Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-10-18

SO LONG AS IT IS CAST FOR
PRINCIPLE, THE VOTER MERITS
PECT-BOLTING ON PRIN-
CIPLE is HONORABLE, BUT
BOLTING UNDER FALSE PRE-
LENSES AND ON PERSONAL
GROUNDS Is REPREHENSIBLE.
STANFORD, KY, October 1.-THE
second day of William j. Bryans Ken
lucky campaigning trip was spent In
the central part of the State under un>
favorable weather conditions. The
start was made from Louisville, this
morning, at o'clock. A heavy rain
storm prevailed and continued through
out the day. Frankfort, the capital
city, was reached at 8 O'Clock, and as
the guests of ex-senator ]. c. S. Black
burn, the party had breakfast at the
Capital Hotel. Despite the rain and
the early hour, a large crowd assem-
bled in the Opera House to hear Mr..
Bryan.
The longest speech of the day was at
Lexington, in Chautauqua hall, before
perhaps the largest gathering met dur
ing the days trip. There was large
and demonstrative assemblage at Mount
Sterling, the meeting being held in the
open court yard while the rain came
down in torrents. There were friendly
crowds at Versailles, Richmond, VIM
chester, Stanford and Junction City,
where a stop was made for the night.
Ex-Governor McCreary and party
boarded the special at Winchester, ana
accompanied the train to the Junction
City. Judge Morton introduced Mr..
Bryan at Lexington as the man who
came with a message of warning and
advice to the Democracy of the State
and nation" to which Mr.. Bryan re-
piled as follows:
Il have no authority to give you adj
vice. | have no desire to urge upon
you action that your conscience and
judgment do not justify. | am nothing
but private citizen. | speak as a
private citizen to private citizens. l
have my opinion and my reason for it.
You need not accept my opinion unless
the reasons which influence me are
sufficient to satisfy you. | recognize
that mans vote is his own, that he
ought to do with it what he thinks is
best. Probably | am more liberal in
my views on that subject of the rights
to bolt than some are. | want to pre-
sent another phase of the boiling ques-
ton, and | trust that the boilers will
be as diligent in spreading my views
upon the boilers responsibilities as they
were to spread my views upon the
citizens right to vote. | recognize the
right of any man to vote as he pleases,
and | have never yet condemned man
who made his vote represent his con-
science and his Judgment, no matter
where that vote was placed. If in this
campaign a Democrat believes that he
can serve Democracy best by voting for
a Republican governor, | want him to
do it. l don't believe, however, that
that is the best way to advance the
principles of Democracy. ! do not be-
lieye that in great contest like this
you can afford to withdraw your sup
port from the Democratic ticket.
Il would not deserve your confidence
if l stayed in Nebraska and allowed
boiling Democrats to play on my name.
If boiling Democrats want to vote for
Republicans or for a Democrat put up
in opposition to the regular nominee OF
the party, let them do it, but let them
come out boldly and state their real
object and not claim they are doing
it to save me.
81 know something of boilers. There
were some in 1896. (Laughter). Only
the bolter of 1896 said they bOlted be-
cause of principle and a bolt against a
principle is higher than vote against
a person. What did the bolter do in
1896? He helped to elect the Presi-
dent and everything that the Republic
can President has done. that bolter
who helped elect him, is responsible
for. Your governor signs the creden-
tials OF the electors who represent the
people of this State in the electoral
college and sometimes the election Is
close. 1t was close in 1896, if | am not
mistaken. (Laughter). l have my
suspicious that 1t was closer on the
count than it was on the vote. (Laugh-
ter and applause).
Il have heard it said that Gen. Har-
din was defeated in 1895 because a
great many men who had a right to
NOl6 Qbu HOl put luSiA fOtto lAtV tAS
ballot box, and l have a suspicion that
we lost Kentucky in 1896 because q
great many votes were put into the
ballot box that had no individuals en-
titled to vote behind them. (Applause)
| know that the contest in which We
were engaged was great contest-a
contest where victory was so important
to the great aggregations of wealth that
they contributed to campaign fund
the most magnificent ever used IN any
campaign in the United States. Vic
tory was so important to them that
they raised a fund which / think | may
safely say was larger than all the cam
paign funds used by the Republican
party from the day Fremont ran to the
day when Hanna took charge OF the or
ganization. 1t has been suggested to
me that this boiling convention en-
dorsed me for the presidency. | ap-
preciate the good will and confidence
thus expressed. but my friends, would
be unworthy of the confidence expressed
by those boiling Democrats if | did not
place the principle involved above a
personal compliment. (Applause).
Il am interested in the triumph of these
principles | have talked fer them before
they were written in the Chicago platform.
a year before there was Chicago pat
form I stood upon this floor and defended
the free and unlimited coinage of gold and
silver at the ratio Of is to l. tApplause.)
stand to-day where l stood then zap
ssff there are reasons in this State that