The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-10-25

Demon srative Eyidance Of Al
fiction Thro agh the State.
SPRING VALLEY MINERS
Answers Quibbles Of Coercion
ist ingalls, and Ben Harrist n.
REPUBLICAN, COUNTY CHEERS

Coercion, Says the Nominee, is vol I
tion Of / aw-- Right TO Vote Accord
ing TO Ones Conscience is
Law-Given Eight.
Buda, H., Oct "a 4-Early this morn
ing w. j. Bryan began his work. Be
fore o'clock he spoke at Ottawa and
a good-sized crowd cheered his ar
raignment of the gold Democrats.
At La Sale, Mr.. Bryan spoke from
a fiat car to large crowd of enthusias-
tic admirers of himself and Gov. Alt
geld. The action of the latter during
the strikes three years ago here and
at Spring Valley made the miners
there loyal supporters of him and the
crowds at both places this morning
showed demonstratiye evidence of af-
fection for the Governor and for the
Presidential nominee. At La Sale Mr..
Bryan said in part:
two distinguished men have called
me 10 secount because of advice which
gave 81 railroad employees. In speak
ing of tie aifempt of the railroads to
coercs fl,e.r employees, said that in
these hard times. when employment is
so difficult TO find I did not want to
advise laboring men to do anything
which would lose them their employ
ment and added that they should wear
Republican buttons If necessary,
march in the Republican parade if
they were. commanded TO do so. and
even contribute to the Republican cam
paign fund. if that was required by
their employers. but that they should
vote according to their convictions on
election day. Mr.. Ingalls,, the president
of railroad, in a speech in Cincinnati,
denounced me for advising employees to
deceive their employers, and ex-Presi-
dent Harrison has charged me with
teaching immortality in giving the adj
vice which | have quoted. Now, / de-
sire to justify my position. The right
to vote according to ones conscience
is a law given right. Coercion is a
violation of law, and when / advise
employees to vote as they please, even
though they must wear Republican
buttons and march in Republican
parades, l am taking higher moral
grounds and giving more patriotic adj
vice than those who countenance CO.
erection and appeal to employees to vote
the Republican ticket, merely because
they have been compelled to wear Re-
publican badges during the campaign.
When man criticises me for advising
employees to express their honest con-
victions at he ballot box, / ask what
such people think of the Australian
ballot The Australian ballot is a
secret ballot and we have adopted it
in this country in order to protect
American citizens in the right to vote
according to conscience, without being
subjected to discharge of persecution.
When Mr.. Harrison and Mr.. Ingalls,
condemn me for telling them to vote
as they please they actually condemn
the Australian ballot. In fact they
condemn all secret ballots and tell the
citizen that he ought to an
nounce in advance how he is
going to vote. There are some
who can announce their position
in advance, and when a citizen is in
position to act with independence I
am glad to see him do so, but when
an employer violates the rights of his
employees, by demanding that they
shall march in parades or wear certain
badges, the employe has a right to
take advantage of the secret ballot.
] am willing to let the public sit in
judgment upon the advice which /
have given to employees, if Mr.. ingalls,
and Mr.. Harrison are willing to submit
their advice to the public, am willing
that the public shall decide whether it
is immoral for the people to vote ac-
cording to their conscience, if Mr. Har-
rison and Mr.. Ingalls, are ready to risk
the verdict of the people on the posi-
ton they have taken, namely, that
employees must vote the Republican
ticket on election day because they
had worn Republican badges during
the campaign"
A freight train had trouble south of
Ladd, and the special ON which Mr..
Bryan was travelling was delayed at
that place for a few minutes, and the
time was utilized by the nominee in
making q speech to few hundred
people about the rear of the train.
It was an enthusiastic little crowd,
and eheered him repeatedly.
THE REPUBLICANS CHEER.
Rock Island, ILL.,, Oct. 24.-Notwith-
standing the fact that Henry county
yields Republican majority every
election az large as that of any county
of the State, an immense gathering
awaited Mr.. Bryan at the fair grounds,
and from a stand erected in the CEN
ire of the race track in front of the
reviewing stand, the nominee talked to
an audience that numbered up in the
thousands. He was cheered repeated
ly, and once in while a wearer of a
yellow badge would shoot in a cheer
for the Republican nominee. There
were quite a few gold badges in the
crowd, but the greater number of them
were on the streets and not at the
meeting. At the little town of Calvin,
the train stopped for few moments
and mingled with the cheers for Mr..
BRYAN came those for his opponent.
The Democratic nominee asked if any
body present thought the gold stand
ard was the best thing for the coun.y,
and there were cries of mo-" and