The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1896-07-24
HlS MASTER EF'FE'|OR d


h boy Orator OF the Platte . KeyeIA'
tiop-The Eastern Gold Men are ABB,
Answered-McKinley's Napoleon Water
loo-The Paramount Issue. Silver.
CHICAGO, July 10.-The speech Of
Hon w. j. Bryan of Nebraska, which
80 nearly stampeded the convention
to HIM, and which put him fairly in
the race for the nomination for Presi-
dent, was as follows:
II would be presumptuous ,indeed,to
present myself against the dist,n-
guished gentlemen to whom you have
listened, if this were but q measuring
Of ability, but this is not a contest
among persons. Tue humblest citi-
zen in all the land when clad in the
armor' of a righteous cause is stronger
than all the hosts of error that they
can bring. come to speak to you in
defense of a cause as holy as the
of liberty, the cause of Humanity.
cloud applausel
when this debate is concluded a
motion will be made to lay upon the
table the resolution offered in COM
m%endation of the administration and
also the resolution in condemnation
of the administration. / shall object
to bringing this question down to a
level of persons. The individual is
but an atomic is born, he acts, he
dies-but principles are eternal, and
this has become a contest of principle.
Never before in the history of this
country has there been witnessed such
a contest as that through which we
have passed. Never before in the
history of American politics has a
great issue been fought out as has this
issue, by the voters themselves.
s'On the fourth of March, 1885, a
few Democrats, most OF them mem
bers of Congress, issued an address to
the Democrats of the nation, assert
ing the money question was the para
mount issue of the hour; asserting
also the right of a majority Of the
Democratic party to control the posi-
ton of the party on this paramount
issue; concluding with the request
that all believers in free coinage Of
silver in the Democratic patty should
organize and take charge Of and con-
troll the policy of the Democratic par
ty. Three months later, at Memphis,
an organization al perfected, and
the silver Democrats went forth open
ly and boldly, and courageously pro-
claiming their belief, and declaring
that if successful, they would crystal
ize in a platform the declaration
which they had made, and then began
the conflict with a zeal approaching
the zeal which inspired the crusaders
who followed Peter the Hermit.
Spread of the Silver Movement.
"Our silver Democrats went forth
from victory unto victory, until they
are assembled now, not to discuss, not
to debate, but to enter up the judg-
ment rendered by the plain people Of
this country. (Applause.) In this
contest brother has besn arraycd
against brother, and father against
son. The warmest ties of love and
acquaintance and association have
been d~lsregardcd. Old leaders have
been cast aside when. they refused to
give expression to the sentiment of
those whom they would lead, and new
leaders have sprung up to give direc-
tiQn to this cause OF truth. (Cheers.)
Thus has the contest been waged,
d1u VIC udpC dSSSNU lcO mere EHucT as
binding and solemn instructions as
were ever fastend upon the represent
atives of a people.
| Why, as individuals, we might have
been glad to compliment the gentle
man from New York (Senator HllD,
but we know the people for whom we
speak would never be willing to put
him in a position where he coulc
thwart the will Of the Democratic
party. (Cheers.) l say it was not a
question Of persons; it was a question
of principle, and it is not with glad
ness, my friends, that we find our
selves brought into conflict. with
those who are now ar.lycd on the
other side.
The gentleman who just preceded
me, Governor Russell, spoke of the
old State of Massachusetts,. Let me
assure him that not one person in all
this convention entertains the least
hostility to the people Of the State of
Massachusetts, ~(applause), but we
stand here. representing people who
are the equals before the law Of the
largest citizens Of the State Of Massa-
chusetts. (Applause.) When you come
before us and tell us we will disturb
yonr business interests, we reply that
you have disturbed our business inter-
ests by your course. Great applause
and cheering.) We say to you that
you have made too limited in its appli--
cation the definition Of business men.
The man who is employed for wages
is us much a business man as his EN-
ployer. Continued cheering.) The
attorney in a country town is as much