The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-09-09
National Committeeman J. g.
johnson Says No,
He Was Not Notified in Time to
Put
TOPEKA IN HIS TOUR
May Not Visit Kansas At Fall
Festival,
But VIII Be In the State Later
On.

J. G. Johnson, member of the national
Democratic committee from Kansas,
came to the city this morning to see
Chairman J. Mack Love of the state
committee. Mr.. johnson said to a re-
porter:
I do not know anything further in
regard to Bryan's coming to Topeka
than was expressed in my letter of
few days ago. I regret exceedingly
that arrangements were not made so
that he could have been here at the
time and if the committee here had
made application to the Democratic
committee they could no doubt have
had him at that time 1 do not know
what steps will be taken to secure him
now.
I understand from headquarters that
Bryan has an appointment for St.
Louis for the End of October, the
day on which ne was to have been here.
His programme at this time is to de-
vote the month of October to the Mis-
issippi valley and I hope to get things
arranged so that he can make a two
or three days trip through the state
sometime during that month.
of course the exigencies of the cam
paign may be such that it will be
thought advisable to send him some
where else and Kansas may not get
him Mr.. Bryan told me when on the
way to New York that he would be
glad to come to this state for a short
time during the campaign, and per
sonally know that he has very kind
" feeling for the people of Kansas, as
he has many warm personal friends
in this state.
I have just returned from a trip up
through the west and northwest L
started out through the state of Ne
braska- / did not cOnfine my inves-
tigatiOn of political affairs exclusively
( Democrats 6I1f tried fO find what
the real sentiment was. From what L
saw in Nebraska I am of the opinion
that they are correct up there when
they say that the only question of
Bryan carrying the state is a question
as to how large the majority will be.
The Democrats say this, and the farm
ers that I talked with out in the state
were of the same opinion.
Just for instance, 1 met an old
farmer on the streets of Grand Island
q week ago last Saturday and asked
him how things were in his community.
He said that he lived out in the cOun-
try about eight miles and that the COM
munity had always been Republican,
but that this year things all seemed to
be in favor of Bryan. He said that at
a threshing that had been held near his
house a short time before there were
seventeen voters present, and poll
of the crowd showed that they stood
sixteen to one in favor of Bryan; that
at some other gatherings where there
were twenty, that eighteen were for
Bryan and two for Mckinley, and SO it
went all through the state.
In Colorado and Utah 1 am inform
ed and I think correctly, that Major
Mckinley will do very well if he gets
10 votes out of every hundred cast
This would seem to be about the pro-
portion that he got in Arkansas, if the
returns keep up the same way they are
now coming in In fact all through the
states that I have been in, everything
points to the same conclusion that they
will all for BTW8n without
chance Of there doing anything else.
I see by your paper of last night
that the governor of Wyoming says
that there is a chance of that state go
ing for Mckinley. I think that he
must certainly be mistaken. So far as
I am informed there is only one county
in the state which there is any posi-
bility of Mckinley carrying and that is
the county in which Cheyenne, the state
capital is situated. There are only a
few sheep men that are in favor of
Mckinley and of course the old moss
back Republican politicians that want
to maintain the party organization so
that in case Mckinley is elected presi-
dent without the vote of Wyoming they
can have the distribution of the federal
patronage in that state. I don't see
why the conditions in that state are
any different from Idaho which is ad-
joining and whose interests are nearly
1denticalIn Idaho they will have about
2 900 votes and they tell me that Nc
Kinley will probably be able to get Sc
u.
Continuing Mr.. johnson said:
From advices that I have had from
the committee since I left I can say
that we have had nothing that would
lead US to change our claim that we
first made, which was that we would
get all the states west of the AIississfp-
pi and south of the Ohio and Potomac
This would only leave about eight votes
to get from some doubtful state. 1t is
early yet to make predictions, but I
think that this statement is conserva-
The gold Democrats are not now and
Will not be q factor in the problem
There are very few men that are going
to vote their ticket, no matter what
their views are. when they as good as
know that that ticket will not carry a
single voting precinct in the United
States. This gold movement has never
yet reached the size of the O'COnnOr
movement which we had in '72 and if
you remember that movement you will
remember that when the votes were
counted O'COnnOr only had about 40
thousand votes to the whole country
Right after the St. Louis convention
1 had a talk with a gentleman from
ONO VINO was gold Democrat and
VINO mad no more use for a silver man
than snake and he said that If the is
sue OF q gold standard against binetaI-
lism could be submitted to the voters
OF ONO and the question be rid of all
side issues that he believed that hi
metallism would carry that state nv a
hundred thOuand votes.
think that the recent labor dem
onstrations on last Monday are an0+I7
er significant fact as to the prospects
OF Bryan's election In fact there is a
good deal Of truth in the statement