Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1896-09-23
WASHINGTON LETTER.
lFrom Our Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON. d @. Sent. H. ,ee,


other sources of information, they
would know from the tone of the
speeches made by Bryan and his fol-
lowers that the Popocrats are on the
run. They have already begun to ex.
plain their defeat b. all sorts of ridicu.
lous charges about capitalists COMPEL.
ing their employees Ia support Nc Kinley
and Hobart. But tne Republican man.
ayers know from other sources-di direct
reports from the States-that Bryan is
already licked, and hat if the election
were to be held tbs week Mckinley
and Hobart would be easy winners.
The Bryan manag' RS know this too,
and that is one reason why they are
struggling so hard ON the stump and
through the literature they are dis
tributing to arouse class prejudice in
favor of Bryan. But they are barking
up the wrong tree. The average Ameri-
can voter knows a thing or two, and
having once made up bis mind by
bringing his common sense to bear
upon the questions at issue he will not
allow that decision to be upset by his
prejudice.
The more desperate Bryan's chances
get the larger grows the demands of
the Popn!ists. Tom Watson compelled
the Popocratic managers to set aside
their original program aid agree that
Bryan and himself should be notified
OF their nomination. and he has now
started out to compel them to take
Sewall off the ticket and put him on.
Watson has not minced matters. He
has told the Popocratic managers that
they could choose between putting him
on the regular Brl IN ticket and the
certainty of losing several OF the South.
ern States, and if lhey do not decide by
the time that Bryan comes East again,
next week, it is said that Watson, who
is also coming East intends to compel
Bryan to publicly c .oose between him
self and Sewall as his running mate
The Popocrats say that Sewall will not
be taken off the ticket, but they are re.
ported to be bringing all sorts of pres-
sure upon him to tuke himself off the
ticket, SO that the Populists may be
satisfied by putting Watson on.
A fair specimen of the misrepresen.
tation which is lie most prominent
feature of the camplign that is being
conducted in behall of Bryan, repudia-
tion and anarchy IS the statement Of
Senator Faulkner. chairman ,of the
Democratic Congressional Committee,
that the Republicans had sent an enor-
nous quantity of literature into Ar
kansas. The Republicans sent no lit
erature at all into that State, except to
few hundred individuals who made
specific requests for it, because they
did not feel able to waste good material
in State where the election machinery
could be so manipulated as to turn out
any desired Democratic majority. In
fact, the demand for literature has
been so great that the Republican
committee has had to cut down the
quantity asked for in all States that |
are regarded as surely Republican in
order to'supply the demand in States
that are regarded as doubtful. The |
knowledge that the figures in the al
legged big Democratic majority in Ar
kansas represents the crooked work of
dishonest election officials rather than
honest votes deprives them of any sig.
nificance.
1t can be stated upon the best au.
thority that a conference held in New
York City this week between Senator
Hill and number Of prominent Tam
many Hall Democrats the opinion of
every man present was that Bryan
hadn't the slightest chance to carry
New York, and that their only chance
was to make fight on Black, the Re
publican candidate for Governor, upon
purely State issue if that be possible.
Still Mr.. Bryan and Senator Stewart
are talking wildly about New York
being carried for silver.
1t is not now considered probable
that the gold Democrats will put up
electors in Maryland. They had con.
ference this week in Baltimore and
while the matter was not definitely
settled, the sentiment of those present
was strongly in favor of the gold Dem.
ocrats of the State casting their votes
directly for Mckinley and Hobart.
Senator Jones' appeal for popular
subscriptions to the Popocratic cam.
paign fund having utterly failed. Sen.
ator Butler, chairman of the Popnlist
National Committee, and credited with
being the controlling spirit at the Pop
ocratic headquarters in Washington,
this week issued an appeal to the Pop
ulists for contributions of 81 and up.
wards The few Popnlists who have
become known to Washington are not
the sort Of men who contribute money
to political campaigns,
The Popocrats have about stopped
claiming Wisconsin, now that the ex-
tent OF the Democratic revolt against
Bryan and free silver In that State is
becoming known. Chairman Babock,
OF the Republican Congressional Com.
mittee, is from Wisconsin, and he has
said from the first that IL would give
and Hobart an immense
majority.