Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-11-15
BRYAN'S KEYNOTE.
SPEECH OF THE DEMOCRATIC
LEADER AT LINCOLN.
THE FREE-SlLVER FIGHT.
IL IL to lie Confined Right Straight
A1ong-AdvIce to Clubs to MINI
tain Their Organizntion--Accep
nnce of Defeat.

nnce of Defeat.
LINCOLN. NEB.. November 14-Under
/ the auspices Of the Lincoln BimetaIlc
/ Club, the local Travelling Mems Bryan
/ Club. and what was known during the
campaign as the Bryan Home Guards"
William J. Bryan tonight delivered his
! first formal address since the election.
sounding what is generally accepted "a
his own keynote and that OF his followers
in the campaign which is to continue FOR
the free and unlimited coinage Of GOLD
and silver.
| Mr.. Bryan was given a hattering recep-
ton by the people Of his home city. The
meeting was held at the Funke Opera
/ House, which was crowded to the doors
Mr. Bryan was in good voice. and never
before has he spoken with greater ylgor
/ or earnostness.
1t was Bryan day in Lincoln, beginning
/ at o'clock In the afternoon, when the
! Democratic candidate spoke to ladies
only. and concluding shortly before Il
! o'clock L. NJ, when he rounded out his
/ effort before a crowd which was unable
/ TO gain admittance to the Opera-House
and waited patiently for his appearance
/ at Bohannan's Hall
Mr. Bryan was loudly cheered when ne
made his appearance this evening. lie
spoke deliberately and with emphasis
| saying in part:
Mr. Chairman and Fellow Citizens
I
! heard for any length Of time Ny voice
/ which has served me well for seyeraI
! months. during which 10 has been soreiv
tried, Is worse to-day than il has beer
/ any ume during the campa gn. / want
! 10 say word for the future We have
| passed through this campaign and W.
| nave been defeated, and l want YOU %
remember this-that there Is not in thi.
land "a single advocate OF free coinag
Who is not willing TO abide the decision
/ OF the American peOpe without COM
plant. tCheersJ You 90 not find amonc
I the silver men those who say. as a dis
tinguished Eepub lean in New York said
We viii not abide by the result You
/ 90 not find among the silver men per-
| sons VINO viii stand up and express doub.
as TO whether the will OF the America
people is supreme. These people who
| say that you find among the great cor
pofate interests of this country whlcl
are entrenched behind the Republican
party ana VINO threaten not TO abide the
decision or the election. unless they coulu
/ continue 20 represent the American peo-
pie Among the men who called US An
archists you find the ones who hinted az
possible means BE- which the Will Of tn
people could be defeated. / am proud
mat IN our ranks we had men who lovee
I ms form Of government, wherein. no
matter what the people say. they rule
and We bow to their supremacy.
THE FUTURE
But my friends. bowling to a decision
! and accepting without complaint the re-
suit OF an election does not mean that
We shau surrender our convictions. o.
/ tnat ia the future that we shall fight with
less earnestness than we have fought IN
the past You must remember that In tn
history Of this nation some party ha-
always been defeated. and yet parties
have not gone out OF existence because OF
defeat Remember, that the Democratic
party lived for many years without
having won a presidential election. and
IL lived after IL had won a presidential
election. and then failed 10 get the Presi-
dent elected-bccause 10 IS the opinion OF
the Democrats Of this nation that Samuel
j. Tiden was elected President OF the
nation. and those who supported him were
willing 10 abide by a decision Of a
tribunal instituted for the purpose Of
setting that dispute 1 say the Demo
cratic party has lived through defeat
and the Republican party has lived
through defeat; all parties have lived
through defeat. II they had anything %
live for. and when our opponents tell as
that this defeat means the annihilation
~ those who believe in free silver they
take counsel Of their hopes instead Of
their Judgment. (Cheers)
Il believe that we have made great
progress IN this campaign. We have not
made the progress which we hoped 20
have made: we have not achieved the re-
suits which we expected 70 achieve; but
my friends. the cause OF blmetallism was
stronger the Gay after the election than
IL was at any time during the campaign.
I want 10 say this. and your observation
VIII bear out my remarks. that we went
into the fight a dis0rganlZed army; we
cams out of II a fighting force that has
never had a superior IN history. ZAP
plause) Now We have passed the stage
Of argument.
CONTINUED ORGANIZATIONS
Il want 10 suggest 10 those who are
going 10 continue the organization OF the
clubs that they meet al stated times, say
once a month. or at such times as the
members OF the clubs may decide, and at
these meetings that they discuss public
questions. ] understand from the papers
that the chairman Of the Republican Ma
tional Committee has announced that they
will also keep up their organization. /
have never advised those who believed
with me 70 do q single thing that ] would
not advise my opponents 20 do, and when
i advise our people % keep organized, and
70 keep discussing. 7 advise our opponents
20 DO the same thing because. II they
would discuss more and think more, there
would be less OF them. loud cheering,
and great applauseJ
Vow I would Ike 10 see al the silver
clubs In the Unitei States maintain their
organizations. hold regular meetings ana
discuss these questions and / would Ike
10 see all the Republican organizations
kept up. and their meetings keep up and
then I would see Joint debates between our
examinations and theirs; because ny
friends II they can convince our people
that we are wrong. We have no claim
uuon our people and II we can convince
them that We are right. then ! think we
viii not only have claim, but we VIII
successfully assert It." Applause)
AT the conclusion Of his Opera-House
address Mr. Bryan was taken 70 Bohan-
mons BAL. whore another large crowd
awaited him. His speech at this place
was virtually a repetition Of the first
Nj Bryan leaves tomorrow evening for
the South. 20 be the guest Of Governor
Stone and Senator Jones.
SPEECH TO LADIES.
An audience OF ladies which packed the
Funke Opcra-House from pit 70 dome
greeted ". J. Bryan this afternoon. The