The record-union., 1896-09-19
More Wildly DemonStratiVe Than at Any
Place He Yet Visited.
Addresses an Audience of Twenty
Thousand People.
His Remarks Confined to the Discus
sion of the Financial Question-The
Democratic Nominee to Leave for
Answer the Populist Notification
Letter Next Week.

Letter Next Week.
| RICHMOND Va.), Sept. 1S.-In all
| his career William J. Bryan never re-
oeived a welcome so wildly demonstra-
tive as that granted at Richmond to-
day. Not even at Columbus and To-
| ledo, although they were greater by far
in the attendance, could compare in
frantic excess of partisan emotion to the
manner in which the great audience
that heard him tonight gave him.
The candidate was whirled away from
the station to the residence of J. Taylor
| Ellison, Chairman of the State Democ-
racy, where they gave him something to
eat and allowed him to recover a little
from the effects of the heat Then he
was driven to the great auditorium of
the State Exposition building. 1t is
said that there are 10000 seats on the
| floor, several thousand more in the
galleries, and that the grand capacity
with every seat occupied, every bit of
aisle filled, is fully $4,000. Estimates as
to crowds differ widely among those
| who saw them, but tonight there was
something by which the auditorium
! gathering might be measured, and while
! few there were willing to say that less
than $4,000 people We're present, quite
as few would express the opinion that
the attendance numbered more than
10000.
| The auditorium was packed to it's ut
| most when the Democratic nominee ar
| rived. Not another soul could push his
perspiring form within many feet of an
| entrance. Mr.. Bryan came on the stage
leaningson the arm of Mr.. Ellison. He
was known in an instant. One mighty
| shout went up, and then grew in volume
and kept growing, until things began to
| get uncomfortable with those of sensi-
tive ears. The cheering lasted many
minutes.
| Senator Daniel rose to introduce Mr.
Bryan, but at the sight of his we'll
known scountenance the crowd went
Iyild, wilder even than 1t was when Mr..
Bryan came upon the scene. Soon it be-
came quiet enough for the candidate to
be heard, but all through his address
there were shouts of approval, partly
suppressed cheering and much disorder,
that made it hard for his words to reach
| all in the hall. He said in part:
| 1T gratifies me much to find in the
|
marked an evidence of the interest
which people are taking in this cam
| paign. do not come to instruct you on
the question of finance. 1t would be
useless to add anything to that which
has already been said by the distin-
guished Senator who has brought to the
investigation of the money question
that ability which he carried into all his
4 w N 1- - oh -
to present and defend Democracy as it
was taught by the fathers. applause. }
To such State represented by John w.
| Daniel (applause) no apostle of bimet-
allism need come to aid the work OF
| instruction. I am not here as a cam
paigner. / am simply passing through
the State, because l would have never
come to Virginia with any thought tha,
my presence here was necessary to de-
termine the vote of this State. (Ap-
plause.)
| Il am the nominee of three conven-
tions, but l do not appeal to the vote
on the ground that I was nominated by
his party. 1 have a higher claim to
your suffrage than party ties can give
me. 1 appeal to you as the only candi-
date for the Presidency who believes
the American people can have a finan-
cial policy of their own. Applause) If
there is man who respects party
regularity, he need not complain of the
manner of my nomination The Demo-
cratic Convention which met at Chi
cago represented the voters of that
party more truly than any convention
which has been held in recent years.
| That convention was regularly called
by the regular authorities and dele
gates were chosen in every State in the
regular manner. And more than that.
the issue joined between the friends of
free coinage and its enemies were fought
out before the people themselves, the
highest tribunal known under our form
of Government Applause) The voter,
not the bosses, ran the Chicago Con-
vention (applause), and I am proud to
be the nominee of the convention which
gave expression to the hopes. the as
pirations of the common people of the
! Democratic party.
1--WE are engaged in great struggle,
one Of the greatest struggles which the
people of this country We're aver en-
gagged in in times of peace. 1T is a
struggle between Democracy on the
one side and plutocracy on the other.
and there is no middle ground for any
man to stand upon. loud cheers }
Those who are not for us are against
US. We would have more respect for
them If they were honest enough to
go where they belong. (Cheers.) I
believe we shall win now. But whether
we win now or not. we have begun a
warfare against the gold standard
which shall continue until the gold
standard is driven from our shores
back to England. (Cheers) We have
been opposed to the importation of
criminals and paupers from abroad,
and we shall oppose the importation Of
a financial system which is criminal
and which makes paupers who are ever
with us.
1.-THE Republican platform declares
not that the gold standard is good. but
that it must be maintained. How long ?
Until the American people are tired of
lit? No. They are tired of it now.
Until the people desire to get rid of it ?
No They desire to get rid of it now.
How long? Why, we must maintain it
until foreign nations desire US to get