Kansas City daily journal., 1897-01-08
PROTESTS AGAINST THE NAMING OF
CLUBS AFTER HIM.
Wants the CauSc Put Above the Man
Reads All Except Free siIyeritcs
out of the PHrty-Other
Popocrats Deliver
Speeches.

/
! in Omaha.
| The banquet hall was tastefully and law
/ ishly decorated with greens, cut flowers
| and the national colors and presented an
! extremely handsome appearance, when at
/ ld o'clock the doors were opened to the
800 followers of Mr.. Bryan. As the mem
bers of the league marched into the hall
every member bore upon his left breast
tho badge of the league which was worn
tonight for the first time. 1t is of purple
satin and hangs suspended from a silver
bar upon which is printed the name of
the wearcr. Mr.. Bryan'S picture is upon
the badge in the form of Il medallion set
in silver. and the background of purple
is relieved by elaborate trimming of sill
yer.
Carter II. Harrison, the first president of
the league. was at the head of the table,
and acted as toastmaster Mr.. Bryan being
seated Immediately at his right. 1t was.
| fully midnight when AR. Harrison raped
for order and. in few pleasant, well chos-
en- words, introduced MIR. Bryan. The lat
ter was greeted with great applause when
he rose to speak in response TO the toast
of Andrew Jackson and frequently
throughout his address he was compelled TO
pause while his hearers took time to dem
| onstrate their approval of his sentiments.
Mr. Bryan began his address as follows:
IN view of the fact that the club, under
whose auspices we meet, had done me the
| honor TO take my name, / feel that II Is
| only just TO the club and to myself TO re-
peat here what J have said elsewhere:
namely. that my Judgment disapproveS OF
| the use of my name iii connection with
/ Democratic or silver clubs. My Objection
| is a twofold one.
! In the first place, believe that a cause
| Is so much greater than any individual
| that 1t should not be burdened by any mis-
| takes which he may make. While Il man
| lives he is liable to err and his errors are
| apt 10 iniure any cause with which ne Is
| closely identified. During Il campaign Il
cause may be identified, for the time being
| with candidates for public office, but when
| the campaign is over and the candidate no
| longer stands in representative capacity
| i believe it is wise to diSaSSoCiate MIN
| from the cause far possible, in order
| that public attention may be centered upon
principles and policies rather than upon
| men.
"'rhe other subject is a personal one. I
do not want to stand for four years in the
latitude of u candidate for the presidency.
/ do not want Jealous friends to be contin-
| ually alarmed lest l should do something
TO ALLEVIATE some OF those who have given
me their confidence and support. In the
| past l have spoken out upon public ques>
! lions, which, in my Judgment, needed to be
| discussed, and l desire to occupy the same
| position in the future. When the next
| campaign opens it will be time enough 10
| select candidate, and We can then select
| n candidate suited to the conditions then
| existing and fit for the work then to De
| done Fully approaching the high Compli-
ment paid me and deeply grateful therefor,
| / stiiI repeat my suggestion that my name
! be no longer connected with the names OF
clubs"
! Mr. Bryan then entered into a discussion
| of the relation between gold Democrats
and Bryanites. This campaign he says,
has shown the impossihiity, of keeping bt-
| metallists and gold standard advocates in
| the same political organizations, and it will
| be a more difficult task in the future than
| ii has been this year.
| ITO use "A common illustration, a hen IS
| always disturbed if she has in her brood
| Favt ltrplgG I~hi
| the water while the chickens are content
| to scratch upon the land. The Democratic
party will in like manner be i'll at ease II
| it has Il few web-footed members who in
| sist upon crossing the ocean for their Ideas,
while the great majority of the party are
| willing to find political food upon Amerl-
can soil.
Not only is this separation between the
| gold standard Democrats and free silver
| Democrats necessity, but il ought TO be
| desirable to both sides. If the gold stand
| ard Democrats are as bad, politically, as
| we think they are, we ought not to care TO
| affiliate with them, and if those who sup
| ported the Chicago platform are half as
| bad the goldbugs say they are. they
| are apt to contaminate all who associate
| with them. In my opinion there should be
| no compromise of the issues involved in
| the late campaign, and no terms short OF
| absolute surrender TO those who deserted
| us. If any Democrat becomes convinced
| that the gold standard is necessary, or be-
| the party and join the boiling Democrats
| or the Republicans. If any bolting Demo-
| crat sees the error of his way, and is will
| ing to indOrSe the Chicago platform and
labor with those who seek to carry it into
| effect will welcome such Il Democrat
| back into the fold.
| ent fight of the Bryanites is Just such
contest as that through which Andrew
| jackson passed" against the national
| banks, which want TO retire the green
| backs and then monopoiiZe the issue of
| paper money" and continued:
/ while the Republicans have not Yet had
Tt.
| the statute book. We have proceeded far
enough TO discover that the mere announce
| ment of Republican success does not re-
| store prosperity. If the advocates of free
! silver had won. every bank and business
| failure would have been attributed to their
| success and the gold standard papers would
| have been loud in their waillug. But the
| Republican organs, although compelled to
| chronicle AN increasing number of business
| failures over the corresponding period of
last year, never connect these failures
| with Republican success.
| During the month OF November. 1896
| seven national banks failed, and i'll the
| month OF December eight more closed their
doors. md upon examination Of statistics
that December witnessed the closing of
| more national banks than were closed in
| any other month since january /, 1899. eX-
| cept the three months Of the panic OF
| Ihat year.
'One bank announced as the cause of it's
| failure. inability to realize upon assets. .
| This notice Was confession OF the argu-
! mcnt made during the campaign by the ad-
NOtEtcS OF Tree silver We have all along
insisted that the gold standard was de-
J -iroyiDg the value al assets. With money
! rising in value and property falling in
value. hard times must continue That this
| Is not due 10 local causes IS evident from
the fact that the same complaint comes
from other nations.
, The press dispatches state that the hoii-
/ DAY trade in Germany was a dsappuut-
| ln,nt 10 the merchants. The fact that
| Senator WOlcott. OF Colorado has been
/ sent abroad by the nrcSldent-elecJ as an
1 ambassador most extraordinary to bring
! Europe TO blmctalllsm is an evidence that
| tho gold standard Is still coHCealing its
I blessing from the American uaoHlg II the
| tiou why should we risk "a return to bar
| b5 rism Dy chasing after international hi
| III, lalliSm2 IL Senator WOiCott Suru ucedS in
| stirring up a silver agitation IN England.
| h will he accused OF disturbing business
| ana destroying confidence in the great cen
| ter OF financial couhdcnCc-LUndon. III his
| CTrand proves a irultlcsS one, IL Will only
| give additional evidence that the United
! States must act alone.
+ III, in other words our opponents sue
! coed in bringing hlmetaillsm they viii re-
! lipyc Us OF great deal of labor and enable
US To turn our attention TO other reforms.
/ IT. on the other hand. they fail in their
effort to restore hmetallism after confess
ing that bimrtallisTn is desirable. We may
expect the American people 10 Join with us
in the opening Of our mints to free and un-
, | limited coinage at Ii 10 l, without waiting
i, for the aid or consent OF any Jthcr nation.
! Following Mr. Brynn came Governor Alt
geld to whom had been assigned the sub
, ieCt. Character and Mission or IL Minority
/ Party
l. Governor AItEeld declared that the three
= DDmcCratiC conventions preceding that OF
1876 had been dominated largely hy cor
| pCIatlon interests and that the nominal
1 tions had practically he~n dominated by