Omaha daily bee., 1908-08-19


quickly that tHs eenunlent leans strongly
toward TAFT. For Instance, l approached
four men hsre2in wheeling. two Of whom
were business men, one a professional man
and the other a drummer Three out OF
the four said they would vote the repub-
iican national ticket. The fourth was a
democrat, who had always voted for Bryan
and had gotten the habit, as he expressed
It. one Of the business men was a repub-
licsn and the other was a democrat. The
third was an Independent. The Bryan man
asserted that the prospects were never
brighter for the success Of the N~ebraskan;
that there were thousands out Of work, in
Wheeling alone 5000, and that most Of
these men could be depended upon 20 vote
the democratic ticket. while among the in
dustrial workers in the Panhandle district
the anti-injunctloh record OF the democratic
party would swing their support to the
Peerless one. Both business men stated
they had gotten the habit Of voting
against Bryan" and proposed to keep II
up. They did not believe he had abandoned
his "isms" and In any event they did not
think business would revive as promptly il
he we're elected as II would II Taft were TO
receive the majority of electoral votes.
In the rural counties of the state, and
there are a good many OF them, Taft may
be depended upon to poll a large vote. This
is the opinion Of farmers who discussed the
situation. -so
WorkihEmen for Work.
In the Industrial section. Bryan unques.
tionably will show considerable strength.
And yet the voters there are thinking and
thinking seriously about the question
whether they will obtain work more
promptly under Bryan than under Taft.
One man said to me:
Il am less concerned about anti-injunction
than l am about employment. l was out
for six months. Four months ago l got
work. / don't want to lose my job, and /
believe I will be more likely to hold 1t II
Taft Ia elected than l would II Bryan should
succeed" .as-
This man had been discharged when a
large mill on the outskirts Of Wheeling had
shut down. ,A n
I'm told the mill proposes to. resume
operations" he added, and IL 1t does every
ore of It's employees will be confronted by
the question which l have decided"
And II 1t does not resume?"
Then the people will consider whether
under Bryan they. Will. get work quicker
than under Taft"
Some men working on a building Uhey
were. union rneLD stopped long enough to
express diverse intentions, but all of them
admitted that 30 far as they were concerned
anti-inIunotion1 cuts' little figure. I'VE
want to be assured Of work." was their
conclusion, "Gompers cannot Influence US
one way or another"
Negroes VIII Not scratch.
The apprehension that the negroes OF West
Virginia would scratch the republican ticket
has no qualification, The more intelligent
among the colored community say they do
not know what is going to happen to their
race in view Of what has occurred In
Springfield and the south but they were
freed by republicans. they have voted al.
ways the republican ticket, and they will
do so In November. The ignorant members
Of the race are like a flock OF sheep, who
will do as their leaders say, and as they
have done from the time they received
their freedom.
II was reported that Senator Elkins had
estimated that West Virginia would give
Taft a majority in the nelghborhood of 49,.
900 He lated denied this, and with reason
especially in view of the gubernatoria
fight. Roosevelt carried the state -four
years ago by a majority Of Sl,70O. In 100
the republican majority was p 1000. and II
was 1880 In 1895, Cleveland obtained tn,
electoral vote In 1882 by a majority OF 4,l2I
Those h are not particularly friendly
to TAFT admit he will have a majority OF
1000, but Il the gubernatorial dispute b,
adjusted II Is likely he will carry the stat,
by a much larger vote.
JOHN CALLAN o'LAUGHLIN.