The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-10-17
SALT LAKE MANS
STORY OF EAST
]. B. Graham Tells of Bryan
Sentiment That Extends
Over Michigan.
FEELING AGAINST Mr.. TAFT
BUSINESS MEN TIRE OF "MY POL
ICIES" AND "MY CANDIDATE"

George Fred Williams, Utah's distin-
guished visitor from the old Bay State,
was quoted yesterday as saying that dur
ing twenty-five years of political cam
paigning he had never seen such a change
of political sentiment as there is this year
by old line Republicans toward William
J. Bryan.
! 3. Graham, formerly owner OF the
Bingham Bulletin, who spent some time
in Michigan the past summer. says ne
was also impressed by the change of
sentiment taking place among lifetime
Republicans Of that benighted state,
which gave Mr.. Roosevelt over 100000 ma
jOrity in 1904.
At Grand Rapids during a few days
sojourn he met with score of the former
supporters of Mr.. Roosevelt, who said
they would vote for MIR. Bryan this fall
The statement was not in a single in
stance made in answer to special inquiry.
Mr. Graham met Editor Jenkins. a wri-
ter of ability, who is engaged in publish
ing Republican paper in that city. He
said, in speaking of Mr.. TaftS chances:
You may think it strange of me. a Re
publican editor. but l am going TO vote
for William j. Bryan this fall. and 1
don't care who knows it. 1 shall do it, if
you please. by way of reparation TO ease
my conscience IL were. With my breth-
rem of the G. o. D. press, i have for years
been barking ike a nasty little cur at
Mr.. Bryan's heels subjecting him with
my feeble pen to all manner of sneers,
ridicule and contumely. | am glad | am
so little as to have been beneath his no.
tice- Three years after he had twice been
defeated for the presidency. and after
being thus treated by a majority of the
newspapers of the country. Mr.. Bryan
made a trip around the world and was
received and feted as distinguished
parsonage by kings princes and poten-
tdtes everywhere, as no other American
has ever been, with the possible eXcep-
ton of General Grant. When | compared
the consideration thus rendered to a pri-
Vate citizen TO that accorded the long
heralded diplomat, Teddy's man Friday.
on his late trip, l felt cheap and thought
of the old adage: Truly. prophet is not
without honor save in his own country
Personally, l shall earnestly support the
man whom l am converted to believe the
noblest American of them all, and am
seriously thinking of Hopping my paper,
though that would be business suicide if
Mr.. Bryan should not be elected. 1t will
at least say nothing unfavorable TO him
during the campaign"
In the office of Grand Rapids whole
sale house seven business men, all Re
publicans, Glanced to meet one morning.
After discharging their several errands.
they began a conversation which drifted
into comments on the outlook of the cam
paign. Said one who has for years been
prominently identified with the politics of
the city and state: ITO tell you the truth,
gentlemen. | will vote for Mr. Bryan this
fall. if / live, and | need to give but one
many The office holders convention
that met primarily to endorse Mr.. ROose-
velt's choice-not the peoples choice
decided eight to one against the election
of United States senators by popular vote.
Now i am disguised with the system
which sends snCffy old millionaires to
Washington as a protectorate over COM
bined capital and corporate interests, and
block legislation inimical to them and in
favor of the peoples interests; and also
am Disguised with the one-man power
that has of late years been set up in the
lower house and placed that body under
the absolutely despOtic control OF the
speaker. His cigars and cusswords cut
no ice with me. but the fact that the con-
gress has become a disgrace to the ma
ton does 1t cannot be reformed while
the Republican party is in power, and
naturally will grow worse and less a body
representative of the people. Mr.. Bryan.
as president, may be able to do little, but
with the executive department opposed
to the high-handed doings of the con-
gressional machine point may be gained
that will be speedily added to-
Said another of the party: Last sum-
mer lost nearly 5000 in a bank failure;
and it nearly broke me up. As il turned
out, | might better have buried the mon
ey. Now l am heart and soul for that
man for president who believes there
ought to be protection for small deposit
OrS rs well as for big ones. So is my
next-door neighbor. who has just lost his
home because the money he had stored up
70 pay off mortgage is on a tour in the
pocket of a bank cashier. Mr.. Bryan's
proposition is of immense Importance,
and this talk about the injustice that
would be done to sound banking is mere
political clap-trap. If he has not stated
the plan just as it should be, let the con-
gress fix it up right Mr.. Bryan de-
serves a monument for advocating the
idea The president suggests measures.
but does not make laws; and in this con-
nectiOn. much as Mr.. Bryan's original
ideas have been criticised and condemned
by Republican speakers and press, l 90
not believe he would ever read twice,
much less sign his name to such an idiot
lie measure as the currency law passed
last winter"
Another one of the party said: THE old
Republican machine has had wheels and
wheels added TO it until ii is geared too
high for me. and l am going to help TO
smash it, 1t can no longer be run in the
interests of the people. II will do the
opinion the people have everything to
gain and nothing to lose in giving il
rest"
other reasons were given for favoring
Mr.. Bryan as against Teddy's man. and
II was ascertained counting noses
that every gentlemen present had deter
mined to vote for the candidate nomi-
mated by an uprising of the people and
help to down the machine-made office
holders candidate.
These are but a couple of instances
among many noted by Mr.. Graham, in
dicating that the people of Michigan are
thinking for themselves this year, in
stead Of allowing glib-tongued orators in
thinking for them. Prosperity, prosper
ity" has TO them become a bywOrd and
a reproach. for the full dinner paii' has
been opened and found to have been