The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-05
A STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE
GLOBE MEETS FIRST DISTRICT
CITIZENS.
SOUND MONEY MEN THICK.
SOUTHERN BORDER COUNTIES AP-
PEAR TO BE STRONGLY FOR
M'KINLEY.
SENTIMENT OF THE FARMERS.
Free silver as Panacca for
Our Ills.

Special Staff Correspondence.
OWATONNA. Oct. 4.-Even as
William Jennings Bryan Is max
ing a campaign from the plat
form of a train, so did I make
an attempt to canvass the avail
able voters OF Dodge county-and it is
well for the peace of mind of the presi-
Dental candidate that he does not meet
the sort of people that lined the plat
forms of the depots on the line of the
Northwestern road between Rochester
and Owatonna. It was Sunday, and
there is but one train a day on the
line; the natives of the country along
the line Of the road seem to especially
delight in being present to see the train
come in on Sunday, and nearly every
depot platform was crowded with
farmers and farmers hired men, all
dressed in their best, and seemingly
getting good deal of fun out of their
rather prosy occupation. And they
talked politics as they waited for the
train. so that my fugacious attempt to
canvass them did not at all interfere
with their conversation. The canvass
had to be made rapidly-which was a
fact that had it's advantages. for there
was no chance fer the cranks to make
an argument. The result of that can
vass Is of dire portent for the silverites
The county Of Dodge is beyond all
question for sound money. and Repub-
lican all the way through, for the hur-
ried canvass was verified by other
means.
The one way to find out how a man
is going to vote is by applying the
methed known to the borrower who in
dulges in slang as giving him the
hurry" You dash madly up to man
with a pencil and a sheet Of paper and
say: "How are you going to voter"
The chances are ten to one that he
will blurt out the truth. He may want
to qualify it a moment later, but when
you have to rush on and get train
he has no chance, and you have a nearer
approach to the fact than could be
Ai11O py OOdtlll6 dDOuI IAS DQSl AOA Oil
hour. and I used just that method
There was little crowd at Byron, the
first station, and I asked the question
of dozen men. There was no room
for totals. for some Of them did not
answer, but the result Of the canvass
was nine for Mckinley, two for Bryan
and one for Palmer. At Kasson the
town where the farmers surrounding
1t are so well off that the two banks
can't do any business because of the
number of private country banks
there was stop of five minutes or so,
and twenty men answered my Ques-
ton. Bryan was
IN WORSE LUCK
than at any other point here. OF the
score that answered the question only
two said Bryan. And one man demon
strated his superiority to the herd by
saying that he didn't care anything
about gold or silver, and that he would
vote for Levering. At Dodge Center
seven would vote for Mckinley and
four for Bryan; at Claremont, with
but an instant's stop and only four
men on the platform, all were for Nc
Kinley. Havana turned up eight Nc
Kinley votes and three for Bryan. Two
years ago Tawney only got twice as
many-or nearly that proportion-votes
as his two opponents got in Dodge,
and Mr.. Fitzpatrick Is going to get
a drubbing there, beyond any question.
The smoking car Of the train upon
which rode was fairly well filled, and
| 1or W xrrith no
tickets. They were in punches Of twos
and threes, and they all talked politics.
In two of the punches there was some
sort of contention, and there were evil
dences of both shades of political opin-
ion. The rest Of the passengers were
apparently of one mind, for their talk
consisted principally Of speculating on
the number Of states that Mckinley
would carry. And the conductor of the
train, who acted as though all this talk
of politics gave him a pain said that
he didn't see the use Of talking SO
much about 1t; that silver man for a
passenger was rarity except for an
occasional travelling man. A Dodge
Center man. who has been and is now
a Democrat of as much prominence as
a Democrat can aspire to In Dodge
| anu WHO TOQ0 TO OWatOnna
with me, said that he didn't see that
there was anything to be gained by
making a campaign in his county. He
insisted that his name should not be
used, but he talked readily enough
about politics at his home
I'VE will keep the party organization
together" he said, "and will generally
go on and vote for the Chicago ticket.
but as a business man I could not go
in and make fight If I were inclined
to- for the number of my customers
who are declared gold men would make
it tco expensive for me. don't believe
there is going to be any great breaking
away from party lines In Dodge coun-
ty, except in the case of the German
farmers, who have been Democrats.
and who are all out for gold this year.
Two years ago the Republican major
ity was heavy for Tawney, and 1 think
that he will get perhaps $50 or 300
Democratic votes that he could not
possibly get If it were not for the fnan-
cial question, for they viii consist in
Germans who have always voted with
us hitherto. Tawney will run about
EVEN WITH M'KINLEY,
but Clough may be little behind him.
although the men who Will not vote
for Populist president will not vote
for Populist governor. I am willing
myself to take q chance on casting q