Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-09-20

Washington, Sept. 19.--The journey of
or the democratic candidate from Fred
ericksburg was without notable incident
except at Alexandria, seven miles from
washington. AT Quantico 200 people
cheered Mr.. Bryan heartily. The crowd
at Alexandria numbered fully 5000 peo-
pie, and expressed enthusiasm without
stint. During the ten minutes the train
remained there Mr.. Bryan made speech
punctuated by cheers and the reports of
cannon.
Arriving at Washington at 4:O5, the
train being twenty-five minutes late, Mr..
Bryan alighted amid the cheers of his
fellow passengers at the far end of the
train shed of the Baltimore and Potomac
station. The 1900 people who were wedged
in behind the bars of the train shed took
up the cheers, and the echoes were heard
from the throats of fully 5000 people con-
gregated in the streets outside. 1t was
only with the utmost difficulty that the
police were able to keep back the enthu-
siastic crowd. Every man and many wo-
men sought to reach and shake the hand
of the candidate. Surrounded by the To-
cal committee and the delegation of the
congressional committee, Mr.. Bryan was
conducted to his carriage and hurriedly
driven to the Metropolitan hotel After
brief rest and lunch carriages were
again taken, and the party proceeded to
the old baseball park, where it had been
preceded some two or three hours by
crowd estimated at 10000.
Early in the day the weather bureau
issued a special bulletin predicting a
thunder storm during the afternoon.
AS early as 2 o'clock the evidences of
this storm began to be apparent as omi-
nous clouds gathered in the west. This,
however, did not diminish the enthusiasm
v i
hear Mr. Bryan, and when he ascended
the platform the crowd was so dense that
it was apparent to ell that the candi-
dates voice would be tested to its ut
most His appearance on the platform
was the signal for prolonged cheers.
His Speech.
Mr. Bryan began his speech by saying:
MIR Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:
1 am grateful to you for the very cordial
welcome which you have extended to me
as L return to the city in which four
years of official life was spent"
Here one of the crowd, catching on to
the words -four years." shouted -four
years MORE" and the point was quickly
taken up and cries of good" and cheers
were given.
Mr.. Bryan proceeded:
II see before me the faces of great
many who are known a 5 young men, l
am glad to speak to the young. because
we are young, and who in the course of
nature must live under our government
for many years are interested in making
that government good enough to live un-
der (ApplauSe)
II desire to call your attention to two
pIauks in the platform adopted at Chi
cago before touching on other matters
connected with the campaign. l speak
of these two plankS because they con-
cern the people who live in the District
of Columbia The Chicago platform con-
taius this plank: We favor the admis-
III L. .s.x
Oklahoma and Arizona into the union as
states. and We favor the early admission
of all the territories having the necessary
population and resources to entitle them
to statehood. and while they remain ter
ritorles we hold that the officials ap-
pointed TO administer the government of
any territory, together with the District
of Columbia and Alaska. should be bona
fide residents of the territory or district
in which the duties are to be performed
The democratic party believes in home
rule and that all public lands
Il have finished. however, the part
which refers to the District of Columbia.
/ desire to emphasize these words, the
democratic party believes in home rule
(Applause) / bs'ieve in that platform
and in that plank of the platform and in
that portion Of the plank which | have
emphasized. And when j say l believe
in home rule do not mean that there
shall be a home IN the district or In the
territories after the rulers CONNER nee to
rule, but that they shall live there be-
fore they are appointed. tApplause)
Civil Service.
Let me read another plank: We are
opposed to life tenure in the public sefv-
ice. We favor appointments based upon
merit, fixed terms of office and such ad-
ministraton of the civil service law as
will afford equal opportunities to all cit
izens of ascertained fitness except as
otherwise provided by the constitution
of the United States
I'VE are in favor of civil service re-
form that means something and not a
civil service reform that permits pres
ident to sustain the civil service Until he
can get his friends into office and susta n
the service just as he is going out, so as
to keep his friends in. (Applause) We
believe In appointments based upon mer-
1t and such a method of appointment as
Will open the offices to men of ascer-
tanned fitness
(At this point IN Mr.. Bryan's speech
the weather looked very ateniDg and
clouds OF dust commenced to blow over
Mr.. Bryan, however, after brief
pause continued as follows:
I'VE are in favor Of fixed terms of office
In the several departments Of the gov
ernment. We want it so that when a
man goes in we will know how long he is
going to stay and when he is going ont.
We don't want to build up an Office hold
ing and fill the offices for life so that
when a man gets an office he will have
no more concern about his country than
to draw his salary. (Cheers) We be-
heye that the life tenure which relieves