The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-18
IN CLOSE DISTRICTS.
Up and Down Went Senator
Hanna's Special Train.

Huron, g. D., Oct.1s-The special train
bearing Senators Hanna and Frye trav-
eled up and down yesterday through the
counties of central South Dakota in the
districts where the vote as a rule is close
and where farmers compose a greater
part of the population. Stops varying in
length from three minutes to an hour
were made during the day, Senator
Hanna making speeches at Redfield,
Worthwhile, Groton, Andover, Briston,
Bradley, Elrod, Bryant, Lake Preston,
Desmet. Iroquois. Huron, Aberdeen and
Webster. A good deal of spice was put
into the speeches at times by sharp
questioning on the part of the audiences
who desired to hear about trusts and
imperialism" and were not slow to
make their wishes known. This was true
especially at Aberdeen, where Senator
Hanna was constantly interrupted dur
ing his speech by questions regarding
various phases of the trust issue. Sena-
tor Hanna apparently enjoyed these in
terruptions and invariably answered
them.
During the afternoon, while the train
was running through a thinly populated
part Of the state and stops were brief
and infrequent, Senator Hanna spent
about half of his time at the various
stations in shaking hands with the
crowds who nearly dragged him from
his car on one occasion in the effort to
shake hands with him. At Webster he
was visited in his car by a delegation
of Sioux Indians from the reservations.
These Indians are all voters The most
important meeting of the day was held
last night at Huron, where the train
stopped for the night and where both
Senators Hanna and Frye and Victor
Dolliver made addresses of considerable
length.
Five minute stops were made by the
special train at Bristol Bradley, and
Elrod and about ten minutes were spent
at Bryant Good sized audiences, COM
posed mostly of farmers, We're present
at all these places and greeted Mr. Han
ma heartily, his time being divided be-
tween addressing a few words to them
and in hand shaking. At Bradley school
was dismissed in order to give the child
rem time to see the Republican leader
and their shrill cries mingled with the
applause which greeted Mr.. Hanna's
brief address. He shook hands with all
of them.
Don't you get tired. Senator p 'queried
a horny handed farmer at Elrod after
giving Hanna's hand a grip that made
him vince little.
Not a bit" replied he laughing. MY
hand is pretty hard, too"
At Lake Preston a stop of about Is
minutes was made while Mr. Dolliver
and Senator Hanna addressed a fair siz-
ed to shake hands with the people gath
cred around the rear of his car but was
almost pulled off the platform in the
struggle to clasp his hand and was fin
ally compelled to beat a retreat
At Desmet the same programme of
hand shaking and speech making was
gone through during the five minutes
the train stopped. 1t was dark when
Iroquois. the next stopping place was
reached, but in spite of this a large
crowd met the train and enthusiast
cally cheered the national chairman The
reception given Senators Hanna and
Frye at Huron was q unique one. II
and around the little park near the rail-
way station and on both sides of the
street leading up town were stationed
several hundred members OF the local
Republican marching club, carrying
torches and Roman candles and as the
visitors alghted from the train the sky
fairly blazed with the vari-colored stars
and rockets. The principal meeting was
held in the opera house and here Sena-
tor Frye spoke at length. An overflow
meeting was also held, Senator Hanna
and Mr.. Dolliver speaking from a stand
erected in front of the First National
bank building From the overflow meet
ing Senator Hanna was escorted to the
opera house.