People's Pilot, Volume 6, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 October 1896 — WASHINGTON LETTER. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON LETTER.

(From Our Regular Correspondent.) Washington, Oct. 4, 1896. Mr. Bryan’s supporters find nothing discouraging in the situation. On the contrary, they have excellent reason for believing that Mr. Bryan’s chances for election are better than those of Mr. McKinley. These reasons are not entirely based upon reports made to the managers of Mr. Bryan’s campaign, although there is no doubt of the trustworthiness of those reports as a rule. Those democrats who are careful not to allow their wishes to become tangled up with their judgment have been making a study of the figures put out by the more conservative supporters’of McKinley and have thereby strengthened their belief in Bryan’s success. The latest of these tables appeared on the editorial page of . the Washington Post, which is strongly for gold. It gives Bryan 205 electorial votes, McKinley 140, and puts 102 in the doubtful column. To accept this table as correct is to be sure that Bryan will be elected, as the 102 electorial votes classed as doubtful, of which Bryan must get 19 to be elected, and McKinley must get 84, are made up of the following states: Illinois, , Oregon, California, Maryland, Deleware, West Virginia, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, and lowa. It is a very conservative claim to say that Bryan will certainly carry more than five out of these ten states, which would elect him with votes to spare, if the rest of the table be all right, and there is no doubt about that, as with the exception of Indiana and Nebraska, it only includes in the Bryan column states which are conceded to Bryan by the republicans. Hon. W. E. Chilton, Secretary Of the State for West Virginia, was one of the party which came to Washington to escort Mr. Bryan to that state. While in Washington Mr. Chilton said: “I am not afraid of the result in West Virginia, and have no hesitation in predicting that Bryan will get its electorial vote. Our people are strongly for silver,

and many converts have been made from the republican The Palmer and Buckner ticket will not poll much of a vote. The republicans are making the most strenuous efforts for McKinley and tbe allegations of coercion and intimidation of railway employes are strictly true. But there is always a reaction against such methods, and a feeling of resentment arises in the minds of the men who are thus coerced that will result in causing hundreds of them to vote the other way.” Gen. W. J. St. Clair, of W. Va., who was in Baltimore with Mr. Bryan, and passed through Washington this week, said: “I found a degree of Bryan enthusiasm in the City of Baltimore that was rather surprising, in view of the tone of its bolting democratic newspapers. The talk about McKinley’s great majority in the Maryland metropolis is all nonsense.” Senator Gorman’s disinclination to make ante-election claims and promises adds force to what he told Mr. Bryan and the other gentleman who participated in theconferance held in New York city this week. He promised that Mr. Bryan should have the electorial vote for Maryland, and he said that he considered that the democrats still had an even chance to win, notwithstanding the influences that were being used against them. Democratic confidence, which has been fair ly good from the begining of the campaign, has greatly increased since the conference in New York this week, participated in by Messrs. Bryan, Sewall, Chairman Jones, Senator Gorman and other democratic leaders. At that conference every aspect of the campaign was carefully considered, and the deliberate and unanimous conclusion of those present was that Mr. Bryan was making a great campaign and that unless something not now expected should occur to change the drift of public sentiment in favor of the free coinage of silver he would be elected with a number of electorial votes to spare. It did not take long for this opinion to spread among the rank and file and the result has been a natural increase in democratic confidence which cannot fail to make itself felt in the work of the campaign.

Senator Faulkner has been getting some very cheering news this week from all around, but that which pleased him most has come from Michigan, California, lowa and Kansas, which are claimed by some republicans and put in the doubtful column' by others. According to Senator Faulkner’s advices neither of them will be carried by McKinley. The democratic state com mittee of Michigan reports that state to be absolutely safe for Bryan, and gives the figures to back up the claim; reports from California say that it is now only a question of the size of the •majority Bryan will get in that state; lowa is considered so safe for Bryan that its prominent stump speakers are being sent into other states, and a poll of Kansas gives Bryan the state by 50,000 majority.

It is evident that the gold democrats are running their campaign in harmony with republican ideas. * * * □ The Massachusetts democratic convention endorsed free silver and nominated George Fred Wil liams for governor and the gold men withdrew M * * L. J. Maddux, democratic candidate for congress in the Seventh California district has w ii h drawn in fav<>: of Dr. C. H. Castle, the Poyuoist nominee. * * * The Nebraska, middle of-tne road Populisi c invention, held last week ai L ‘>ln, turned out to be n. ratifi m meeting The regular stat" lectoral tide was endorse