The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-10-06

ly their own employees. but business
men and farmers, more or less depend
ent upon railroads or banks. or under
mortgage, dislike to announce them
selves as taking a position which the
moneyed Institutions so bitterly oppose.
/ have had many instances of this feel
ing, but can best express what ! think
II means In what heard In East Llv-
erpool when l quietly went into that
town without registering my name or
letting anyone know that was there
I sat at the MONDAY meal beside a
man who afterwards proved TO make
business of travelling that part OF the
country as a buyer OF apples and pota-
toes from the farmers who raised
them. in order TO ship them to Pitts
burg for the East Our talk began by
praising the Ohio grapes. which are
indeed this year very fine. and II led
to fruit generally and then to the
cheapness OF apples, and the prospect
of rise In potatoes. until he began to
| tell me OF his business and his personal
contact with farmers in that part OF
Ohio he travelled. i finally asked him
how the farmers were feeling political
ly. He said They were going to
surprise the politicians this year. who
will fnd themselves woefully mistaken
when the election comes off. They do
not like 10 say how they are going TO
vote. but find wherever l have busi-
ness with them that they are always
anxious TO ask me what hear. and as
most of those ! deal with know me,
they soon get TO talking" Finally
| after talking awhile In an Indifferent
manner. l asked him which way he
thought the farmers Of Ohio were tend
ing. "Oh" he said: THAT Is certain.
1t is to free silver. Everywhere go I
find men who have been heretofore re-
| publicans who are going to vote for
Bryan. and they generally tell me OF
lots Of others"
Now this is what ] hear from demo-
Gratis, from populists. from prohibi-
tionists. and from single-taxers. who
look on this election with dispassion-
ate eye. for although In this part OF
the country. at least. they seem uni
versally for Bryan. they do not believe
that any currency change can effect
what they look on the real cause OF
hard times.
What impressed me as much more
solid ground for the confidence Of the
democratic committeeman than any
estimate of votes. was the specific In
stances which they have to give Of
the number Of republicans who are
now ardently working for free silver.
For instance. among the letters Chair
man Taylor showed me was one from
]. L. W. Brown of Wauseon, Fulton
county. who. until the st. Louis con-
vention. was chairman Of the republi-
can state central committee. and in
which, after giving instances OF the
great change going on among republi-
cans, he added: "If other counties
will do half as well as Fulton, the
state VIII give Bryan $4,000 majority"
II speak Of this, only because Of the
position of the man. Some of these let
tiers talk OF 100000 and even OF 100000
majority. and the instances OF WELL
known republicans. who are throwing
all their ardor into the fight for free
silver. are numerous and convincing.
Everywhere these republicans are be-
ing put to the front.
The committeeman say that they
lack In speakers whose expenses must
be paid. but that they have no lack Of
speakers who will go without pay, and
have no difficulty In taking them from
one nearby locality to the other. al
ways finding men who are ready to put
their teams to the service as labor OF
love.
The campaign that Is going on on the
Bryan side Is n campaign of school
houses and other places that can be
had without charge, and It's intensity
and thoroughness is shown In this city.
as in the other Ohio cities that ! have
visited. Here In Columbus there was
during the fine weather the same sort
Of constant discussion in public places
that I noted in Cleveland. Now. that
rain has come. the free silver men
have opened, in large vacant store,
what they call "a financial school"
adorned with Davenport's pictures OF
Mark Hanna. where. from o'clock in
| ti' hitihiHS uHtii r'hE olb'i IL bs
night, speaking. reading and discus
sion Is always going on. There are
5000 members IN this county In tho
free silver organizations. One free sill
yer club In this city, composed exclu-
sively Of republicans, contains 900
members.
When Bryan spoke here, and from
all accounts he made a most effective
speech, the whole city seemed TO at
tend, and people fiocked in from long
distances around. so that from the
state house park he was heard by as
many human beings as II was possible
for even his powerful voice TO reach
while those who could not hear stood
around. And in the debate. which was
held last night, between Watson, the
republican candidate. and Lentz. the
democratic candidate for congress in
this district. I found II impossible 10
get admission. mass OF people even
crowding the back alley In hopes OF
catching an occasional word.
From all have seen. Ohio is stirred
as II never has been stirred since war
times and the opinion on which !
think ! can best rely is that all the
tendency Is in favor OF Bryan. This
| Ia tho raaza,, nrhp ~ caar,z 80 ,.o