The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-10-17
THE WORKING MANS VOTE
Bryan's Speeches Are Impr. ssing This
Glass Of Voters.
THE CLOSE STATES IN III NOR INVEST
The Democrats Claim That the Falling CT
from Bryan in The Far West is Not SO
Great as is Claimed by the
Republicans.

Especial to the News and Observer
Washington, October 16.-The revived
confidence of the Republicans in the past
week is not wholly genuine. They are
perhaps honest in their claim that they
are in better shape in the city of Balti-
more, but what they allege as to the de-
cline of Bryan's strength in Indiana,
Illinois and New York is hardly believed
by themselves. Certainly they cannot ex-
pect the public to accept it at it's face
value. The facts are that the Democrats
are more confident than ever that they
will carry these States, regarding New
York as possibly the most doubtful of the
three at present but likely to be made
sure in few days. Bryans speeches
are evidently impressing the working
class because he is handling the trust
question with eonsummate tact and judg-
ment
Recognizing these facts-that Ghe Ger
man vote is divided in a way favorable
to Bryan, that the Gold Democrats in
large number have returned to the regu
lar Democracy, and that the labor vote
is strongly inclining 10 the Democrats in
most of the great cities-the Republicans
are now relying on gains from the Dem
ocratic farmers and upon holding some of
the Democratic business men who acted
with them in 1896. They are going to be
grevously disappointed in both expecta-
tions-more SO in ahe former than the
latter. The farmers are notably conser-
vative. The Democrats were defeated by
this stern fact in the last Presidential
campaign. If the farmers of Michigan,
Illinois and Indiana had done what was
expected, Bryan would have been elected.
Farmers as a class rarely change their
political views. The so-called prosperity
issue will have no weight in States like
Indiana, where that class of producers
have lest money.
The letters of Harry West in the Wash
ington Post, read between the lines. have
given great encouragement to the Dem
CcrGlts here. Commissioner Miller
said to me today: IF the detection of
the towns is anything like as much as
reported the Republicans are beaten,
both in Indiana and Illinois, possibly also
in Ohio. The Republicans have relied
all along on the farmers-the Republican
farmers, I mean. They will not make
any considerable gains, if any at all,
from the Democratic farmers; and losing
Germans, Gold Democrats and laboring
people in the cities, they stand to lose
the election. In Maryland they are claim
ing Baltimore as already won, but Demo-
Gratis by no means concede this claim
As for my own State West Virginia. Da-
Wis tells me it is oil right We will pro-
badly redeem it. Generally speaking the
Democratic outlook is good
That vo' eran North Carolina Democrat,
Col Henry G. Williams. says that of the
three central Northwestern States-Indi-
ana Illinois and Ohio-Ohio is the most
likely to go for Bryan, but we may carry
them all. His idea is that the agit alton
of the trust question is doing world of
good. and he points to the serious per-
sonal defections there from Republican
ism-Jones, McKisson, Beatty and 9TH
ers. These men have, each, large fol-
lowing. Their influence will be felt on
the day of election
Summing up the situation three weeks
before the opening of the polls, l should
say that Bryan and Stevenson have the
better chance to win, and will win if
the New York Democrats in both city and