The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-07
IN THE HOTEL LOBBY.
Bryan Makes a Speech to Alleged
Commercial Travellers.

The cause of the delay of Mr.. Bryan in
getting to his appointment to speak IN the
courthouse yard at 730 was the demand
made ON his time just as he was starting
TO leave the Grand Hotel. AS he came
from the dining room he was stopped by
large crowd, who insisted that he say
something. 1t was claimed that many of
the men were commercial travellers. He
mounted the stairs leading to the dining
room about five teps and there said:
Gentlemen: / appreciate the invitation
extended by the traveilng men to say d
word to them and | appreciate the honor
of an introduction to the travelling men by
a travelling man who became a supporter
of mine after he had read the letter of
acceptance of the Republican candidates:
(Appiause.D l appreciate the support OF
travelling men for two reasons. In the hrst
place. as a class they average high in in
travelling men, they cannot say that my
cause appeals to unthinking people. The
travelling men think. Their minds are &C
tive and 1t is only another proof that BIZ
metalism conlmends itself to those who.
will reason and who will study and who
will investigate. / glad TO have their
only intelligent, but they are active. There
are two kinds of supporters, those who vote
for you and those who not only vote but
work for you; and while we grateful
TO those who give their votes, We are still
more grateful to those who, not satisfied
with simply voting, go out as missionaries
to bring others into line. (Applause.) I am
sure that we can have no more effective
assistance in this campaign than that of
the travelling men. They travel over this
country and they do not cost campaign
committees anything for expenses or litera-
ture. Uaughter) And they can talk fast
err. longer and louder than all the other
people combined. daughter and applause)
j say am glad to have them on our side
and | am not going to saw that the trav-
cling men are entirely unselfish in support
ing binIetallism.
"In fact, l am one of those who believe
that It is much easier for man to be
patriotic when he can at the same time
helping his own interests and the interests
OF his family and the interests of those
about him. / believe that men have a right
In the discussion of public questions to APP
ply, those questions. to their own condition
and see how policy proposed (will affect
them in their business. These travelling
men are right when they determine that
the only way to help the business of the
pie to buy buy the " goods iss''0 which Rt1
travelling men. have to sell. (Cries of
ard enables few people to buy more than
they would under bimetalusm. but it makes
the great mass of the people less able to
buy than they would under bimetallism,
and If man sells shoes he knows that it
is great deal better to sell shoes for the
millions who will be able to wear them
under just financial policy than to confine
his sales to the few hundreds who will be
able to wear them under a gold standard.
Applause) AS it is with shoes so it is
with clothing. and so it is with all the
goods which sold. You increase the
power of the people to consume, you in
crease their power to buy and when you
do so, you lay the only foundation upon
which commerce in this country can stand
Destroy the power of the masses to buy
and you undermine our commercial fabric
and you increase the number of failures
and the number of travelling men out of
JOBS. ! thank you, my friends. for this OPP
portunity to speak to you and If men ask
YOU what sixteen to one means, you tell
them it means that every one travelling
man is going to get sixteen votes for us
This fall" (ApplauSe)