Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-07-31
Snecial TO the Register.

How IllQgS are hONluS'
Special to the Register.
Charleston, w. Va, July SO.-Since
the adjournment Of the National Demo-
cratic Convention at Chicago there has
been a wonderful change Of sentiment
in this part Of the State in favor OF Tree
silver and the Democratic party. Or
il would be more proper to say, that
the change of sentiment toward the
Democratic party has begun to manifest
itself in a wonderful manner.
Before the National Conventions were
held there were about as many free sill
yer Republicans as there were free sill
YER Democrats. Since the adoption OF
the gold standard platform by the
Republican convention, and the free
silver platform By the Democratic con-
yention. there has been a general break
ing up of the Republican party in this
section of the State as well as in other
sections and in other States. There are
a few Democratic bankers and capital
lists here who have said that they would
not vote for Bryan and free silver, but
the number of these is much smaller
than it was supposed it would be.
IT IS QUITE DIFFERENT
with the free silver Republicans. They
are coming over to the Democratic party
en- masse. Bryan and Sewall clubs are
being organized in nearly all the small
places in Kanawha county, and the
membership Of these clubs is generally
composed of nearly as many free silver
Republicans as Democrats. A Bryan
and Sewall club was organized at st.
Albans last week with a membership Of
21O. and IS OF these were free silver
Republicans. About the same time a
Bryan and Sewall club was organized
at Maiden with 1S6 members, 6S of
whom are free silver Republicans. On
Monday evening of this week Bryan
and Sewall club was organized in the
Fifth ward of this city. VIM. Thayer,
one Of the proprietors of the South Side
Foundry and Machine Shops, and a
former Republican, was elected pres
ident. and w. A. Forsyth, who has
always heretofore been a Republican,
was elected secretary. In this club the
free silver Republicans outnumber the
Democrats. A few evenings ago Mr..
Virgil A Gates, a Republican-PcpulisS,
made a speech at Pine Grove, near this
city, and organized Bryan and Sewall
club. He reports that large percent
age of these have heretofore been Re-
publicans.
THE TRADES UNIONS
of this city, whose members have here
tofcre generally been high protection
ISIS and voted the Republican ticket, are
now nearly all solid for Bryan and Sc
wall.
It is about the same with the farming
element II is difficult to find a farmer
who has not signifed his intention to
vote for Bryan and free silver, no mat
ter what his former party affiliations
have been.
The detection from the party of Nc
Kinley and the gold standard is not by
any means confined to the ordinary
voters. Men Of influence and leader
ship in the Republican party ares COM
ing over to the Bryan and Sewall stand
ard. Among these may be mentioned
Judge J. H. Brown, lifelong Repub-
lican and at one time a candidate for
Congress on the Republican ticket in
this district; Judge J. B. C. Drew. a
prominent Republican leader; Hon.
Abram Burlew, all influential Republi-
cans of this city. Col. J. w. Davis. OF
Greenbrier, another prominent leader.
and at one time the Republican candi-
date for Congress in this district, has
announced himself a free silver man
and will
VOTE FOR BRYAN AND SEWALL.
Col. Fuller, an influential Republican
of the same county, has announced him
self the same way.
If the free silver and Bryan sentiment
continues to grow as it has within the
last two weeks, it will be almost unan-
imous by the Sd of November.