Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-08-25
STAMPEDE HAS SET IN.
Men With Wide Spheres of Influence Focking
to BrYan's Camp.
to Bryan's G


. ~ 0i yoii
sesecsoScceses 0ooo00eocs9ct
The roll of prominent men who are
determined to vote for Bryan this
year increases daily. Gen. William
Birney. Washington, has announced
himse as supporter of Mr.. Bryan
against Mr.. Mckinley, and says that
he has been drawn into communion
with the democratic party because of
its position on the question
of imperialism. He wants a
republic and not an empire. He
wants the constitution observed. If
it is TO be changed or modified, he
contends that it should be amended
in the constitutional way and not ar
bitrariIv set aside. Gen. Birney was
g. maior-general in the Union army
during the civil war. He is son of
James g. Birney. who was twice
candidate for president of the United
States on the free soil or liberty
ticket in 1910 and 1874, and who con-
tributed SO largely to the defeat of
Henry Clay.
Col. Charles James, of Washington,
a Lincoln republican, will vote and
write and speak against Mckinley and
Roosevelt. Col. James was appointed
collector of the port OF San Francisco
by President Lincoln.
Henry F. keenan,. An author of note.
who has.heretofere always championed
the cause of the republican party.
will do what he can to aid in the cleo
ton of Mr.. Bryan. Mr.. keenan, is
successful novelist, among his works
I. - 1T ~ 10
Money Makers" He is also the au-
thor of the history of the Spanish
American war. He is democrat only
on the issue of Imperialism. Even
the question of trusts he regards as
trifiing compared with this.
Capt. Patrick O'Farrell. a promi-
nent pension attorney. who has
heretofore affiliated with the republi-
can party, is now a Bryan man. and
has offered his services to the demo-
cratic national committee. He is a
speaker of considerable force. is
prominent in Irish American circles,
and is considered a valuable acquisi-
ton to the democratic party.
Rosa Downing, a leading attorney,
w uO ucIclOIOIC lldo OCCh q
has made the announcement that he
will take the stump for Mr.. Bryan.
Dominick l. Murphy, former COM
missioner of pensions, who though a
democrat, has been rather a silent
one for several years, is active in the
support of Mr.. Bryan, and will take
assignments on the stump from the
democratic campaign managers.
DR.. w. A. Croffut, who has been
known as lifelong repu blican. and
who has voted that ticket at every
presidential election since 1860. with
the exception of the Cleveland-Bl
contest, says he will go upon the stump
in the interest of Mr.. Bryan. The
overshadowing issue is, he said, i'm
perialism. There were a number of
minor issues, which he thought would
be lost sight of as the campaign pro-
crossed. Though men might disa-
gree upon these subordinate points
of difference between the two great
parties and their candidates. he said.
on the question of Imperialism all
Americans who believe in a republi-
can form of government should stand
with the democratic party.
Ex-Attorney-Gener Frank S. Mo-
nett, of Ohio, who led the fight in
that state against the Standard Oil
company, and who was retired from
politics by Mark Hanna for so doing.
says:
lone is surprised at the cod in
difference on the part of the ignorant.
pillaged victims of the trust, who are
only too willing to look at the bal
loon while the trust robbers reach
their hands into their pockets and en-
ter their homes and rob them of their
resources.
"Our republican leaders are bank
ing on the spectacular, and already
see in their minds miles of rough
riders. on horseback with SLOUGH
hats, following bands paid for by
Standard Oil money and listening TO
United States senators with Standard
Oil fees and steel trust fees in their
pockets. telling the poor deluded
devils how thankful they ought to be
that the meager recompense they
have received for their days wages al
lowed to them at all and that
the times are not as they used
to be under democratic ruling.
"One dollar and a quarter, with
necessities from so to 400 per cent
higher than normal,competition would
make them, is the prosperity that is
much better than they formerly had.
Lone glance at Teddy's hat and
whoop and q snort from rural post
master and our leaders think they
will accomplish more than all logical
arguments and antitrust speeches"
w. B. Haldeman, proprietor of
the Louisville Courier-Journal. and a
prominent gold democrat, SAYS: II
am compelled, with a sense of what
is due to the free America that /
love, to earnestly and actively sup
port an American whom l believe
loves his country. and whom 1 be-
lieve to be the highest and best type
- L