The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-28

ernor seventeen said Lind. And twelve
of the twenty-three would not indicate
choice for president. AS yet there
nas been little work done on either side
or the state ticket and it was con-
eded by the knowing ones that if
len Greer. of Lake City. would get
out and actively support Clough the
= SSulI lilsnt ue dltLerent on erection
day. Greer is acknowledged to be
facile princeps as an organizer and he
has done very little yet in the cam
paign.
In fact. there has been little cam
paign work done in Wabasha county
except by independent and rather OBJ
scure silverites. Martyrs" to the
cause" have been in the county towns
and have left behind them a trail that
is Uttered with the detritus from
mountain of misinfOrmation. And the
result of this propaganda is discernible
everywhere. Communities have
FORMED INTO BANDS
and are fighting under separate ban
ners. Millville is for Bryan and silver
almost to man, while MaZeppa has
but one declared silver man among it's
citizens. Wabasha city will undoubt-
edly go for silver, while Lake City will
be closer than any town Of its size In
the state. There are twenty-three
towns in the county, and in every one
OF them there is singing out of the
national from all other issues, and at
no time in the history of the county
has there been so many scratched ball
lots as there will be this fall. Men
who are so earnest In their political
beliefs that they stand on the street
and argue iercely for sound money,
lose all their vigor of speech and action
when asked as to their position on the
state ticket, and indicate that that Is
not material.
On the surface Of things, and from
street talk, one might sur1nise that the
silver idea dominated everything else.
This is not quite the fact. The silver
men generally seem to be possessed
OF certain gifts that impel them to air
their views on every possible and inn
possible occasion. But crowd that
was being harangued by a bewhiskered
individual in front Of saloon in the
main street of Wabasha, and which
jollied and cheered the speaker to the
top Of his bent, consisted largely OF
men who wore gold buttons and who
were quite willing to have the street
orator have his say. The only element
that makes the outcome at all uncer-
tain in Wabasha county is the German
agricultural vote. The Germans are
numerous in the county. They have
hitherto voted
WITH THE DEMOCRATS
to a very considerable extent, and
they are likely to look at the financial
question from the same point of view
generally. Those of them who would
confess to preference for president,
said Bryan, and If they speak for the
body Of their fellows the matter is
settled. and Bryan and Lind will carry
Wabasha county by from 300 to 900.
The feature of the public mind that
Is most ominous for the friends or
sound money is the disposition Of
business men to avoid a discussion Of
the issue. Not one or two. but half
dozen Wabasha business men told me
that they could not afford to express
their views, for their customers who
were Of the opposite opinion were
quite ready to take their business else
where in case they found their pur-
veyor opposed to them politically, and
willing to make his position obvious
and exert his influence. This is par
ticularly true Of small dealers and
bankers, who feel that they are apt
to be made the objects of q boycott
for anything that savors of political
interference. There is no room for
criticism Of either party in this matter,
for I was given the same excuse for q
refusal to express preference by men
Of both shades of political opinion.
Actual and active campaign work on
the stump will begin in Wabasha coun-
ty within ten days, after the county
conventions have been held. There
will be fusion on the county ticket by
the Democrats and Populists, and the
Republicans are by no means confident
of retaining the county offices they fell
heir to in the landslide two years ago.
''If Lind carries the county, as he prob
ably WILL" said one we'll known Repub-
lican, "why the tail will go with the
hide" And he indicated that by the
tail he meant Bryan and the county
ticket-for there is not the least doubt
that Lind will lead Bryan here.