The Washington times., 1908-10-01

ignorance Of the East concerning the
West has been peculiarly illustrated in
this campaign" said a well known writ
er who has recently travelled, on a po-
litical mission, over the middle West.
The Bryan scare came up out Of the
West, just as Bryan and Organism came
out Of the West; as populism came out
OF the West; as the real, enthusiastic,
sane. progressive movement has come
out OF the West: and now the note Of
encouragement and reinsurance comes
likewise from that same section"
The speaker was a Republican and
for many years a student OF affairs
whose writings appear In many publIcs-
lions, and most Of whose readers would
be unable TO guess whether he Is Re
publican. Democrat or mugwump. He
is in truth the observer and analyst
first and the partisan-rather a mild one
at that-afterward. Continuing, he said:
Il have Travelled with both Bryan and
Taft in the last fortnight; have heard
them talk 10 large crowds; I have
watched and studied the crowds. as in
previous campaigns 1 have watched the
people 10 whom other candidates have
talked. Not only that, but after travel
ing a couple Of days with each Of them.
l dropped of the train and fell behind,
to double over the road and talk 10 the
people and learn so nearly as possible
what effect each had had on his hear
ers.
Thinks Taft Will Win.
I went West with the idea that Taft
would be elected. had made I'D my
mind that nothing but A landslide could
elect Mr. Bryan At no tin. did I find
evidence OF such a stampede Of voters
from the Republican to the Democratic
party. There were evidences, notably
in some part Of Indiana. OF a drift Of
labor men to Bryan. They were men
who had voted for Mckinley, for Rooss-
Welt, and many Of whom volunteered
that they would have voted for Roose-
Welt had he been renominated. This
opposition 10 Taft was UnInteuigent.
and was by no means that OF settled
convictions, and was manifestIy open
to argument I repeat, IL was merely
a drift 70 Bryan. and that II never could
have been exaggerated into the propor-
tons of a landslide. And this drift was
confined almost wholly 10 labor men
There were no evidences OF II among
farmers, much less among business men
or their employees. Moreover, at this
early period Of my observations Il was
clear that the campaign was not really
begun.
Bryan Continues.
Bryan was continuing the campaign
ing which he has been doing for years.
sometimes from the chautauqua plat
form, sometimes from the political Not
only had Taft RETAINED from taking
the stump. but the people were not well
acquainted with him They talked in
timately Of Bryan, whom they knew:
whereas they speculated about Taft, as
they might talk Of the Dalai Lama or
the Shah Of Persia
There is this TO be said. however. as
10 the attitude OF the people toward
Bryan. heard him in Evansville, Ind,
for example. He addressed a large au-
dience I'm the market place The crowd
was not so large. 1 was told, as in 1896
But il is fair 20 say that those on the
outside were not within range OF his
splendid voice. These people were inter
ested and respectful. But il was not an
audience The following
day there was no talk about Bryan in
the city. dropped in at a saloon where
the glassworkers congregate. Politics
was not mentioned until I Introduced
the topic
Little Interest in CznI align
There seemed little interest in the
campaign. Finally I said tc the bar
tender. I suppose your hear politics fire.
quentIy discussed?'
" No. I don't. he replied Why
Bryan spoke here last night, and you
are the first man to mention his name
over this bar today
1T was O'Clock in the afternoon
when I received this assurance that
Bryan's name hadn't been mentioned
over that bar all day.
Although I had been told that many
Republican business men were going 10
vote for Bryan in Indiana, and that 80
per cent Of the travelling men were
openly for the Democratic candidate;
these statements were not borne out at
all by my investigation. The clerk at
the hotel, a Bryan Democrat by the
way. told me he was in Iowa in 1886,
when he thought Bryan had a walk
over: that ne was in Michigan IN 1900
and believed the Democratic candidate
had an excellent chance Of election.