The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-06-19
WHAT Mr.. BRYAN SAYS.
The Gold Declaration Will Cost Nc
kinIey Every.Vote West of the Mis-
sissinni River.

'"''~
sissippi River.
St. LOUIS, Mo-, June 16.-(Special to
Atlanta Constitution. 1.-The Demo
Gratis who have been among the spec
tators at the convention are unani-
nous in their belief that the action of
the Republicans in declaring for gold
is the very best thing that could have
happened for Democracy. One of the
most prominent of these is Hon. w. J.
Bryan, of Nebraska, who has indeed
attracted scarcely less attention than
the Republican big guns. Mr.. Bryan's
brilliant ability is testified to by his
political enemies, as well as his politi-
cal friends, and he is pointed out in
the Hobbies as one of the notables. Mr..
Bryan is jubilant over the turn affairs
have taken.
MR.. BRYAN COULDN'T HAVE DONE
BETTER.
IF the silver men had been allowed
to fix a programme for the Republic
cans to follow they could not possibly
have made one more favorable" said
he. ut is not the politicians who have
shaped things; the people have done
that. The people have declared in I'M
mistakable terms that the financial
question is the issue before this coun-
try and they propose to vote on that
issue this year. The politicians tried
to push the money question to the
background and had they succeeded
they might have blinded many to the
real cause of the conditions against
which the people are crying out; but
now we will have the Republican par
ty on one side standing as the repre-
sentative of the single gold standard
and currency contraction policy, and
the Democratic party standing square
~ for the restoration of silver to its
place as primary money. The people
are thoroughly in earnest this year
and it is the time to make this fight"
What about the West?" / asked.
"What the Western Republican lead
ers tell you of the situation will be of
more interest than what / say. But
I am only repeating the declarations
they make when I say the strong prob
ability is that the Republicans in each
contest cannot carry a single vote west
of the Mississippi river. l have assur-
ances from eminent Republican
sources that in a contest with the lines
drawn squarely on the money ques
ton, Illinois and Indiana will certainly
be found in the Democratic column,
while even Ohio is doubtful. Every
body admits that the new lining up
upsets all calculations based on party
lines of the past. The movement in
favor of silver is not confined to any
State or any section.
81 believe that the action of this
convention in declaring squarely for
the single gold standard makes the
success of the Democracy as nearly
certain as anything in politics can be-"
There is a great deal of Republican
testimony that indorses what Mr.. Bry-
an says. AS to the great value Of this
action to the Democratic cause and
Democratic chances / quoted leading
Ohio Republican yesterday as saying
that with the word gold in the plat
form, even McKinley's own State would
go against him. Now this sounds like
an absolutely wild statement, and yet
stranger things have happened in
American politics. Tonight was talk
ing with one of the most prominent
newspaper men in Ohio. man whose
name I cannot use in this connection
because it might injure him with his
employers. / told him as a sample of
wild estimates the statement concern
ing Ohio which Colonel Brown had
made.
OHIO DOUBTFUL FOR M'KINLEY.
let me tell you," he said, "You need
not laugh at that statement. 1t may
sound extravaganza and impossible to
you, but if you had been out in the
rural districts of Ohio as | have been,
you would agree with me that there
is a strong chance of silver candidate
carrying Ohio. The farmers of Ohio,
without regard to the party, are for
silver, and when the lines are drawn
will vote for the silver candidate"
One of Indiana's delegates-at-large,
in discussing the platform question
tonight, said:
''The word gold in that platform
will drive off from our ticket at least
5000 votes, and you know we never
have 5000 votes to spare in our State"