Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1896-07-17

.Unotlcial figures. Result not announced.


CHICAGO, July 1l.-William Jen-
nings Bryan of Nebraska, the young.
classic-teatu orator from the
plains of the Platte, swept the con-
vention off it's feet yesterday and was
nominated for president on the fifth
ballot.
Political history furnishes no prece-
dent for the days proceedings in the
Coliseum, either as great spectacu-
lar show, or as the result of the de-
alterations of the convention OF a
great political party. Bryan is but 30
years old, younger by ten years than
any man ever nominated for the chief
magistrate of the American republic.
He came like young Lochinvar out
of the West, which has never before
nominated presidential candidate,
to WOO the bride for whose hand, the
countrys greatest chieftains have
been suitors.
His name was barely mentioned in
the preliminary skirmishing. Four
DAVIS ago when the convention met he
was not entered in the lists. But
Thursday he made an impassioned
speech and stirred the convention to
frenzy by his eloquence. That speech
overthrow the diligently organized
work of weeks and months for other
aspirants for the honor.
The cause of silver was uppermost
in the minds of the delegates when
they assembled here. For the cause
they deliberately placed the eastern
wing of Pennsylvania on the altar.
Now, when the convention is coldly
analyze it Is seen that the support
of Bland and Boies as candidates was
never solidly grounded. 1t was only
as the represent ia lives of the issue that
they rallied delegates to their stand
ards, and even after many of them
had attached themselves to the for
tunes of one or the other candidates
they appeared restless and in an in
stinctive way to be casting about for
a new Moses. The far;seeing, staid
and seasoned leaders of the silver
men, realizing that their new creed
would ALLEVIATE the Eastern Democ-
racy, believed in an alliance with the
silver Republicans beyond the Mis-
souri, through Teller's nomination, but
the rank and file would have none of it.
Bryan's Great speech.
When Bryan made his speech, the
delegates suddenly saw in him the
great advocate of their cause and they
turned to him with an impetuosity
that nothing could balk. They wanted
a tribune of the people. They felt
that they had him in the eloquent
young Nebraskan who set their imag-
nations on fire. If he had been
placed in nomination then, the con-
yention would have been stampeded.
Some of the gray-haired leaders saw
and feared it,
When he was placed in nomination,
those who thought they had found
their candidate were confirmed
IN their opinion. The idea
which George Fred Williams of
Massachusetts conveyed in his
seconding speech, that it needed the
strength of youth to endure the hard
ships of a new cause, that young
arm should WELD the scimitar of an
indignant people, sank home. Here,
as Williams said, was the new Cicero
to meet the new Catalines of to-day.
The leaders who doubted the wis
dom of nominating SO young and so
inexperienced man tried to check
the stampede by adjourning. They
hoped nights reflection would suf-
fee. At the suggestion of adjourn
ment, there was rebellion. The mo-
ton was declared carried against a
storm of opposition from the Bryan
enthusiasts, who wanted to nominate
their candidate at once.
The Garfield Parallel
A nights reflection only made them
more determined. When the conven-
ton met to ballot, Bryan showed Sec
ond on the first roll call. He had
already overhauled Boies. Only Bland
was ahead and it was q struggle for
the Missouri farmer to get the 23s
votes which he received. The STAN
pede began on the next ballot.
On the fourth ballot, Bryan took
the lead and Bland fell back, hope
lessly bea.en. The nomination was
made unanimous on the next ballot.
Some have sought to find in the
nomination, In 1880, of Garfield, who
was not candidate, a parallel with
Bryan's nomination yesterday. But
there is no parallel. Garfield was
only nominated after one of the hard
est and most protracted convention
contests of the century. Grant. Blaine
Edmunds, Sherman and Washburne
were then contesting for mastery
,nd aftar thirtv-five ballots the riva