The record-union., 1896-11-15
William ]. Bryan Sounds the Keynote Of
Himself and His Followers
In an Address Delivered to tho People
of His Home City.
Advises All Silver Clubs to Continue
Their Organization, and to Meet
the Subject of Bimetallism and
Other Public Questions.

Other Public Questions.
LINCOLN (Neb.), Nov. 14.-Under the
auspices of the Lincoln Bimetallic Club
the local Travelling Mems Bryan Club,
and what was known during the cam
paign as the Bryan Home Guards, Will
lam ]. Bryan tonight delivered his first
formal address since the election,
sounding what is generally accepted as
the keynote of himself and his followers
in the campaign which is to continue for
the free and unlimited coinage of silver.
Mr.. Bryan was given a t1attering recep-
ton by the people of his home city. The
meeting was held at the Funke Opera
house, which was crowded to the doors.
Mr.. Bryan was in good voice, and never
in his many speeches before Lincoln
audiences has he spoken with greater
Vtgor or earneStness.
1t was Bryan day in Lincoln, begin
ming at = o'clock this evening, when the
Democratic candidate spoke to ladies
to the crowd which was unable to at
tend the Opera-house meeting.
Mr.. Bryan spoke deliberately and with
emphasis, saying in part:
Mr.. Chairman and Fellow-citizens:
do not know that I can make myself
heard for any length of time. My voice,
which has served me we'll for several
months, during which it has been sorely
tried, is worse to-day than it has been
i,1,~ =
Il am proud Of the support which
Nebraska has given to the cause of BIZ
metallism. l have looked at the papers
some since election. 1 have noticed con-
siderable enthusiasm and ratifications
among the Republicans. One Republi-
can, who had been prominent in the
precincts Of the Capital for many years,
said that he would rather have me cleo
ted for life than to have the State go
Populist. So that Nebraska has done
her duty well. and I am glad that in this
conflict the State has been in many re-
spects a pioneer; was not found wanting
when the great test came. And / am
proud of Lancaster County and of Lin
coin and even of my own ward and pre-
cinct. daughter)
Some places where I have travelled
have found that the question was
whether l could actually carry my own
ward, and 1 have known Republican
speakers who gave it as a conclusive
proof of my unpopularfty at home that
I would not be able to carry my county,
my city, my ward, or even the precinct
in which live. They would never have
time in the heat of the campaign to
explain that this is the strongest Re-
publican county In the State and the
strongest Republican city in the county,
and 1 think 1 live in the strongest Re-
publican ward in the city. But of
course there was SO much to say that
you could hardly expect even Republi-
cans to take time to say anything that
could be said in one speech, and there
ofre they all forgot to tell about the po-
litfcal complexion of Lancaster County
and Lincoln and the Fifth Ward when
ever they Dragged about the vote Of
that city, county and ward.
But I am very grateful to my neigh
bors here for the support which they
have given. Not only am I grateful to
those who have voted at the polls, but
1 am grateful to those who before cleo
tion day gave their time and contributed
all they could to make the vote as large
as possible. (Cheers.) have been proud
when l came back to Lincoln to meet
the Bryan Home Guards, and see the
discipline and good appearance which
they always make when they go out on
n oh
want to say this, that while outside of
this city, 1 think it is we'll for the clubs
that are going to go on with the work of
that they drop my name
and take a name that is entirely i1nper-
sonal, so that the cause will not be con-
nected with person, because the cause is
greater than any person. (Cries Of
"Never."O
Now, I want to say a word for the
future. We have passed through this
and we have been defeated,
and / want you to remember this, that
there is not in this land single advo-
cate of free coinage who is not willing
to abide the decision of the people with
out complaint. (Cheers.) You do not
find among the silver men those who
say as a distinguished Republican in
New York said, that we may not abide
by the result. You do not find the sill
yer men persons who will stand up and
express doubt as to whether the will of
the American people is supreme
the men who call us anarchists
you find the ones who limited at possi-
BILE means by which the will of the peo-
pie could be defeated.
Il am proud that in your ranks we
had men who loved this form of govern
ment; that no matter what the people
say they rule, and we bow to their SUI
premacy But, my friends, bowling to
q decision and accepting without COM
plaint the result of an election does
not mean that we shall surrender our
or that in the future we
shall fight with less earnestness than
we have fought in the past You must
that in the history of this
nation some party has always been de-
feated, and yet parties have not gone
out of existence because of defeat Re-
that the Democratic party
lived for many years without ever hav-
ing won Presidential election and it
lived after it won a Presidential elec-
ton, and then failed to get the Presi-
dent elected. because it is the opinion
of the Democrats of the nation that
Samuel J. Tilden was elected President
of the United States. and yet the people
who supported him were willing to
abide by a decision Of a tribunal in