The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-10-27
ONE WEEK FROM ELECTION.

The Herald aims to give all the news
obtainable that bears upon the political
situation. There is only week more
of the campaign and if the develop
ments are such as to throw any clearer
light upon the problem the readers of
The Herald will have the benefit of
them. We fully understand that the
people rejoice in encouraging news;
and they shall have all such that is to
be had. but it must always be consid-
cred in connection with that which is
of the opposite character.
There are multiplying reasons for the
belief that Bryan will win. Unless the
managers of the Democratic campaign
are entirely at sea, the defeat of Nc
Kinley will be overwhelming. But. not
withstanding this, we are confronted by
the fact that the Republicans make
claims of the most farreaching char
acter, these claims being given out in
the most confident manner.
Never before, perhaps. in the history
of politics have predictions varied so
widely Ordinarily the Republicans
some of the leaders on that side put
the figure at 100000. The Democrats do
not make any such extravagant claims
as to the majority, but they are conf
dent they will carry the state. The
Republican chairmen of Iowa and Wis
consin have been laying wagers as to
which will roll up the larger majority,
both claiming $4,000 or more On the
other hand, many of the Democratic
leaders are confident they will carry
Iowa Minnesota is claimed as abso-
lutely certain for Bryan, but the Re-
publican chairman in that state has
laid a wager that Minnesota will cast
more Mckinley votes in proportion to
it's population than any other state in
the Union. All Democratic authorities
put Indiana in the Bryan column, but
there is not a Republican manager who
admits there is even a remote posi-
bility of the state being taken from Nc
Kinley.
So it goes all through the list. The
predictions are so at variance that it
is manifest that one side or the other
is deceiving itself terribly-and The
Herald has every reason to believe that
it is not the Democracy that is making
the blunder. There has been SO much
palpable Misrepresentation on the Re-
publican side that we are justified in
assuming that most of the claims made
are known to be false by those who
put them forth, and that such bets as
those mentioned are arranged for effect
upon the public mind
While the press associations send out
all the news they can handle, the pa
pers published in eastern cities are re-
lied. Upon by a great multitude of
people for more detailed information
as to conditions in particular localities.
AS these papers are very generally
rabid supporters of the gold standard,
it is difficult to secure anything but
gold news, unless one knows what pa
per to call for. In Chicago, as an il
lustration, there is only one silver pa
per, the Dispatch. Readers of all the
other papers gained the idea that the
Depew, Cochran and Reed meetings in
that city were overlooking successes.
The Dispatch, however, says:
Burke Cochran spoke at the great
Coliseum, which seats q, 500 people, aud
had an attendance of less than 5000.
After he had spoken an hour the crowd
had dwindled to 1000. On this meeting
the local Republican committee ex-
pended $4,000 in posters and in other ad
vertising matter. Fifty thousand tick
.-;11
downtown offices and in the shops. The
various Republican clubs worked hard
to secure an attendance, but without re-
suit. Arrangements had been made for
overflow meetings, but they did not
materialize. When Cochran took the
platform he faced more than 10000 va
cant seats.
Chauncey Depew, with all his fame
as an orator and his local popularity,
was unable to attract more than u, 900
to the Coliseum.
Theodore Roosevelt met even a more
disastrous fate. Less than 5000 people
awaited themselves of the opportunity
to hear Mr.. Roosevelt at the Coliseum,
notwithstanding generous advertising.
On Monday Thomas B. Reed ad-
dressed much-advertised meeting at
the Auditorium. 1t had been expected
that no less than $4,000 people would
mass themselves around the Auditor
ium in anticipation of hearing the
great New England orator. While the
Auditorium was comfortably filled,
there was an utter absence of enthu-
siasm and no wild crowds clamored
vainly at the doors for admission. The
proposed overflow meetings at Battery
d were abandoned. and half OF the
Auditorium audience deserted the gall
leries before Mr.. Reed had completed