Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1899-04-20
DOLLAR BANQUET OF
THE BRYAN DEMOCRACY
Three Thousand Men and Women
Dine and Listen to the Chief
Apostle Of SiIverism
RECEIVED WITH WILD ENTHUSIASM

Speaks for Over an Hour and Is
Urged To Go On---O. III. II.
Belmont, {. n. Townc
and Ridpath speak.
New York, April ls.-The dollar din
ner of the Chicago platform de-
mocracy, Saturday night al the Grand
| Central Palace, was one of the big
gest affairs ever held in the city. Near
ly 1000 men and women sat down at
long tables in the various rooms of
the palace. White men clbowcd with
colored men and white women with
colored women. There were four Jap
ancse and three Chinese present, but
the Chinese We're mere spectators and
sat up in the second gallery. They said
they had come to see Bryan.
The main hall presented different
aspect from that of the Metropolitan
opera house at the $40 dinner of the
Democratic club There were no flower
embellishments, but just great long
| avenues of tables covered with plain
white plates. The only ornaments
were punches of celery in granite ware
coffee pots. The boxes about the hall
We're festooned with flags, with silllen
| banners suspended between the flags
at the back of the stage, two Amer
| lcan flags draped with the portrait of
Jefferson and the other the portrait
OF Bryan. Three thousand bottles of
wine were gratuitonsly served by a
wine company.
Bryan did not arrive until shortly
after o'clock The band played "IIail
10 the Chief, as he was hurried
down one of the main aislcs. There
was tremendous cheering and waving
of napkins. The demonstration lasted
for five inmates.
At O'Clock the committee and
speakers assembled to the 'rtform.
James IL. Brown called lie meeting
to order and introduced George Fred
Williams, of Massachusetts, who was
gwen tine reception. The crowds in
the galleries meantime had increased
and there were at least 5000 people in
the hall. The mention of Henry
Georges name evoked an eNtraortlin-
AIRY demonstration.
o. u. II. Bclmont's Speech.
o. III. l.. Belmont was next intro
duced and read his speech from manu-
script:
Tonight the east extends its hand of
welcome to the west and is ready to do
honor to one of the great sons of whom
II Is so justly proud. We are proud that
there Is no north, no south, no east, no
west. i'm the democratic party. Whatever
our local. individual sectional beliefs
are, let us express them and lei them be
respected. That is the soul of democracy.
But when. after these opinions have been
submitted to our chosen leaders in con-
ventions. when they have sifted them
down and chosen the material from which
our platform is to be constructed, then let
us with one voice. say this is the plat
form upon which we will stand. shoulder
TO shoulder, as a unit to win or lose.
The issue will be i'm 1900: Are we to be
| controlled by the cosmopolitan money pow
er. or are we to be free men of this great
republic? Nothing more nothing less. The
republicans have ranged themselves on
the side of monopolies and the concentra-
tion OF wealth. They have ranged them
selves on the side of controlling the mu-
nicipal. state and national legislation by
wealth They We're slow in aNcnging the
insults and injuries of the enemy and
only did so when pushed to ii by the de-
mocracy of I, country. They are guilty
of carrying on our late war in partisan
and corrupt manner and to the profit of
corporations. TO All this the democracy.
hold. is opposed and is assembling its
mighty army to defeat its dangerous foe.
Put Bryan Alloy -nerson.
John Clark Ril spoke on
"rhonns Jefferson. zen Mr.. Rid
ans, and was the most intelligent
democrat that ever lived a hundred
vocies shouted, NO. Bryan Bryan
Mr.. Williams whispered somthing to
Mr.. Ridpath. and the latter said: Il
accept the suggestion" and bowed to
Bryan. At the close of Mr.. Ridpath's
speech horseshoe of flowers was pre-
sentcd to Bryan, who arose and bowed.
EN-Congressnan Charles a. Towne
spoke next on "Amercanism.'
The great crowd waited patiently
through all the speeches. In introduce
ing MIR. Bryan Chairman Brown said
that Abraham Lincoln had come out
of the west to save the nation and an
other man had come from the west to
save the nation.
\ perfect tempest of applause from
the men and women broke out. The
applause subsidized. but started afresh
The band struck up. but could scarcely
be heard as it played The Stars and
Stripes Forever" Hats were thrown
mp into the air; women waved their
cloalls and handlicrchiefs. There was
maelstrom of discord. Mr. Bryan
raised his hand depreratingly, but the
more he did this the more the crowd
cheered. 1t was Wild, frantic DEM
onstration. 1t lasted for at least five
minutes.
Bryan's Address.
MIR. Bryan began i'm Il calm, clear
voice He said IN, p.rt.
The speaker then recalled some of
The planlls of the democratic platform,
and discussed at considerable length
the income tax plank. quoting from
Justice Brewer. in his dissenting opin-
ion, these words: 81 fear that i'm some
hour of national peril this decision will
rise up to paralyze the arm of the gov
eminent"
determined not by the cost of it, but by
the sentiments which are woven into the
postpraneial oratory. We have not one
word of hostility to utter toward those
democrats who left the democratic party
In 1896. Far be it from us to criticise any
man whose judgment or conscience leads
him out of the democratic party. When
the republicans met at st. Louis some re-
publican; left the republican party rather
than adapt themselves to the platform
written out at ST. Louis They organized
distinct party, and they took name
sufficiently different from the republican
name so that no one would mistake the
one for the other. They made bold and
earnest fight. and the republicans who left
the party in 1886 have neither gone back
or, standing outside, have they ATTEMPTED
to write the platform of the party which