The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-09-30

good proportion of the Prohibition
men are for Bryan, and also for the
reason that the party is making no
organized fight this year. It certainly
looks to me like a Democratic victory
in November, and / should not be sur
prised to see an even greater majority
for Bryan than the figures men
toned"
The estimate given above of $4,000
votes for Palmer seems liberal. The
vote polled by the mugwump Demo
Gratis in 1894, when they made their
best run, was $4,000. That was a bitter
and hotly contested campaign and the
same men who supported Everett p.
Wheeler for Governor against Hill are
identified with the Palmer movement.
General Palmer received respectful
attention in this city early in the week.
but he is not looked upon as a serious
candidate for the Presidency, and his
mission in New York i'm November will
be to absorb the $1,000 votes cast for
Wheeler two years ago If his total
vote reaches $4,000, the Bryan men will
be pleasantly surprised. The General
would have had nothing to complain of,
so far as his reception in New York
was concerned, had il not been for
William ID. Bynum. Mr.. Bynum is a
very affable gentleman, but ne is not
an orator, and he "queered' General
Palmer at Madison Square Garden bv
trying to make a speech. This is 4
weakness with which the chairman of
the Boltocratic committee has long
been afflicted. To illustrate, his
speeches got him into trouble during
the debate on the repeal of the Sher-
man law i'm the House of Representa-
tiYes Hn 1893, when Lafe Pence referred
to him as his preceptor in bi-metallism.
II shall not carry the gentleman
back far into recollection of scenes
tbat have lately transpired in his life, :"
said Pence, only to the 18th day of
October, 1891, when the gentleman
from Indiana, Mr.. Chauncey f. Black,
Of Pennsylvania, Senator Faulkner and
Mr.. Wilson, of West Virginia, were
making a tour through our country
for the organization of Democratic
clubs.
"They came into our presence. OH!
how warmly we greeted them. We
greeted them with bed and board,
such as the old Kentucky hospitality
used to give us. On the night of Octo-
ber -, 1891, the gentleman from In
dianapolis addressed the largest audi
ence ever seen in Denver. / read the
words of the gentleman as uttered
there:
have always he said, and / know
the gentleman will not forget those
words, been in favor of the free coin
age of silver; and while | do not desire
to advertise my own record, yet in this
connection / think it is not improper to
say what action / have taken. / was
on the committee on Coinage in the
Forty-ninth Congress, and was one of
the three members of that committee
who reported the bill in favor of free
coinage away back in the beginning of
Mr.. Cleveland's first administration.
! have voted for free coinage from the
time the question came before Com
gress, and viii do so every time"
Pence then stated that the papers of
Denver, with Characteristic enterprises,
had Illustrated this speech.fr
And here, what see ] before me,
fltc continued. OH the recollections il
/ brings up. The medallion of a silver
dollar, turned out by our mints How
supported? BY the manly legs and
feet of the gentleman from Indianapo-
lis. Whose aTms are these I see up
raised as an invocation to high
heaven? Whose face is this / see
announcing 10 the skies, j
always voted for free silver
coinage and always will when it comes
up The noble presence on my left re-
minds me that cannot be mistaken in
the photograph
At this time the members of the
House had been enjoying Pence's hui
NOR and had been laughing at his sal
lies. When he finally reminded Mr..
Bynum that the question had "come
up" the climax was reached. Imme-
diately afterward Mr.. Bynum ex-
planned his position, and used these
words:
Whenever I become convinced of
error will change my views, and when
/ shall do so / shall not be too cowardly
to proclaim the fact"
This last utterance was made the
excuse for one of 'Private" John AL
lens famous stories. The humorous
member from Mississippi next day said
that some of the Democrats who We're
being praised by the Republicans for
their action in supporting the admins
tration's policy should humbly apollo
gize to the Republican party for their
denunciation of it's policy in the past.
Referring almost solely to Mr.. Bynum,
he told this story:
1.-TWO of my constituents were candi-
dates for county Treasurer of Alcorn
county. One had held the office for two
terms and the other was opposing him
on the third term issue. The latter
followed his opponent all over the
county, denouncing the proposition to
elect a man again and again. The peo-
pie indorsed him, and he was elected
In or,rositinrn To the third term candi-