The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1896-07-16
W.. BRYAN OF NEBRASKA
ORATOR OF THE SILVER CAUSE
FOR PRESIDENT.
We're Set Aside for New
Political Moses.

Chicago. July 10.-William Jennings Bry-
an of Nebraska, the young, classic-fedt-
ured orator from the plains of the Platte,
swept the convention off its feet today
and was nominated for president on the
fifth ballot. Political history furnishes no
precedent for today's proceedings in the
Coliseum, either as "A great spectacular
show or as the result of the deliberations
Of the convention of a great political
party. Bryan is bur SO years old, younger
by 10 years than any man ever nominated
for the chief magistracy of the American
repubic.t He came, like a young Lochin-
var, out Of the west, which has never be-
fore nominated a presidential candidate to
WOO the bride for whose hand the coun-
try's greatest chieftans have been suit
ors. His name was barely mentioned in
the preliminary skirmishing. Four days
ago, when the convention met, he was
not entered in the list, but yesterday he
made an impassioned speech and stirred
the convention to n frenzy by his elo-
quence. That speech overthrow the dill
gently 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 as
sembled here. For the cause they delib
erately placed the eastern wing of the
vention is coldly analysed, 1t is seen that
the support of Bland and Boies as candi-
dates was never solldly grounded. 1t was
only as the representatives of the issue
that they rallied the delegates to their
standards, and even after many of them
had attached themselves to the fortunes
of one or the other candidate, they APP
peared restless and in az instructive way
to be casting about for IA 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 sill
yer republicans beyond the Missouri,
through Tellers nomination, but the rank
ana nle would have none of It, Yesterday,
when Bryan made his speech, the dele
gates suddenly saw in him the great adj
vocate of their cause, and they turned to
him with an impetuosity that nothing
could balk. They wanted tribune of the
people They felt that they had him In
the eloquent young Nebraskan, who set
their imaginatlons on fire. If he had been
placed in nomination then, the convention
would have been stampeded as it was to-
day Some of the gray-haired leaders saw
and feared It,
Last night when he was placed in nom
nation, 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 new cause, that young ann
should WELD the scimitar of an indignant
people. sank home. Here, as Williams
said, was the Cicero to meet the Catalnes
of today. The leaders who doubted the
wisdom of nominating so young and so
Inexperienced man tried to check the
stampede by adjournng until today. They
hoped a nights reflection would suffice.
AT the suggestion of adjournment there
was rebellion. The motion was declared
carried against a storm of opposition from
the Bryan enthusiasts, who wanted to
nominate their candidate at once. nights
reflection only made them more deter
mined. This morning, when the conven-
ton met to ballot Bryan showed second
on the first roll call. He had already
overhaued Boles. Only Bland was ahead,
and it was a struggle for the Missouri
farmer to get the 23S votes which he re-
.ceived. The stampede began on the next
ballot.
on the fourth ballot Bryan took the lead
and Bland fell back, hopelessly beaten.
The nomination was made unanimous on
the next ballot. Some have sought to
find in the nomination of 1880, of Gar
field, who was noGt candidate, paral-
lei with Bryan's nomination today. But
there is no parallel Garfield was only
nominated after one of the hardest and
most protracted contests of the century.
Grant. Blaine. Edmunds, Sherman and
Washburne were then contesting for the
mastery. and after 30 ballots the rival
leaders and the convention turned to
Garfield, who had electrified the delegates
by his matchless oratory and command
ing presence. Today the support of the
other candidates simply melted away and
Bryan won without struggle.
on the fifth and last ballot, Kansas
went over Illinois and other states
came tumbling along in her wake When
Ohio was reached, Bryan had 446 votes
of the 504 required to make a two-thirds
majority of those voting