Evening star., 1896-08-20
GOLDEN HEADWAY
Prediction That Virginia's Negroes
Will Vote for Mckinley.
GOLD DEMOCRATS MUCH ENCOURAGED
The Contests in the Various Con-
gressionaI Districts.
WORKINGMEN CONVINCED
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
| RICHMOND, Va, August 1s. 1896.
The leaders of the sound money move
ment in this city are greatly encouraged
at the general response throughout the
state to the movement for the convention
to be held in this city on the 9th instant.
The call for the convention which has just
been published. has been literally signed
by representative democrats in several
| counties and cities.
| Mr.. Joseph Bryan, the recognized head
| of the movement, is flooded with replies to
the circulars sent out last week. copy Of
| which was published in The Star, and the
work Is rapidly assuming organized pro-
portions Mr.. Bryan says that he has
| been agreeably surprised at the encour
| aging tone Of the letters from men in the
WFal districts. which go to show that the
| farmers are by no means unanimous In
their support of the Chicago platform.
Another remarkable feature in the
| change in sentiment is the rapidity with
| which the workingmen are deserving the
silver standard. Little by little they are
| learning the lessons Of an honost dollar.
| The movement to enlist the negroes In
| the silver cause has fallen flat. At recent
| meeting of that race held In the lower
part of the city recently gotten up for the
purpose of having them indorse the silver
| movement, a very amusing incident oc-
| Cured
| An Amusing Gold Argument.
During the progress of the meeting Mr.
J. w. Southwark, the district chairman Of
the republican party, appeared and made
| the following statement:
| do you all know that the men who
| loaned their money to the government dur
ing the war and by whose aid you all were
set free will be paid for that loan in 90
cent dollars If free coinage becomes a
law? Do you want to rob the people who
| set you free?"
NO: that We don't" was the general re-
spOnse and the meeting at once broke
up. the negroes dispensing with the ire
quent declaration that they didn't want
| any free silver.
1t can he safely asserted that the negroes
in Virginia will vote solidly with the re-
publican party.
| Congressman Thorp of tho fourth district
opened the campaign at Boydton. Meek
! lenburg county, Tuesday whore he spoke
to a large mixed crowd Of white and negro
| voters Mr. Thorp. who elected to
Congress a free silver advocate. an
| nounced himself standing squarely on
the st. Louis platform, and made strong
speech for sound money and hign tariff.
! Speeches were also made by several lesser
Lights in the republican party. both white
| and colorei along the same line.
! A meeting of democrats was held at the
! same time to elect a county chairman. and
| to show the hySterical state whiCh free sill
| YER has reached in some of the rural dis
| tricts the only plea in advocacy of the two
| candidates for the place. was as to which
had longest supported the free silver idea.
| and the longest pole got the persimmons
| as it were-that is. the man who proved
| the longest allegiance to silver got the
Craftsmanship.
| So blatant and noisy is the advocacy of
silver in such places that the gold men
rather than come in direct antasonism go
| quietly their way, and it will not be
| until election
| vote will be.
Large Gold Meeting.
The meeting of the gold democrats. the
| so-called boilers. here tonight to organize
a sound money league was surpr;sing gly
large and enthusiastic. and. indeed, was
! by far the liveliest and largest political
gathering of the campaign. The hall was
| packed to overflowing. and the enthusiasm
| and determination was at nigh tide.
! The officers elected are prominent. we'll
| known democrats. and the committee on
| finance and state organization We're chosen
| from the finest material for the work to
| be done. The reports from various parts of
| the state assure large attendance upon
| the democratic sound money convention
| to be held here on the 10Th. to elect dele
| gates to the indianapolis convention.
Judge Waddill treasurer of the republi-
| can campaign committee. returned today
from tour of several districts OF the state
| and expressed himself as being much graf
| flied at the trend of the canvass. He makes
| no denial of the fact that ample funds have
| been furnished for the prosecution of the
| Mckinley campaign in Virginia, but he
| says the most of It will be used to prevent
| him from being counted out after the vote
| is cast. Col Lamb, the state chairman. ar
| rived today, and will have his headquarters
| at Ford's Hotel.
In YOst's District.
| Jacob Yost Is pushing the canvass in the
| tenth district. having already spoken at
| Lexington. at Amherst and other points
| On each occasion 1t was reported that his
| democratic opponent, H. d. Flood, would
meet him in debate and great interest was
manifested In the outcome. Flood Is i'm
petuous and not overdiscreet, and some of
| his friends fear the outcome OF a contest
between him and the experienced and able
republican candidate. Contrary to eXpec-
tations. Mr.. Flood has not appeared upon
| the hustings and was not on hand on
| either occasion.
Geo P. Faed. at the republican county
! meeting in Smythe county, Monday. to
| elect delegates to the district nominating
convention, made the rather peculiar re-
mark in his speech that free silver elected
| Gen. Jas. A. Walker last time, and it would
| likely cause his defeat this time. He per-
| haps referred to tke strength of the free
| silver democrats, rather than Gen. W alker's 8
| personal attitude.
| Ex-Gov. Cameron will open the campaign
| for the national democratic party at Har-
| riSonburg this week, and will thereafter
| make vigorous canvass. His affiliations
| outside Of the party for years will cause
| him a less cordial reception than if he were
| a Simon pure democrat
|. The situation in Virginia will take on
| more clear-cut lines after the sound money