The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-31
THE POLITICAL SITUATION.
How it Looks on the Street Corners i
Roanoke.

Roanoke
AS we approach the great political bat
tie which will be waged on next Tuesday
the political situation wakes warmer and
warmer i'll Roanoke. The question Of
political speeches is now practically
ended. Roanoke has furnished il large
quota of orators for both sides of the
question.
The opposing factions will be we'll for
titled for the battle by Tuesday morning.
rhe Republicans have been vigilant and
have left no stones unturned to get their
full vote registered and organized for the
Tray. They have held secret weekly meet
lngs for the past month and have zone
about their work III Il systematic way.
| They have been furnished with cartloads
OF literature by the national committee
and it has been distributed where they
thought it would do the most good. They
have done great deal of work toward
educating the colorcd voter up to the
point of being able to cast his own vote
properly and all this work will probably
tell when it comes to counting the vote.
They have had lots of speaking and have
been well equipped in the way of secur.
! ing large attendance Mt their meetings.
They have in all instances been able to Sc
cure the services OF Il band which has also
been the case with the gold Democrats.
The most sanguine Republicans in the
city hope to get small majority and
none Will admit that the Democrats will
! carry the city by more than from 15C to
200 votes.
- The gold Democrats are not expected TO
cut much CT figure here, although some
people. have the temcrity to claim 300
votes in the city. Some Republicans say
| they will get as many as 200. but the
Democratic workers who have polled the
town place their vote ut from 100 to 100,
provided many Of them do MT vote
straight out for Mckinley. If they should
do this generally it would of course re-
( dnce the Palmer vote and at the same
| time reduce the Bryan plurality.
The Democrats have not been idle here
by any means. They have become toubly
vigllant owing to the increased efforts of
the Republicans to decrease the Demo
cratic vote nj this election. They are con
lidcnt that the full vote of the city is reg
| istered and now they are making SUI
premc effort to see thatcvcry Bryan voter
gets to the polls on election day Some
Of them think that the city Is safe for
Bryan by from 800 to GOO votes Others
put it nj less The gold vote keeps them
guessing so far as their majority is con-
, cerncd, rs they do not know whether it
Will 90 for Mckinley or Palmer. They
| do not fear the result being favorable to
Bryan however, but it is Il question rs to
how many votes. 1t is generally conceded
by the Democrats that the county will 90
for Mckinley by about 100 votes, willie the
Republicans say 300. The vote in the CITY
and county combined is expected TO be
very close. The Republicans claim Mont
gOmery county, but the most authoritati &c
news from thai section indicates that the
/ Democrats will carry the county by a
small vote, although IA strong Republican
brought the news to the city yesterday
that the party was thoroughly united in
the county and that Radford would re-
ccivc the solid support of the colored
voters
y number of citizens from Floyd coun-
| ty were in the city yesterday and when
questioned n to the political situation
stated that the big Republican majority
of the county would be greatly reduced.
The people of old Floyd are wide awake
especially is this so in the eastern end of
the county. Noah Wilson and w. Il.
Simpson, two sturdy farmers, the latter
an old line Republican, are making
! stump speeches and have II standing chal-
| lenge for joint debates with goldbug ora
| tors who are imported into the county.
These men, although born and bred on the
| farm, ARE posted aS to the situation and Mt
the same time have the power of speech
to make known their honest convictions.
| The county has been flooded from one end
| to the other with gold literature and
| sound money meetings have been held
| al every school house and cross roads
| store in the county. Gentlemen who are
! well Informed on the situation say that
Notwithstanding determined Efforts of
! the gold standard people to keep their old
/ time vote in Floyd, it is surely hut
/ silently slipping away from them. 1t is