The herald., 1896-08-13

were you chosen as the result of any
questionable combination. Those who
nominated you were law-abidng, deter
mined and honest representatives of
their countrymen, and preferred you
because of your exalted integrity, pat
riotism and ability. You are ripe In ex-
perience and judgment, in the prime
of manhood, and enjoy the mental and
physical characteristics essential to
the great work which you have been
required to undertake. You have been
tried in public station. You have al
ways done your entire duty
While you are a Democrat, and have,
during your political career been an ar
dent advocate of Democratic principles,
you are now the official head of an or
ganization comprising not only those
who have been Democrats, but also in
Guiding within it's membership numerous
other patriotic Americans who have
abandoned their former partisan asso-
Citations, finding in our platform and can
didates policy and leadership adequate
to save the republic from impending
dangers.
Your conduct has been such that you
can in this crisis, without doing violence
to any opinion heretofore expressed,
advocate the interests of the people. The
profound satisfactio (which we expert
ence in your candidacy is of minor i'm
portance when compared with the knowl-
edge that your election means the main
tenance of an honest government, ad-
ministered for the benefit of all and
controlled only by intelligence conscien-
tiously directed.
The conflict now upon us has for years
been foreshadowed. Its Importance can
not be questioned. The prevalence with
IN party lines of vitally divergent views,
especially upon financial issues,h has long
been apparent.
The vain hope has been INDUCED that
fortuitious circumstances would devel-
op conditions rendering definite action
unnecessary. Unmeaning platforms,
words susceptible of Interpretation ac-
cording to the preferences of the speaker
or the auditor have been employed by
the political parties of the United States.
Supposed eXpediency has prevented
the use of plain and positive language
until political duplicity has excited uni
versal distrust In this campaign the
Republican party pledges its adherents
to the gold standard and commits the
destiny Of the United States to the
keeping of foreign financial syndicates
and their agents here, and rests conf
dent in the belief that the sordid sell
fishnes by which it is controlled connot
be overcome. Its platform admits the
evils of gold standard, but confesses
the party's inability to afford relief and
announces supine submission to a pol
icy which it pretends to condemn. Pat
riotic courage is more than a reminis-
cence. The Democratic party declines
the unmanly suggestion that the people
of the United States cannot escape op
preston save at the will of the op-
pressor.
It's declaration of principles not only
evinces faith in the bimetallism of the
constitution, but proclaims that this
government is competent to declare ard
maintain it's own policy without refer
ence to the caprices or wishes of any
other power 1t denounces as un-Amer-
ican the theory that we are not inde-
pendent In matters financial, and con-
here if fiscal policies are to be dictated
from abroad. To doubt your election is
to deny the manhood of our electors; to
concede that the producers of the Unit
ed States, those who toll, those who add
to the wealth of the land, will vote to
perpetuate alien dominancy, is to as
sumo, In the face of conclusive proof TO
the contrary, ignorance and degrada-
ton.
We are convinced that victory awaits
the people and their just cause, and as
sure you of the earnest support of an
overwhelming majority of your fellow
citizens.
Ten minutes of chaos followed. Mr.
Bryan stood alone at the front of the
stage with head erect and asking for
silence, while his audience stood on their
chairs cheering fiercely and resolutely
and shouting his name in chorus. After
three or four minutes of this scene
Bryan tired of waiting for an opportuni-
ty to speak, sank into his chair and the
band broke into a patriotic air. Then
Mr.. Danforth came to the rescue with his
gavel and finally the speech was begun.
Talking from railroad trains had
plainly told upon the candidates voice.
its huskiness was apparent, and it could
not begin to fill the hall until he warmed
up to his task. Unlike his Chicago
speech, Mr.. Bryan read his address from
manuscript. He spoke slowly and was
interrupted with volleys of cheers. He
said: