The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-10-16
SPEAKING IN OHIO
AUDIENCES NOT so LARGE AS IN lNDl-
ANA AND ILLINOIS
NORTH CAROLINA ELECTION LAW
Brought Up by One of the Audf.
ence-Bryan Replies by Comparing
it F~avorably With the Dfsfrancbf.e-
ment OF the Negro 1 N Porto Rico by
h Republican administration on
the educational Qualification linz
portance of Electing a Democratic
House Urged

henton Ohio, October LIT had
not been the intention of the Ohio state
democratic committee that Mr.. Bryan
should begin the speech making fea-
ture OF his Ohio tour until the town Of
Bowling Green should be reached.
This plan was, however, interfered
with to a slight extent by the demands
OF a number Of people who gathered
about Mr.. Bryan's car in the Toledo
depot, before the train pulled out from
that point.
Inc next speech was made at Bowl
ing Green, twenty miles out and the
third at Findley, the center of the
} Ohio gas belt.
Mr.. Bryan announced during the
, breakfast hour that Mrs. Bryan would
join him on the 9th instant in New
York n remain with him thereafter
until the close of the campaign. He
said that after leaving New York and
making the tour of West Virginia,
Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey,
he would again return to the empire
state and probably make several
speeches..
At Bowling Green, Mr.. Bryan espe-
cially urged the Importance of electing
a democratic house of representatives.
A fine audience greeted Mr.. Bryan
upon his arrival at Findley at $3.50 and
he made a speech of five minutes, at
that place.
Portsmouth, Ohio, October 12.-Mr.
Bryan concluded the first day of his
Ohio campaign in this city tonight.
He vas met at the depot by a torch
light procession and escorted to a
square in the center of the city, where
he spoke from a platform in the open
air. The meeting was by far the
largest of the day, n it was thor
Oughly enthusiastic. The republicans
also held a torch light procession in
the city tonight, with speeches in a
public hall by Senator Spooner and
ex-COngressman W.. D. Bynum. AS a
the city was full of red
fire and political enthusiasm. A ma
jOrity of the meetings during the day
were not so largely attended nor SO
demonstrative as those of the Indiana
and Illinois tour of last week. Rain
threatened during the greater part of
the day.
When Mr.. Bryan was introduced at
Springfield some enthusiastic admirer
in the crowd shouted: "Hurrah for
the farmer president"
The exclamation attracted Mr.. Bry-
ans attention and he said:
Il don't want to be elected under
false pretenses. / am not q farmer.
/ am an agriculturiSt. You know the
difference between them? A farmer
is a man who makes his money out
on the farm and spends it in town,
while an a~gricuturist is a man who
makes his money in town and spends
it on the farm"
At Greenfield, Mr.. Bryan was inter-
rupted by an elderly man in the crowd
who asked a question about race dis
elimination in North Carolina and then
partially disappeared behind other
people standing near him. The inquiry
seemed to stir Mr.. Bryan considerably
and he replied with some warmth,
saying: Don't hide. 1 want you to
stand where / can see you when
/ answer your question. Now let
me tell you hat an education
al qualification has been imposed upon
Porto Rico by the republican admins
tratiOn which d~isqualifies SO per cent.
of the colored men of voting 6 in
that territory"
The gentleman retorted that he did
not believe the statement, w~hereupon
Mr.. Bryan continued:
We'll l can show you a bulletin is
sued by your own administration as
recently as the 18th of last August in
which it is stated that SO per cent. of
the colored population cannot read and
write. And this educational require
ment deprives that percentage Of the
people there of the right of franchise.
Do you know what percentage is al
fected by the North Carolina law? l
can tell you that it is a good deal
smaller per cent. than that affected by
the Porto Rican restriction. Don't
you think you had better reprove your
own administration for it's acts in
Porto Rico before you complain of
North Carolina?"