Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1900-10-31
THE FINAL ROUNDUP.
LAST WORDS TO VOTERS
The Campaign Practically Closed and
Nothing Left But to Register the Will
of the People at the Polls.

close. But little is now left except
the expression of the will Of the people
at the ballot box. A campaign OF edu-
cation has been conducted during the
past few months and the people have,
by this time, determined for which
candidate they will cast their votes.
The Republican state central COM
mittee is satisfied that the people of
Iowa have determined that they do
not desire a change. They credit the
people of this state with understand
ing thoroughly the existing conditions
and they feel that the people have COM
pared the situation throughout the
country now with the days Of depres-
sion which were in evidence only four
short years ago. The days of 1896
are too near 1900 to permit the people
to forget their situation at that time
and when the American people con-
slider carefully the things which SO di-
rectly pertain to their welfare as do
the Industrial and commercial condi-
lions today, they are not liable to be
disposed to change them for the worse
conditions that existed under the last
Democratic administration.
1t is true that the Democrats seek
to explain away the cause Of our pres
ent prosperity. They cannot deny that
prosperity now exists, but they have
sought to show that it has come, not
on account of the Republican admin
istration, but rather in spite of it. They
off Of
and pestilence and famine in other
lands and charged that we were the
beneficiaries of misfortune rather than
of good governmental management.
The people, however, are able to see
through the devious meshes OF this
sort of argument. They realize how
small figure the misfortune of for
eign nations cut in the matter OF our
prosperous conditions today. They re-
alize that we have had to fight an eX-
pensive war, calling for the outlay OF
millions of money, and yet this has
scarcely been pebble in the way of the
wheels of prosperity and has not
delayed materially the progress of
this country from the hard times OF
1896 to the good times of the present
day. The people also realize that there
is spirit of patriotism aboard in the
land which demands that the govern
ment shall be sustained while it is
struggling to establish the rights and
secure the advantages given to 1t, not
by its own seeking primarily, but by
the arbitrament of war entered upon
in the cause of humanity.
The American people in these past
few weeks, during which the cam
paign was at its height, have learned
to weigh well the statements made by
the opposition and to detect the falla-
cies of their position. The people have
heard Mr.. Bryan, first in his dictation
in regard to the platform at Kansas
City, and, second, in his letter Of &C
ceptance in which he said, whether
the senate, now hostile to bimetallism.
can be changed during this campaign
or the campaign of 1902, can only be
determined after the votes are counted,
but NEITHER THE PRESENT NOR
THE FUTURE POLITICAL COM
PLEXION OF CONGRESS HAS PRE-.
VENTED OR SHOULD PREVENT
AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE
PARTY'S POSITION UPON THIS
SUBJECT IN UNEQUIVOCAL
TERMS"
The people thoroughly understand
that this declaration of Mr.. Bryan in
his letter Of acceptance means that he
and his party are pledged both by
their platform and the official state
ment of their candidate, to free silver.
The people further realize that all the
buster about opposition to trusts is
mere bluff, for when the representa-
tives of the Bryanites had an oppor-
tunity to deal the trusts crushing
blow in congress by assisting the pas
sage of resolution for a constitu-
tional amendment, they voted practi-
cally solid against it and thereby de-
feated exactly the sort of legislation
which alone can control the trusts.
The people also know, by the action
of the Democratic party in North Car
DINA and other southern states where
they have DISTINGUISHED the colored
voters that their pretense Of great po-
litical morality i'm regard to the "con'
sent of the governed" has no founda-
ton and is simply an attempt to catch
votes.
The people know these things and
have had their memories wonderfully
refreshed as TO the purposes and aims
of the Bryanltes during the past few
weeks. They realize that it is, after
all. the same old contest of 1896, The
supremacy of Mr.. Bryan means the
supremacy of free silver, nothing less.
The people of Iowa have taken Il firm
position in favor of honest money and
In favor of good times and they have
simply to reassert their position on
Nov. Is. That they will do this there
can be no question ana the size of
the majority they will give President
Mckinley depends solely upon the eff
fort made to get out the vote.
THE STAY-AT-HOME VOTE