The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1900-11-02
BRYAN'S CHANCES
Better Than in 1896 He was Elected
Then, But Counted Out.

Then, But Counted Out.
Editor HERALD
There can be no doubt put that
William j. Bryan's chances Tor the
| Presidency are better to-day than
tour years ago. Many elements that
were then opposed to him aud his
| platform are now battling fer him.
Instead of being Weakened by four
years Of constant publicity, ne ap
| pears to have gained a stronger hOiI
upon the confidence and affections
of his countrymen. Then he was re-
gaTded as a dangerous character.
| To-day he is the conservative cham.
pion of the Constitution aud the
! Declaration OF Indepe ndence. F'om
u reckless lconoclast he has become
the Tribune Of the people. lie has
apparently worn well.
The criminally aggressive acts of
the present imperIalistic admins
trati0n have driven To his standard
the survivors Of the old anti-Slavery
crusade and tho" sands of Republi-
cans of conviction and conscience.
A majority OK the gold Democrats
| have returned 10 the Told. The fear
of approaching militarism will lose
the Republican party hundreds Of
| thousands of German and other
| foreign voters. The piutocrats
among this element, including a
majority of the commercial aud pro-
ftsrional classes, will vote again for
Mckinley. The Hollanders, through
the sympathetic tie of kinship, and
the Irish, through hatred of the
British government, Will vote almost
unanimously for Bryan because of
the attitude of the Republican party
toward the so called Boer ire
pubIics." The Idaho bull-pen
horror, the Chicago strike, the
masked slavery in Hawaii, the mill.
tary suppression of the Havana
strike, the addition OF 1000 900 lit.
paid people to America already
overcrOwded labor market, and
otner otfenses of like nature, have
alienated from the Republican party
"a very large seetioll of the Labor
Union vote. rEhe prohlbitionists
have deserted Mckinley on account
of the army canteen. Eugene v.
Debs will attract a couple hundred
Thousand votes, mostly labor union
lists who have been lifelong Renub.
licans. (rhe same mental state
which made them protectionists now
makes them Socialists. They still
believe In government protecting"
labor.
On the other hand Mckinley will
receive the credit for a successful
foreign war. The jingoes will flock
to him and to the self-lauded hero of
San Juan Hill, Who brother officer
declares was four miles in the rear
and never saw spanish trench till
all was over.
Coercion will also play it's part.
Employers will threaten to shut
down. if they have not already
closed. The trusts will engineer
monster Mckinley parades IN the
large cities, made up of their EN-.
ployes, who will be given the alter
native of marching, decorated with
Mckinley badges, or losing their
Jobs.
Bribery and corruption of voters
will assume vast scale. But the
tory party's great card, when all else
fails, will PROBABLY be the duplica
ton of the alleged methods of 1896 in
buying up the returning boards
The registration books in the larger
. cities are being padded apparently
- for that purpose. In Philadelphia
II the registration shows an increase o1
Co., 10 voters over the Federal censu,
returns of four months ago. Cincin
natl shows an increase of II, 900 The
census gave Chicago population Of
! nearly ], 1000 or $40 900 males &
. xya N ri Al NJ lo In
tics and those who are bed-ridden
The registration books show 100000
: or $4,000 non-eXistent voters. 1t Ii
said that in 1896 Philadelphia's regis
tration rolls were padded $4,000.
In Greater New York, controlled
by the most corrupt political organi
cation on earth-Tammany Hall
and presided over by the most evi
genius of American pclitics-Dich
-. Croker, the registration return,
> show a loss of so 600 from the censu;
returns. So that the Republican
| charge of "lodging house" voters il
this Democratic ~ metropolis is fol
once unfounGed.
Tn 1896 Ohio had a population o
100000. This would indicate vot
: ing population of 100000 Bryan re
y ceived 457 900 votes. About $50 00'
votes were counted. This exceeded
the number of actual voters in tn,
State by $50 600. In Indiana the ex
: cess was 100, COO; in Illinois 200 600
and in Iowa 100 600. Bryan carried
+ all four of these states by handsome
: majorities, but was counted out
Elaborate preparations are beins
made to report these atrocities oil
the 9th of November.
| In Chicago the Carter Harrison
machine, elected by Republican in
, fuences, may be expected to knife
l Bryan, as Harrison has he Presi
Dental bee in his bonnet aud woul(
like to see Bryan side-tracked. Ii
New York Croker will be satisfied t.
elect tire State ticket unless be ha
:, an understanding with Bryan or tn
democratic COMMITTEES in regard t
the disposal of Federal patronage
i When the Democratic party has I,
G depend for success upon such Demo
Gratis {?) as Croker, Hin, Stone, Cor
\ man and Harrison, the success o
the party will not mean so much fo
= the country as many enthusiasts he
y lava