The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1896-07-16
TAKES UONORS EASY
MIR. BRYAN HEARS. THE NEWS OF
HIS NOMINATION.
YOung Orator Acts ns IL 1t Was
an Every Day Occnrrence-AH
ImprOmptu Reception Held In
the ROtunda Of the HOte1-He
Afterwards Addresses "a ThrOng
From the

Chicago. July ll.-Nr. Bryan received the
announcement OF his nomination with all
the composure and calmness OF a man
who had been used to such things during a
longer life than his. His handsome, black
eyes were perhaps slightly more dilated
than ordinarily when the Associated Press
bulletin carrying the nomination message
was handed to him, but otherwise he man
ifested No change Of c0untenance or man
ner. He was at the time sitting chatting
with two newspaper friends Ia his par!or
at the Clifton House.
If" said he, this Is true, l want to
do that which l have for some time had in
contemplation in this emergency
He then turned to the parlor table. and
with IA lead pencil wrote on a scrap OF soft
paper supplied by one OF his newspaper
visitors the following:
ITO the American People: In order that
I may have no ambition but to discharge
faithfully the duties Of the off &c, l desire
to announce that II elected president | shall
under no circumstances be Il candidate Tor
reelection. w. J Bryan"
Before he could complete his work. a
number of persons desiring to extend con
| CALCULATIONS. had arrived, but he excused
| himself TO them until he could finish the
message. He then shook hands cordially
| with all present and Immediately hurried
away to the barber shop to be shaved.
The news had in the meantime become
| generally known, and the rather con-
stricted lobby of the Clifton was COM
| pletely filed by the time the barber had
allowed his distinguished customer to leave
the tonsorial chair. There were loud
| cheers and calls for a speech. Taking a
| stand on the stairway, Mr.. Bryan said:
My Friends | assure you that l am
extremely grateful for the great compli-
| ment which | am assured has been paid
me by the Democratic national convention.
IL, OF course. remains to be seen whether
| the nomination is a wise or an unwiSe one.
| For my part. l do not know. This Will. Of
course, be determined by the contest which
will be decided at the polls next November.
when it will be known not only whether
| shall be elected or defeated. but, I'M
| measurably more important than that.
whether the cause OF silver shall lose or
win. | will only add that | hope that those
who accept the views Of the Democratic
platform. which was yesterday adopted,
will lose no opportunity TO influence the
| result in the interest of the doctrines here
i'm inculcated. | thank you for this mani-
| festation OF your Endorsement
The brief speech was received with a
| loud and generous burst Of applause and a
demand for an opportunity To snake hahds
with the candidate. An impromptu recep-
ton followed for about twenty minutes at
the foot Of the stairway
Not Unexpected.
| The reception concluded. Mr.. Bryan re-
turned 10 his private room, where he said
to an Associated Press reporter:
There is nothing | care 10 say more
| than I have already said in the brief state
menU I have given out in regard to a second
| term. | may add in explanation of this
| statement that 1t was not the result Of a
| sudden impulse. for | have had in mind
the propriety OF making such an announce.
! ment ever since | have regarded this nOmi-
nation as a probability. | believe 1t to be
| n good principle. The presidency Is the
| highest honor that can be bestowed by this
country upon a human being, and the power
| OF the office Is 50 great that there ought TO
be no temptation TO the man occupying the
office To use 1t for his own advancement.
My declaration is not unprecedented. Mr..
Cleveland, In his first letter of acceptance,
set for, the objections to a second term,
in language so forcible that 1t cannot be
| surpassed. President Hayes advocated an
amendment TO the constitution making hold
! ers Of the presidential office ineligible for
reelection, aud a similar amendment was
suggested by Andrew Jackson.
II desire also 10 express my deep appre-
! citation for the kindness shown me by other
candidates and their friends and to say that
| consider my nomination Is due to the pc.
culiar circumstances which surround this
| campaign, and not TO any superior merit or
my own. In fact. had the convention con-
sidered who was most deserving, the honor
would have fallen upon another. | can only
add that | so highly appreciate the reSpoD.
slbility imposed by the nomination that |
have avoided making any pledges to any
person
Mr.. Bryan said in reply TO questions, that
| he has not only made no plans for the cam
paign but that he had not even determined
| when he would return to his home In Ne
braska. When asked IL he would make any
speeches during the campaign. he replied
that he had had no opportunity to consider
| what he would do and could not say.
While he was debating the above state
ment messages were arriving every few
minutes bearing words of congratulations
and assurance OF support. His immediate
attention was called TO but few of them,
but he appeared very much interested in
all that were read to him, expressing cs-
peciai qualification AZ Il brief message from
his Old pastor.
Many baskets Of handsome flowers were
brought in by visitors who called to pay
their respects. One lady presented an i'm
mense bunch OF goldenrod. a flower which
grows In great profusion In Mr.. Bryan's
home state. AS the day wore on the throng
in the hotel Increased to such an extent
that ii became necessary to exclude the
public from the parlor floor. delegation and
convention boomers crowding the hotel In
great numbers Ultimately the police were
called In for the purpose of keeping the
crowd away. The hotel is a small one and
the lobby and corridors and parlors were
entirely Inadequate 10 the accommodation
of the crowd which sought admission.
Bryan speaks
Later Mr.. Bryan made an open-alr speech
from the balcony of the hotel, addressing
the vast crowd which filled Monroe street
from State street to Wabash avenue. The
Bland Club of Missouri, headed nv the
Bland Silver band, marched 70 the Clifton
house and serenaded the new Democratic
nominee. The loud cries for Bryan and de-
mands for a speech brought MIR. Bryan to
the balcony, where he was cheered again
and again. He was followed by two men
bearing an enormous American flag. AS
the crowd shouted and the band played. the