Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-08-23
a Great Convention.

UlIc Ou lCoOlutlOuo odCil
district was elected. on account of his
known views on the several public
questions now uppermost in the politics
of the country. The unanimous ap-
proval by the convention, of the unani
nous report of its platform committee,
was not due to indifference, but rather
to full discussion and mature deliber-
alton.
The Bryan meetings Tuesday we're
grand and imposing, especially the Au-
ditorium address in the evening. In
the afternoon Mr.. Bryan spoke to the
county chairmen of the state, and dwelt
upon the Importance of American citi-
zenship, and the duty of every elector to
retain voice in the management of
public affairs.
In the evening Mr.. Bryan faced as i'm
posing an audience as ever assembled
in Iowa's capital city. The admission
was by ticket and upwards of half of
those who attended were ladies. The
boxes were filled with people prominent
in nearly every walk of life, and includ-
ed well known republicans as well as
democrats, Governor Shaw and most
of the other state officers heading the
republican list.
Every seat in the building and every
foot of standing room was filled. ltwas
estimated that there were 5000 inside
the Auditorium and 1000 clustered
around the outsides of the open doors
and windows, In addition, there was
an overflow meeting in the Tabernacle
of fully 5000 people.
Rev. Father Nugent, in his introduce
tory remarks, pitched high key for
Mr.. Bryan, who never appeared to bet
ter advantage in his life. Heseemed to
rise with the magnificence of his sur
roundings, and excelled all former eff
forts of his life. He spoke at the Au-
ditorium for two hours, eliciting fire.
quent outbursts of applause, and then
went to the Tabernacle where he spoke
for 40 minutes more.
The delegates, who listened to Mr..
Bryan's uuequaled eloquence, were brim
full of patriotic enthusiasm when they
assembled in convention the following
day.
The speech of temporary chairman
Sells was gem. 1t won for MIR. Sells
the admiration of everyone who heard
it, and would have easily made him the
party's nominee for governor had he
permitted the convention to name him
for that position. While Mr.. Sells
would probably have received two thirds
of the votes in the convention, he could
not, owing to tine candidacy of Messrs.
Bashor and Genung have received a
practically unanimous vote, and with
out such vote he would not accept a
nomination.
There seemed to be no man in the
party upon whom all could unite, ex-
cept the farmer soldier-statesman, Fred
E. White. A roll call was taken to give
delegations under instructions chance
to record complimentary votes, but all
were for Mr.. White, and the motion to
make him the unanimous choice of the
convention came nearer evidencing the
actual desires of every delegate than is
usual on such occasions.
After the nomination for governor
was made the following platform was
unanim ously adopted:
Democratic State Platform.
We, the democrats of Iowa, in convention as
sembled, unqualiiedly and unreseryedly endorse
the Chicago platform of 1896, in whole and In de
tail and declare our ilnwavering fidelity and ad
| herence to the same, and we proclaim our ad
miration for and loyalty to that peerless expo
nent of democratic principles, W.J, Bryan, and
favor his nomination In 1900.
Second. We rejoice in that exalted senti
ment and motive that prompted the govern
ment OF the United States to take up arms in
defense of the bitterly oppressed people of Cuba
In the successful termination of the war will
Spain and In patriotism and unsurpassed brav
cry displayed by our soldiers and sailors on lant
and sea. The war for the liberation of the ty
ranny-cursed island was worthy the greatest re
i pnblic and most civilized nation that has flour
ished In the tides of time; but. for the same rea
son that we glory in the successful war will
Spain we deprecate and condemn the war agains
the FilipinOs. One war was for the emancipa
tion of a people, the other for the subjugation o
people; and If the war against Spain was right
and 1t was. that against the natives of the Philip
pines, who have committed no offense save t,
love liberty and be willing to fight and to die TO
1t, is wrong. The attempt unauthorized by con
gress, to conquer the natives of the Orienta
Islands is reputation of the American doc
trine of consent, affirmed In the Declaration O
Independence. and in conflict with the principl,
for which George washington and his fellow
patriots of the revolution made sacrifices tt
establish. We also condemn the war agains
the Filipinos. believing 1t to have been inspired
by Great Britain for the purpose of producing
conditions that will force an Anglo-Americar
alliance, and we not only protest against thu
war and demand its termination by extension t.
the Filipinos of the same assurance given to the
Cubans, but VIC record our deepseated antagon
other European power. and express our detesta
ton of the attempts made In British interests tC
disrupt the friendly relations which have uni
tOrmly obtained between the United States and
Germany. We oppose the conquest of the
| Philippines. because Imperialism means mill.
| tarIsm, because milltarism means government
| by force. and because government by force
means the death of government by consent. the
destruction Of political and industrial freedom
Al.