The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1896-08-13
GEN. wEAvER'S GREAT SPEECH
In which He Named w. ,. Bryan For
Prssidsnt at the 81. Louis Convention.

GEN. WEASthS 6htAi SFeESh
In which lie Named W. ). Bryan Fer
President at the 81. Louis Convention.
No clearer statement Of the reasons
why PopuIi-ts named Mr.. Bryan a.
their candidate for the Presidency |
can b. presented than that given by |
General Weaver. Populist fresident's al
candidate in I-J2, in his nominating
speech At the national convention lie
said:
"In that midnight discussion be- |
tween Brutu= and Cassius concerning
the contemplated battle at PhililppI,
| Brutus urged that their cause was
rife, their legion. brimful, at The
hei ght and ready 10 decline: lie SAID
There is tide in the affairs Of men,
| Which taken at the food leads on 10 Tor
Omitted all the voyage Of their life
| IL bound in shadows and IL miseries
"And then in the dramatic climax,
| he exclaimed
| ION such full sea are We now afoat,
| And we must take the current "heh IL
| serves
| Or lose our venture
"FOr twenty years We have been
pleading with the people TO espou-e
the sacred cause which Is at stake IN
this campaign We have constantly
urged through good and through evli
report that our principles were more
important than party associations
were above all considerations OF private
fortune or the petty and feverish am
billions Of men. We have thus far
suited our action to our words.
Through five Presidential campaigns,
stretching from 1876 To 1892, sou cor
rectly estimated the purposes OF old
party managers, and events have sus-
tanned every specification IN your in
dictment against them. Millions OF
= honest men within old party ranks
were deceived, lured into ambush and
betrayed. But not single one OF
. your picket5 has ever been caught
1 mapping or taken BY surprise.
! 40 your devoted efforts Is largely
' due the revival of economic learning
in this country, which has enabled
the Democratic to assume its present
admirable attitude. Your work now
o promises much to mankind and is
about to break forth in complete VIC
n tory for the industrial masses. Though
n we would have liberated, though cru
e Gifted in return for our kindness, yet
= through it all we have steadily conf
ded in the righteousness of our cause
O and the final good sense OF the people
.r We still believe that this nation has a
E. mission to perform, which bad men
e will not be permitted to destroy, and
d recent events indicate that the nine
y teenth century is not, after all to CLOSE
with the friends of freedom despOnd
rs ent in the Western hemisphere.
le "This country has recently witness
10 ed new Pentecost and received an
other baptism of fire. The recent con
ventiOn at Chicago sounded bugl'
v. call for union, which can neither b.
y misunderstood nor go unheeded. III
Is its patriotic utterances and action i
r swept away all middle ground AM
C. opened the road TO a formidable Organi
a alliance. They not only made uniol
a, a, possible, thank heaven they have rem
r. dered it inevitable.
al "FrOm the very beginning our or
IS, ganizatiOn has made party fealty sub
De ordinate to principle. We will no
IL here reverse ourselves and refuse I
h. accept victory now so easily within
- our reach. We will not refuse tn
nj prOffered assistance of at least tire
H. million free silver Democrats and no
nd less than ! million free silver Repub
q licans simply because they have show
10 the good sense to come with an organ
II. lzed army fully equipped and name
he for battle. Let them have their Ow
re divisions and army corps. Let theI
all manifest their own esprit de corps. tn
ry Iield of glory is open to all competit
hn fob I N Ia h.lS
ne ciple5.
hs The Populists have already show
he heir proves in many engagement
&c during twenty years of struggle. |
IS ,ur allies can strike stur,iier blows a
IA piutocracy than can we, If they Ca
Gale the battiemeutS OF the gOl
uS power more gallantly than our oil
~ veterans, and are able to plant tn.
In oIUrs one foot nearer the citadel ,
the enemy than we can ourselves, IL
IS every PopulIs, cheer and support thei
Oh III their heroic Work. We will a
by narch under the same flag, keep ste
20 the same music, face the same fo
hare in and shout over the same tr
n unph.
a. We cannot be mistaken cOncernin
I'd he real iesue involved iii the strugg
NO f the present Year. 1t Is between Ill
~ god standard, gold bonds and ban
md currency on tie one hand aud the b
laI metallic standard, no bonds and GOV
III rrnment currency on the other. Fl
lal people are asked TO choose bet Wee
rs enforced idlentss, restitution, deb
10 bankruptcy and despair on one sc
, and an open door of opportunity unas
n Just laws and normal conditions Q
;nr The other. The situation presents II
| tt,iy hf hut
ers yulsed civilized nation. The COZ
on lllct can neither be postponed II,
lp avoided.
ain the name of the suffering PEE
on pie | affirm that this is no time f,
nd discussions nor party divisions. III
,ad supreme hour for action has arrive
the If we woulu be victorious we mu
leu make a common cause with the col
y" vention. No other course is eth
prudent or desirable. We are n
asked to abandon our party, nor won
ION 1t be wise to do so. If it is to be pr
'h- served we will, in my judgment,
compelled to take the course which
am about to indicate.
ent "The silver Democrats have lined |
ma as an organization. Now let the Pc
ulists, free silver Republicans and t
90 American Silver party do likewi.
en-. For an embattled square-impen
me trable to the assaults of the COME
bic Grated gold power. After due cOnsi
a is Grafton, in which l have fully ca
de- vassed every possible phase of the su
ject, l have failed to find single go
r rTs reason to justify us in placing thi
10y ticket in the field. The exigencies
, to the hour imperatively demand tn
ro- there shall be but one.
81 would not endorse the dist
on, guished gentleman at Chicago.
DIG would nominate him outright al
~ make him our own, and then sha
,ect justly and rrghtfully in his eIectic
uld The situation is a striking verificati
of the old adage, that "The path
lied duty is the path of safety Take tt
course and all opposition will pract