The sun., 1896-10-26
|IR. BRYAN'S CHEAP TALK.
MANI WESTERN FARMERS CAN'T
SEE any SENSE IN 1T.

graphs - Most Railroad Men Are Tor
Sound We ney-The "Coercion" Fiction.
YANKT'SN, S. d., Oct. 25-The further West
one trG'. els the more intense becomes the poltl-
cal sit ration. Eastern people scarcely realize
the nterest and excitement attaching to tho
ca Apagn out in this country, where the daily
rewepapers OF the metropolitan cities East and
West are never seen until the news in them Is
s1id, and where townsmen and neighbors must
have something to talk about besides the crops
and the poor market.
A Presidential candidate is a rare bird In
Dakota. and no wonder, therefore. that the
farmers poured into the railroad towns to see
him during his flying trip. when ho merely had
TO show himself and to urge his hearers to vote
for him as the second Saviour of mankind.
And yet these Western citizens Of Free America
seemed to like Bryan less than their fellows IN
the East. They gazed at him In wonderment. It
is true, much rs they would at a comet with
long tail, but their cheers were few and far be.
tween, and 1t would require a temperament as
sanguine that of the late Col. Mulberry Sellers
or Chairman Jones of the Popocratc Commit
tee to extract comfort or satisfaction from the
Western visit of the political will o. the wsp.
The men who know these Western farmers as
they know them selves and who have been man
aging political campaigns here since the days
before the DRkotas were States in the Union.
declare that Bry an s talk was too che for even
the complaining farmers OF the prairies to be
fooled by.
1t would possibly not be altogether truo to
say that there is more patriotism to the square
inch In the West than In the East. but the
statement that citizens of the West generally
take q more direct personal interest in the cam
pRign. and talk about it freely and
seriously than the people OF the East. would be
but fair. The citizens Of this section have not
ceased talking yet about Bryan's visit. 1t hap
pened two weeks ago and he flashed upon them
only for a moment like the CLEAN OF bulls
eye lantern. II he had Kept his mouth closed
he shot by 1t would have been wise; but on the
contrary he opened it. and now they want him
70 come back and explain several little things
that he said and of which the farmers
can't see the sense. But Bryan is COM
ing to this section no more. and Il is
well for him that he Is not. The people here
are nothing IL not patriotic. and they don't like
the planks in the Chicago platform that advo-
cate the tearing down of tho constitutional
power Of the Government and the overturning
of the Supreme Court OF the United States.
That sort OF politics may do for the followers
of Altgeld among some part of the foreign ele-
ment In the great cities. and 1t may appeal to
the admirers of Ben Tillman in certain sections
Of the SOUTH but out here on the praires it Is
not popular. and nobody is aware of that fact
more fully than the local Popocratic managers
who have had occasion to feel the pulse" of
the people since tho Boy Orators meteoric
visit.
The patriotism Of these Western States and
the overpowerinR interest In the campaign are
not hidden under a bushel, but are apparent to
the most careless and casual observer. In no
way are these qualities more clearly shown
than in the wearing of badges. Literally every
man. woman. and child in the West wears a
campaign button in his collar has campaign
badges pinned to his breast. The Western peo-
pie are not ashamed OF their politics or their re-
ligion. but wear the signs OF both as If they
were proud OF them, as they undoubtedly are.
This craze for wearing badges is general In tho
West. and seems to have grown out OF the un-
precedented interest that is felt by all casses in
the issue of the Presidential fight.
The railroad employees from conductors down
to section hands wear buttons and badges: the
waters in the hotels have them. the newsboys
and street Ramins. the street railway men. tho
shopkeeperS. the bartenders. the cab drivers.
the drummers for business houses. and all sorts
and conditions OF men go about their daily oc-
cupatons with the sign of their political faith
In plain sight OF all beholders, in order that
their sentiments may have influence upon
their fellows. The badges and buttons are OF all
shapes. sizes. and designs. Some are pretty and
Others are not, but few are worn of any sort
the stars and stripes OF the American flag.
a citizen of one of the big cities of the North
west called attention the other day to lady
passing down busy shopping street accom-
panied by II Child.a boy about four years of age.
She was well dressed ladylike. and evidently
well bred ana refined Her boy was dressed in
bright colors. and on his curly head q red
cap with white visor encrcled by blue band
with the words in gilt, McKi inley and Hobart"
atnpu hnYx ,,nl,
terested in this election" said the gentleman.
and his object lesson on this point was but n
sample of what is to be seen daily on the streets
or Western towns and cities. Autographs Of
tho Presidential candidate are in the windows OF
all business houses and thousands OF private
residences. Those of Mckinley and Hobart
largely predoninate.
Travelling on the railroad trains has become
an almost unbearable nuisance. because OF tho
pers'stency of the man who goes through tho
cars taking poll Of the passengers. He is only
mite less Objectionable than the ever present
NewsbOy,' who does not pretend to sell news
papers nowadays. but prefers to fash in the
faces and plump into the laps OF mis- victims
campaign devices so innumerabe as to put to
shame those who claim that Yankees are
longer the masters OF invention.
jewelry firm in Chicago made a hit early in
the summer by selling for ST. each coin COM
prisng the exact mum ber Of grains of coin silver
contained in IL dollar worth 100 cents. and
stamping 1t with II suitable inscription. 1t was
aGood advertisement for the firm. and furn ishod
also an idea 10 the manu- facturers of campaign
catch-penny devices. They at once issued n
bright nickel imitation of a silver dime. COM
posed apparently of ten cents worth of fsilver at
the bullion price. This made the dime about
the size OF standard dollar. and when the Gov
ernment authorities stopped them with the coun-
terfeting laws from manufacturing the big sill
yer dimes they promptly changed the inscription
to read, United Snakes of America, One DAM"
and now they sell their wares unmolested on
every railway train in the West.
The excitement and intensity of the political
campaign in the Western towns have also de-
veioped new school OF orators among the
"FaGirs who hold forth at night on tho street
corners. drawing II crowd by slelght of hand
tricks or banjo playing and then selling them