The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-10-01
by Henry George,

that / came down for passing visit
to the Republica Mecca and a glimpse
OF the ranks of the admirers of the
prophet of protection and prosperity,
And as to what / had heard SO speci-
fieally from those who are in a position
to know. / secured in a Cleveland
hotel little Republican confirmation.
A bright-faced young commercial
traveller, wearing a big Mckinley
button. stood at the hotel desk order
ing his packages sent to his room.
II had three" he said, but some
honest Republican has relieved me
of the valise that contained all my
personal things"
How do you know it was a Repub-
lican?" / asked. in the nearest I could
get to a protection and prosperity"
manner and tone.
why, ] just came from Canton ON
one of the excursion trains" he re-
piled, ''and they were all wearing Nc
kinley buttons"
But reioined, Il hear that a good
many Bryan men go on these eXcur-
sions and make no scruple of wearing
Mckinley buttons"
He was silent moment, and then
said, thoughtfully:
81 should not wonder if that is so.
Do you know that what most aston
ished me on the excursion train was
the number of men wearing Mckinley
badges and buttons that / could hear
talking free silver among themselves
as we came along?"
BRYAN MEN IN CANTON.
To stranger who gets here and
goes TO a first-class hotel, Canton seems
at first veritabIe Mckinley town, for
he sees everywhere Mckinley en-
blems and badges and flags. But it did
not take me long to find the place of
business of man whom konw as an
old and stalwart single taxer. Then
] Immediately got into different at
mosphere and found that the opposition
to Mckinley in his own city was vigor-
Gus and confindent, expecting to carry
for Bryan McKinley's own county, his
own city and his own precinct.
| have talked to-day with intelligent
and reliable men, Democrats, Popu-
lists, Republicans and Prohibitionists,
who propose to vote for Bryan, and
found them not only most hopeful
but confident of this, and to be able
to assign reasons for their faith.
Stark county, of which Canton is the
principal town, gave to Bushnell, the
OOHGIHOT III
1895, when the disgust with the Cleve-
land administration among those who
had elected him brought the last high
tide of Republican success, a vote of
$500. AT the same time it gave the
Democratic candidate, Campbell, 7,498;
the Populist, Coxey. 2,488; the Prohi-
bitonist, 524, and the Socialist, rs.
Thus, union even of the Democrats
and Populists, on this vote, would have
defeated the Republicans, whose vote
was 383 less than that of the two COM
bined.
In the city of Canton Bushnell had
plurality of SAT, but his vote was 141
below that of the Democrats and Popu-
lists combined, and 284 below that of
the combined opposition, while in the
last local contest in the spring pre-
ceding the election of Bushnell, the
Democratic candidate, the present
mayor, received $50 more votes than
the Republican candidate, although
the Populist candidate had more than
thousand, so that the latest figures
clearly give both county and city to
Democrats and Populists when united.
POPULISTS FOR BRYAN.
Now, in the National election of
November the Populists to man may
be counted for Bryan, for they are
working in their own way like beavers.
The Socialists will hardly count for
anything, while as for the Prohibition
lists, the estimates that / get here
coincide with the estimate that / got
in Cleveland from leading Prohibition
SITS, that two-thirds of the Prohibi-
ton vote of Ohio this year will go
for Bryan.
Tt 81 oleo oorooro7 +bo+ AIS, WOW
the number of Democrats who VII go
to the polls will be much greater than
in 1895, when there was large abb
stention caused by Democratic disgust
with the Cleveland administration.
There will be some Democratic votes
for Palmer and Buckner, but a well
informed man, who was trying to esti-
mate the proportion from his personal
knowledge, could only succeed in
naming three bankers and two railroad
attorneys who he said talked for that
ticket, but who he felt sure would
vote for Mckinley. And the general
belief of the man / have talked with
is that the great mass of the Demo
cratic voters viii this year come to the
polls for Bryan.
AS to the assertions among the Re
publicans on which the Bryan men
confidently count, there is no doubt
that they are very large.
MANY REPUBLICAN CONVERTS.
I talked with number of Repub-
1icans who propose to cast their first
Democratic vote for Bryan this year,
and have been told specifically of many
more. The president of the Canton
Bryan club, Nathan Holloway, is a
Republican of this kind, and of the
1000 members of that club, the lowest
estimate of the Republicans among
them is one-sixth, In the agricultural
districts of Stark and adjoining coun-
ties, the proportion of Republicans who
are going over to Bryan is said to be
even greater, and to embrace the class
Of Republicans who have stood by their