94 OBSERVATIONS OF A RANCHWOMAN 



had lost his head, and was no longer re- 

 sponsible for his feet. That he would regain 

 it before November, and lend his ear to 

 plain solid facts rather than to flamboyant 

 oratory, was the belief of those who pro- 

 fessed to understand him, and from the 

 Gold-bug's point of view this belief has 

 been proved to be well founded. Never- 

 theless, the assertion that the Republican 

 victory at the polls was a sweeping one is 

 not borne out by facts or figures. The 

 enormous influence exerted in favour of the 

 gold standard by what is called the Foreign 

 Vote is in few instances accorded its full 

 measure of consideration, and, more signifi- 

 cant still, the Free Silverites are undaunted 

 by defeat, and continue hard at work. There 

 were hundreds of persons who held the 

 opinion before the election, and hold it to 

 this hour, that the two Presidential candi- 

 dates offered only a choice of evils a choice 

 betwixt anarchy, national dishonour, the over- 

 throw of the Constitution, and a prolonged 

 period of financial depression on the one 

 hand ; on the other, a renewal of wasteful 

 expenditure, force and tariff bills, pension 



