The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1900-04-20
rleeting Of the Bryan Club.

cratic Club met in Kinks Hall last
Saturday evening with q good at
tendance of members. The Pres
ident, T. Bradun Gillespie, being
prevented attending by sickness in
his family, H. j. Sheppard, first
vice president, called the club to
order. The secretary read the
minutes, which were approved. The
committee which was appointed at
the previous meeting to select five
candidates to be submitted to the
club as delegates to the county
convention, made the following
report:
We, the committee appointed by
the Bryan Democratic Club Of the
Sixth election district to present
the names Of FIVE persons to he
voted for as delegates to the next
county convention, have selected
the following persons: G. G. Hop
kins, Harvey T. Davis, III. j. Shop
pard, Samuel Tyson, I. Bradun
Gillespie.
No action was taken on the re-
port which went over to the next
meeting.
The following circular from the
Maryland Democratic Association,
headquarters at 300 st. Paul street,
Baltimore, was handed in and read
by the secretary, and heartily ap-
proved by the members:
If you are for Bryan for President; be
sure to attend the Democratic primaries,
aud vote for instructed or pledged dele
gates. You will vote for delegates to the
city convention, if you are in baltimore,
oil to your county convention, if in a
county. At every polling place there
will be a list of delegates headed 'For
Bryan" or in some way pledged on the
ticket for him. Be careful 10 see that you
do not vote for any delegates who are not
pledged; for we warn you that unpledged
or uninstructed delegates will riean dele
gates against Bryan. Don't be deceived
by delegates saying they are for Bryan,
but see that your ticket says they are for
him before you vote.
We must get the delegation from our
State SO as TO make sure of carrying the
State at the general election; il will never
do to send delegates who will be kickers
in the convention and boilers when they
get home, as was the case in 1896.
There would not be particle Of doubt
of securing Bryan delegation from
Maryland, if his opponents would meet
us in fair and manly way. We chal-
lenge them to put up delegates in the
primaries openly pledged "for the gold
standard" or against Bryan" and we
will put up delegates openly pledged "for
Bryan" and see which will win.
Isn't that a fair proposition?
But if they refuse to do this it can only
be for the purpose of deceiving persons
into voting for delegates supposed TO be
for Bryan, but who would turn out, in the
convention to be against him. Therefore,
We issue this warning, which we expect
to repeat, and ask you to repeat TO others:
Beware Of unpledged delegates. Any
delegate who refuses TO be instructed to
vote for Bryan does not intend to vote for
him; any delegate who is no; pledged for
Bryan, yon may be sure, is secretly
pledged against him.
UNRESTRICTED delegates may be very
proper when 1t Is not known definitely
just what questions will be before the
convention, but in this coming .conven-
ton there will be but one question, viz :
For Bryan and the Chicago platform, with
the addition of planks against trusts and
Imperialism, or against them Upon that
question it is the right and duty of the
people themselves to speak. and the only
way they can do SO is by instructing the
delegates.
This is our only safe course, aud the
only course for Democrats to pursue.
Any talk of sending contesting dele
cation, would be d.sapproved, we assure
you. by the National Committee and by
Mr.. Bryan himself and, besides, it is
folly, because, if we are minority, we
have no right to send delegation, but,
if we are a majority, then. in the absence
OF fraud, which is not to be anticipated,
we can send the regular delegation.
We believe that large majority of the
Democrats of Maryland are for Bryan,
and that we will carry the primaries for
him.
The primaries will be called by the
Democratic State Central Committee in
conjunction with the Committee of Seven
in Baltimore, and the County Committees
in the Counties, and every voter who in
tends to support the nominee Of the Dem
ocratic National Convention will have
the right to sote in the primaries and no
others, and We urge every friend of Bryan
to be sure TO vote in the primaries.
The only danger we have feared is that
BryaE's friends might be deceived in
voting for unpledged delegates, and there.
fore we repeat again the warning Insist
upon instructed delegates.
DIR. Jenness read an article from
one of the reform papers on the
prosperity" of farmers.
The committee reported that they
had secured Kinks Hall as the