Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1896-08-01
THE SPEECH NOMINATING BRYAN
General Weaver Made One of the
Efforts of His Life.

General Weaver Made One OF the
Efforts of His Life.
General Weaver was greeted with ao
plause and said: Mr.. Chairman: / riSs
before you this morning in my judSmen,
feeling this to be the most critical perioI
that has ever occurred in the pooulisi
party. 1 know l have in my heart bu;
one aspiration or lingering intention-tc
do nothing in this convention or to say
one word in this presence tha. would
initiate against the growth ana strength
and security and purpose Of the populist
party. l may say 1 have two aspirations
in connection with that party The tlrst
is Incorporated with my life work. 1t is
to preserve, untarnished, and lnbroken,
thep rinciples We have cor.ended for the
last 20 years (Applause) Gentlemen, /
do not want any one charge that my
second purpose is to preserve the organ
izaton for present and future usefulness
in every part of this Union. You nave
all read the papers this morning. YOU
have read the manly Dispatch from the
democratic nominee for president. Hon.
William J. Bryan. (Applause) No man
could have done less and be a man. His
manly attitude concerning the action of
every member of it and every person
who reads the proceedings OF this con-
vention must do the same. But, my fell
low citizens, this question has reached q
point where neither Mr.. Bryan
nor his personal friends have
any right whatever to say anything
in regard to what the action of this con,
vention shall be. This is a greater u1cs-
no ba of A.
dates. and I as an individual tell you
that is the fact. Last night, after hal
read the kilograms from M. Bryan,
utterly refused md I here ana aoy Ut
terly refuse, = confer either nitn .Mr
Bryan or Mr.. Jones as to who aaIl Be
the nominee Of this convention cloud
applauseD That is matter that We
have right to determine for ourselves
1t ) the relief of 100000 people that IS
at stake. Now, then, ! am here to d.
ton and attention of this convention 10
that one thing. I know, if l know any
thing, that ! am proceeding on tho right
lines. You know how long 1 .ou:;it in
that behalf. Listen, now, to what l have
to say. l have borne your standard (and
/ know I was undeserving) first Is years
ago, in 1880, ana 70 years afterward. Tn
solicited You made me your s5and;sc.
bearer in 1892. l did my best. 1 lii all l
could do with the means at my command
to support your principles among the
people. Now l stand here n this juncture
Of our party's history and l ,nall pro-
ceed to deliver my convictions deliberate-
ly upon the condition of affal-.s ana l
ask that you will pardon me. although
an extemporaneous speaker for more
than 40 years. and permit me to read
from manuscript what 1 have TO say.
The Nominating Speech.
In that midnight discussion between
BrutuS and CasSuS concerning the con-
templa ted battle at Phllippi, Brutus urg-
ed that their cause was rife, the legions
brimfull at the height and ready to de-
cline. Said he:
''rFhere S a tide in the affairs Of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads Oh to tor
tune;
Omitted, all the voyages Of their life
Is bound in shadows and miseries
And then, in dramatic climax he eXclalm-
ed:
On such full sea are we now aloat, and
we must
Take the current when 1t serves,
Or lose our ventures.
For 20 years we have been pleading with
the people to espouse the sacred cause
which is at stake in this campaign. we
have constantly urged through good and
through evil report that our prnclples
We're more important than party assocla-
tions; were above all considerations OF
private fortune or the petty and feverlsn
ambitions Of men. We have thus Tar
suited our action to our words made
through five presidential campaigns.
stretching from 1876 to 1892. You correctly
estimated the purpose Of Old party mana
gers, and events have sustained every
specification in your Indictment against
them. Millions of honest men within old
party ranks were deceived, lured INTO am
bush and betrayed. But not a single one
of your pickets has been caught mapping
or been taken by surprise. TO your de-
voted efforts is largely due the revival OF
economic learning in this country, which
has enabled the democratic party 70 as
sumo the present admirable attitude.
Your work now promises much to man
kind and is about to break forth in COM
plete victory for the indnstTial masses.
Though oft repulSed by the multitude
whom we would have liberated, though
cructied in return for our k ndness, yet
through it all we have steadily confided
in the righteousness oI our cause ana the
final good sense of the people. We still
believe that this nation has a mission to
perform which bad men will not be per
mitted to destroy, and recent events IN
dicate the nineteenth century is not, after
all, to close with the friends Of freedom
despondent in the western hemisphere.
This country has recently witnessed
new Pentecost and received another bap
tism Of fire. The recent convention 1t
Chicago sounded a buele call for union
which can neither be misunderstood nor
go unheeded. In patriotic utterances an1
action it swept away all middle ground
and opened the way to formidable organic
alliance They not only made union pos
sible, thank heaven, they have rendered
it inevitable
From the very beg ming OF our organl-
zation days We made party feeling subor-
dinate to principle We will not here re-
verse ourselves and refuse TO accept vic
will not refuse the proffered assistance OF
at least 100000 free silver republicans
IMPLY because they have shown the good
sense to come with an organized army
fully equipped and manned for battle.
Let them have their own divisions and
army corps. Let them manifest their own
esprit du corps. The field Of glory is
open 10 all competitors who are fighting
for the same principle
The populists have already shown their
prowess in many engagements during 20
years Of struggle. If our allies can strike
sturdier blows at plutocracy than we can;
if they can scale the battlements OF the
gold power more gallantly than our old
veterans, and are able to plant their col
ors one foot nearer the citadel of the en-