Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-24
TRUE, THE SKY WAS LEADEh
But the Atmosphere Was
Charged With Silver.
Mr.. BRYAN Is IN ILLINOIS
Avid Demonstration at Danville, Where He
Made His Initial Speech.
A SURPRISE SPRUNG AT CHARLESTON
The Big Decorated Platform Moved Of
When He and Mrs. Bryan Stepped
Upon It-An Allegorical Re-
ception at Mattoon.
Mr.. BRYAN Is IN ILLINOIS
A SURPRISE SPRUNG AT CHARLESTON

Charleston, Ills, Oct. 23.--William j.
Bryans struggle for Illinois began early
this morning under lowering skies and in
an atmosphere that chilled to the bone
His initial speech of the Illinois campaign
began at Danville. 1t was only $3.50 when
Mr.. Bryan arrived there, but town and
country side had turned out to meet him,
and about 5000 people were gathered in
the court house square where the speak
ing took place. A wild demonstration oc-
Cured when Mr.. Bryan appeared, and
the enthusiasm broke forth again several
times during his remarks. In his DAN
Vile speech Mr.. Bryan quoted his old
congressional colleague Hon. Joseph H.
Cannon, resident of Danville, with ref
erence to free coinage. Taking up a
speech made in the house of representa-
tiyes by Mr.. Cannon in 1878, Mr.. Bryan
gave some extracts from it to show that
Mr. Cannon asked for eighteen years ago
what the democratic party wanted now.
Mr.. Bryan read quotation from Mr..
Cannon's speech, in which he said, with
reference to the free coinage of silver,
that he would rather make the whole
Journey now QS78) than to camp by the
wayside with the long part of the road
between the camping ground and the
journeys end, and followed it by this
comment:
I'VE are going to give Mr.. Cannon an
opportunity to go to the journeys end,
and not camp by the wayside." Prolong-
ed cheers followed this sentence.
1t was $3.50 o'clock when Harris was
reached There Mr. Bryan was cordially
welcomed by between 5000 and 1000 people,
nearly every one whom wore the name
of Bryan on his or her hat. During the
twenty minutes spent there Mr.. Bryan
made speech from the balcony of the
nd ma NyipnrOusIy pbp2rp6
Decatur, I'LL, Oct 23.--It was raining
when Mr.. Bryan reached Charleston. Be
side the car was big decorated platform,
and when Mr. and Mrs. Bryan had stepped
on the structure, to their surprise 1t be-
gan to move up the street. 1t was big
wagon covered with boards and drawn by
four horses -Four thousand people heard
the candidate speak, and cheered him
loudly.
Mattoon, a railroad center, had been
pressed into service to assist several sets
of silver-Clad young men to carry out
the symbolization of 16 to 1. Several
golden queens each with sixteen silver
marks of honor, were obliged to put up
their umbrellas and flee from the hard
rain that began to fall as the candidate
stepped from his train crowd of $500
massed compactly composed Mr.. Bryan's
audience. Mr.. Bryan devoted part of his
remarks 10 praise OF Governor AltSelu
Although Sullivan was not down on the
schedule, 1000 people were waiting for Mr..
Bryan there. Senator Allison was ex-
pected later in the day. and in prepara-
tion of his coming number of those who
heard little speech from the democratic
candidate were decorated with orange
blossoms Mr. Bryan had something to
say about the Iowa statesman. Senator
Allison" he said, "in explaining in the
senate soon after the passage of the de-
monetization act, said that when the se~
cret history was written 1t would be
found that there was fraud in the pass
age of the demonetiZation act, and yet
the republican party today places itself
on record as being in favor of continuing
that which was secured by fraud"
A stop of a minute was made at Beth
any, where small crowd heard few
words from the candidate. and the train
slowed down as it passed party of 100
people gathered on the platform at Dali
ton City.
The heartiest sort of reception was
given Mr.. Bryan at Decatur. Excursion
lists by the hundreds were in town and
The streets were crowded long before the
candidates train rolled in. So dense was
the mass of humanity that a passage way
could not be cleared from the carriage to
the platform, and Mr.. Bryan was obliged
to make his address from the vehicle.
The enthusiasm was great but there was
much confusion and comparatively few of
the 10000 people in his audience heard
him. 1t was the same story over again
at the second meeting place. The speak
er's stand could not be reached, and Mr..
Bryan again spoke from his carriage
AT PEORIA.
Peoria, Ill., Oct 23-The reception CIV
en- py Peoria, the second city in Illinois,
to william Jennings Bryan tonight was
all that could be desired by the demo-
cratic candidate His progress through
the streets was marked by continued
cheering. Peoria dispensed with the usual
triumphal chariot drawn by four horses,
and substituted in its place an open troll
ley car, brilliantly Illuminated to convey
Mr., BRYAN from the union station to the
Tabernacle where he made his first
speech. The spacious building was filed
to overfiowing with an audience that
showed tremendous enthusiasm.
Mr. Bryan spoke for more than an hour.
concluding at a:35 and was then taken TO
Rouse's hall, with much smaller seating
and standing space. This. too. was pack
3D. Concluding a brief speech there. the
candidate went to the court house, where
he addressed an open air meeting COM
posed Of about 10000 peopl- The enthu-
siasm there was quite as loudly expressed
as at the other two places. In his taber-
nacie speech Mr. Bryan referred to the
tndignities shown Secretary Carlisle last
night and strongly deprecated them.
AT SPRINGFIELD.