of prosecuting attorney, the convention would not have a Germán yet on the ticket, and thus ing Lehman's nomination. There are other and graver reasons than the factiorcal fight in his own party against hún, why the Republicana shouli put up a man who will insure his defeat. In regard to the other cffiee9 on the ticket, there will be but little interest. L-n every delégate come to the convenlioa prepared - nominale the raen who will be the stro ost before all the electors of the county. With &uch a ticket and strong and united support to such a ticket, the Republicana will have a good chance of defeating some of thp Demócrata.