Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-04-21
THE DOLLAR DINNER.
Candidate Bryan Greeted by
5000 Noisy Supporters

At the Grand Central at New YOrk.--
Hailed as the Next PresIdent---BryRn
Stands on the Chicago Platform and
Against Trusts.
Twenty-four hundred men on the floor of
the Grand Central palace and 600 women
with escorts in the galleries greeted W. j.
Bryan at the 81 dinner of the Chicago
platform Democrats Saturday night.
From all the speeches, Bryan's included,
it was evident that the policy for 1900, so
far as they were concerned, was a cam
paign against trusts. O. II. p. Belmont's
attack on plutocracy and his pledge to sup
port Bryan and the Chicago platform
evoked wild applause.
Mr.. Bryan declared he stood by the Chi
cago platform. He wanted no nominal
harmony. He denounced the policy of the
administration toward the Filipinos. He
urged the need of an income tax. He as
face had become pale with responsibility.
Mr.. Brewster was followed by Oliver II.
p. Belmont and other speakers.
Mr.. Bryan had not advanced three PAGES
into the great dining room before a hum
dred men as though crazed, had leaped up
on the tables. Some of them stepped in
soup plates while one unfortunate at the
end of a table we'll to the front put the
right leg of one of the few evening dress
suits in the crowd into tureen that had
been only half emptied. Women who had
been with their escorts in the assembly
serted that the increase of trusts since
1896 under Republican influences had made
that a much more important subject for
the next campaign.
1t was for the most part an orderly din
ner even though many of the diners got
on the tables to cheer to the detriment of
the dishes The committee early in the
evening cut off the wine supply, and what
disorder there was was only that of polite al
madness.
There was a roar at the centre door of
the Grand Central palace at 7:20 o'clock.
| Then came shout, Bryan" which was
taken up by the last table and passed along
until there was a chorus that made the
streamers from the roof sway as if moved
| by breeze. In through the door came
| William Jennings Bryan, leaning on the
arm of Eugene V. Brewster, whose dark
room eating at tables that during the even.
ing accommodated 500 dashed hurriedly
back to their places in the balcony and
gallery. Handkerchief fluttered and
shrill feminine screams mingled with the
strident notes of what might be likened tc
an assemblage made mad by politics. Once
in while during the 10 minutes there wa.
lull in which somebody would climb to the
platform, wave his arms, twist his mouth
as though he was saying something. Ev-
cry body knew instinctively that he wa.
calling for three cheers for Bryan and gave
nine just for good measure.
Mr.. Bryan came smiling down the aisle
piloted by hundreds of men, who put them
selves and the tables on which they stool
in peril, but beyond the wreckage of few
cups and plates there were no accidents
Toward the end Of the dinner all be-
came impotence. There was a rushing
and crushing and pushing from all quar-
ters of the hail. and especially from this
sections beyond the pillars that divided
the hall into three parts. Beyond those
pillars the diners could hear nothing and
see nothing of Mr.. Bryan or those around
him.
Seeing the inevitable, Mr. Bryan gave
the signal to take to the platform. With
James B. Brown he went to his place
Then up rose every man in the hall and
yelled, screamed, shouted, cheered and
did anything to bring out all the noise
that was in him. Mr.. Brown tried to be
chairman, but he failed as completely as
il he had been dumb until those on the
floor and in the galleries became weary
shouting the name of Bryan. There were
cheers for Bryan by the score and in the
melee of excitement the caterer lost hun
dreds of dishes that fell to the floor in
pieces.
Bryan was hailed as the next presi
dent" and the Savior of the working
men" as "silver king" and as "the enemy
of capital" The audience went to q
frenzy, and in frenzy it remained for the
rest of the evening
Mr.. Bryan started to make an intro
ductory speech and mentioned the Chicago
platform. He was not heard again to any
extent until he ended by introducing
George Fred Williams of Massachusetts,
There was another tumult and another
still for every point that followed.