The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-28
Interesting Talk with Col. w. j. Hep
burn on the Change of Senti-
ment in Prairie States.
A. E. STEVENSON is ENDORSED
FUSION POPULISTS OBEY THE Me-
BRASKAN'S BEHEST.
the IllinOisan I'm Place of Mr..
Toyvne-The Latter "Replies'
to MIR. Roosevelt.

CHICAGO, Aug 2.-Col. w. p. Hepburn,
representative in Congress from Iowa.
chairman of the House committee on inter-
state commerce. and one of the very bright
est men in public life, has just returned
from an extensive tour through his own
and adjoining States. Colonel Hepburn IN
forms the men in charge of the national
and congressional campaigns that conditions
are extremely favorable in Iowa and Ne
braska and predicts Mckinley majority
in the former State of 1000. He talks in
terestingly about affairs in his part of the
country.
MY own district" he says, fairly IL
lustrates conditions in the whole of Iowa
and, in a somewhat modified form. Ne
traska My district is 120 miles IN
length and you can walk from end to end
through lanes of unbroken fields of corn.
The farmers of the district are rich. The
crops of the last four years have enabled
them to pay off their debts and lay up
money. The banks in my own county,
which has a population of possibly $4,000,
carrying farmers deposits of $l,5OoOOO.
Such conditions as these are destructive of
Populism. Four years ago We politicians
thought we had the district canvassed
thoroughly, yet the returns showed that We
were entirely at sea in regard to the in
tentions of not less than 1900 voters. Men
came to our meetings, listened to our
speeches, marched in our professions and
were apparently with us, yet on election
day they voted for Bryan because of their
terror of the gold standard. They were in
fear lest the Endorsement of gold would
ma 1xa bar ba
the harrow at the time and suffering keen
ly from a series of years of depression,
which as we now know, had done their
worst They thought they saw relief in the
free coinage of silver and voted that
way. McKinleys majority in the district
was $50. My majority for Congress was
about 1,200. Two years later my majority
over three candidates was about $500. /
am not counting my chickens before they
are Matched, but fell confident that my ma
jcrity this year will be as great If not
greater than it was in 1898.
81 am positive that practically all of
those 4,00c Republicans in my district who
voted for free silver four years ago will
vote the straight Republican ticket in No
vember next Their own experience and OBJ
servation has convinced them that they
were wrong in their conclusions on the
money question. They have seen times
improve and boundless prosperity take the
place of depression and suffering under
the enforcement Of a policy which they
were told meant universal ruin for the
farmers of the country. They have seen the
production of gold increase enormously
and give the nations of the world all the
monetary expansion the demands of trade
and labor required. They have seen the
nonfullfiillment of the calamity prophesies
of four years ago and will follow the die
tates of their own common sense and good
judgment. They have four years of facts to
go on and existing good times, whereas
four years ago it was theory Then they
took counsel of their fears and listened to
the preachings of teachers who argued from
wrong premises.
What is true Of my own district applies
with equal force to every district I'm the
State of Iowa. Timely rains, bright sun-
shine and seasons unvexed by calamities
kill Populism. That is what's the matter in
Kansas and Nebraska as well as in Iowa
and the Western States generally"
l asked Colonel Hepburn to tell me
wherein there is difference between Ne.
braksa and Iowa and why Nebraska should
cling so to Populism while Iowa cast II off
and turned from it.
1.-THE difference between the two States,
replied Colonel Hepburn, ''is mainly that of
the difference in the time of settling the
two states. Iowa is the older of the two
and the average condition of the people is.
therefore, better. Nebraska, / should saw
is ten TO fifteen years behind Iowa, if NAV
be allowed to measure the difference he
tween them in years. Conditions which
prevail now in Nebraska prevailed ten 70
fifteen years ago in Iowa. The situation as
we now find it in the Hawkeye State rem
resents just that number of years of devel-
cpment and progress Every new section
has TO go through a sweat before IT gets a
firm footing and is able to stand on its own
legs and think and act without prejudice
Every new State has gone through the
material solvency. 1 have been telling nv
friends at headquarters that they have
been borrowing unnecessary alarm over
what they seem TO regard as apathy among
the masses of voters. They will find on
election day that the voters will be on
hand and that vast majority of them
will cast their ballots the right way. The
people have made up their minds and do
not see the necessity OF becoming excited"
L asked Colonel Hepburn. who has made
a number of speeches already, what theme
made the greatest hit.
Colonel Hepburn replied: 'I have talked
imperialism openly and above board and I
find that nothing 1 said aroused such mag
nificent enthusiasm as appeals to the pa
triotism of the people. They believe In the
grand destiny of the Nation and in its ex-
pansion and development In every dlrec-