Show THE BATTUiTN HIO Hon C S Variaa Writes That Bryan Is Gaining Ground Every Day Shameful Coercion Practices by Hanna Is Not Effective Effec-tive Hon Frank B Stephens Says the Silver Champion Will Carry Nebraska by from 10000 to 15000 ton David Evanson the Situation in Illinois e e Urbana Ohio Oct 18 To the Editor of The Herald J As you go eastward the methods of the gold people become more apparent ap-parent The fixed determination to beat Bryan and the anarchists is more pronounced Never in 0 the history or the country has there been such open and shameful coercion and bribery it practically amounts to that The action of Crawford the St Louis merchant in discharging his heads of departments because they were supporting Bryan is duplicated here every day Not so openly but t just as effectively Eyer railroad mill factory and mine employeeis I given to understand in a very marked although quiet manner that the interests of the employers will be best subserved by the electiqn or McKinley with the further intimation that a refusal to vote for gold and McKinley wilt result in discharge There ° is no question about this the veryair is f Uof It To make it more serious the unanimity with which the employers of labor are working Is of itself notice to the men that discharge means registration upon a permanent per-manent if private black list which is about equivalent to death in this country The men are therefore wearing McKinley badges with alt the outward out-ward signs of satisfaction and trooping td Canton by droves in the excursion ex-cursion trains They form the setting of Mr Hannas great spectacular drama entitled How to fool the people allthe time with the man of destiny as an illustrative lay figure It is not possible to even approximate ap-proximate the proportion of these fre and independent voters who will avail themselves of the protection of the voting booth to vote their real sentiments Many wear the Bryan button on the underside of the inner coat lapel and it is surprising to note the facial expression of a shouting marcher from Pittsburg as he deftly flashes the well known features of the peoples candidate in your very face > I am credibly informed that the good people of Canton are getting very tired of the farce The city is in perpetual turmoil with all the marching way march-ing shouting and drinking and setsbut little compensation in a financial But the farmers they Pre troubling the syndicate known as Hannas executive committee 1 is conceded that the farmers are coming over every day I met at least a dozen of Republican farmers in Harrison and Carroll counties welltodo substantialmen who discussed the great question ques-tion soberly and intelligently All concurred in the statement that there was widespread disaffection among the SUherto Republican farmers Harrison Har-rison county gave Bushnell lastyear about 1100 majority figures not official but given by the committeemen and the Bryan men Republican and Democrats say it will be cut down 600 or 700 this time At this rate if like conditions exist in other counties Ohio will give Bryan a safe majority The Populist vote In the state last year was a little under 53 000 The Prohibitionists cast about 21000 y otes All of the Populist and at least 10000 of the pro lbit < vote wijrbe given i to Bryan TheRe publlcans arc making the most noise Ulfoy have better lungs and r money But the Democrats are on a still hunt which a Republican old time friend told me today always meant mischief Of course the Democrats Demo-crats are campaigning also but not in the Pullman palace car style of the Republican orators Certain it Is that the Hanna committee think there is a fight on here and that they are in I for they have commenced to return their speakers speak-ers to the state Coming out offChicago the other night I encountered several Ohio gentlemen returning by direction of the committee With the party was our old friend Dolllver who on hisway to Iowa had been turned back at Chicago Dolliver hassboen on the stump continuously he told me since July taking part from start to finish in the Maine canvass He went down into theHocking valley where 3000 miners areon a strike I imagine the tariff will not interest these fellows much And as to the intricacies of the 53 cent dollar argument it is i more than likely they will take the same view with a cousin Jack I once knew on the Comstock I was election time and his mate had received a gold certificate which was not evidence to him of a stable and undeviating currency and he was somewhat disappointed What the bloody ell said cousin Jack do e care soon have he as she The troubles in the Hocking valley exist because of the large and small coal veins The wage is 60 cents per ton and given a large substantial vein substantal the miner makes fair even high wages each day It is otherwise when he tackles a small or lean vein Consequently he insists on comparative rates between the two I is difficult to see any application of tariff or free silver arguments to the situation but there must be something in it as both parties are putting speakers on the ground On Tuesday I go to Steubenvillc and will remain on the river all the week d Nebraska for Bryan by 10000 at Least I Ord Neb Oct 20 To the Editor of The Herald Conservative men estimate Bryans majority in Nebraska at from 10 000 to 15000 The gold Democrats are few and far between and the number num-ber of silver Republicans very great I find the Bryan men and particularly particu-larly the Bryan Republicans very aggressive and doing a wonderful amount of personal work and by far the best work Is being done in the country precincts they seem toj know just how each man stands and they send first one man and then another to the unconverted to try to win them over In every town I find men who receive letters from the east and they all report great Interest and large accessions from Republican Re-publican ranks At Greeley Center the county attorney had a letter from a lawyer in Cleveland Ohio who reports the most Intense interest says that many have closed their offices and are on fife stump night and day He says that Ohio is sure for Bryan that Harrisons majority in 1892 was less than 1200 and that the accessions from Republicans far outnumber the gold Democrats At Ogalla Neb they polled a Union Pacific steel gang of 86 men and found 81 for Bryan The Old Soldiers cub there of 30 members stands 21 for Bryan 9 for McKinley with some wavering I have crossed Allens track several times and in every case he is reported as making the best speeches of the campaign cam-paign he is making a magnificent canvass and large audiences every where Bryan makes a tour of the central part of the state on Monday Nov 2 reaching Omaha at 8 p m where he speaks at four places during the evening cyeningt JCL J < f The Situation In IInolChicago Chicago I Oct ID To the Editor of The Herald Both parties are drilling their forces and lining them up for the great I battle which will decide the contest on Nov 3 Each party appears confident con-fident and both are fighting stubbornly and each persistently claims advantage ad-vantage over the other The state outside of Cook county is claimed by each by pluralities ranging from 15000 to 40COO and likewise both claim like pluralities in the city < Both may be mistaken nor do I believe either has any method by which any sort of accurate conclusion can be reached Here as in Utah the issues have caused a mighty upheaval of the old parties and many desertions and new alignments are daily witnessed How strong this defection is or which party it will injure most can only be determined by the count of an official ballot Silver Republicans are entitled to great credit for the active support they are giving the Chicago platform and the free coinage candidates It1is but simple justice to say of them that in proportion to their numbers they are doing more GonUed onPa4 p < 0 1 < |